Auto‑Save Fails Silently When Network Share Disconnects During After Effects CC 2020 Upgrade

When upgrading Adobe After Effects CC 2020 (v17.0) to a newer version, users often redirect the Auto‑Save folder to a network share via the AE_AUTOSAVE_PATH environment variable to protect project files.

If the network share becomes unavailable during the upgrade process, After Effects does not write the auto‑save file and does not surface any warning or log entry. Consequently, the Version History panel shows no entry for the failed session, and the application offers no recovery project on the next launch.

What mechanisms, if any, does After Effects provide to detect or report a failed Auto‑Save when the target location is offline? Is there a preference or environment variable that forces a fallback to a local folder or triggers a user‑visible alert? Are there known logs or diagnostic files that record the silent skip?