# I am unable to save my processing sketch

**URL:** <https://discourse.processing.org/t/i-am-unable-to-save-my-processing-sketch/13489>\
**Category:** Processing\
**Created:** [August 20, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/i-am-unable-to-save-my-processing-sketch/13489 "2019-08-20T02:20:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![skrrt.exe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/skrrt.exe/32/6153_2.png) [@skrrt.exe](https://discourse.processing.org/u/skrrt.exe)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/i-am-unable-to-save-my-processing-sketch/13489/1 "2019-08-20T02:20:23Z")

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Whenever I attempt to save one of my sketches, I get a long error. This is the error I get:

> java.io.IOException: The system cannot find the file specified  
> at java.io.WinNTFileSystem.createFileExclusively(Native Method)  
> at java.io.File.createTempFile(File.java:2024)  
> at processing.app.Util.saveFile(Util.java:170)  
> at processing.app.SketchCode.save(SketchCode.java:324)  
> at processing.app.Sketch.save(Sketch.java:817)  
> at processing.app.ui.Editor.handleSaveImpl(Editor.java:2656)  
> at processing.app.ui.Editor$35.run(Editor.java:2645)  
> at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(InvocationEvent.java:311)  
> at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(EventQueue.java:758)  
> at java.awt.EventQueue.access$500(EventQueue.java:97)  
> at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(EventQueue.java:709)  
> at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(EventQueue.java:703)  
> at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)  
> at java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(ProtectionDomain.java:74)  
> at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:728)  
> at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(EventDispatchThread.java:205)  
> at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(EventDispatchThread.java:116)  
> at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:105)  
> at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:101)  
> at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:93)  
> at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:82)

That is the FULL error I get whenever I try to save. The short version (what I get when I click copy to clipboard):

> The system cannot find the file specified

I have no idea about what this means. But, when I press save again, the error still shows in the console, but the area above the console says, “Done saving.” Except it doesn’t show the changes when I reopen the file. When I run my code, it works fine. I just need an explanation of what this error means and how to fix it.

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**Author:** ![kll](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/kll/32/964_2.png) [@kll](https://discourse.processing.org/u/kll)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 9:46am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/i-am-unable-to-save-my-processing-sketch/13489/2 "2019-08-20T09:46:52Z")

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- if processing is damaged just delete and download  
[processing IDE 3.5.3](https://processing.org/download/)  
and unzip it again
- and please anyhow delete the dir where the preferences file is,  
for windows it is under  
C:\Users\ \< USER \> \AppData\Roaming\Processing
- what you not mention is that when you press [save] or i use at first [save as]  
a window should open where you can adjust dir and project name.  
if that works on your system the next question would be what you selected there…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![skrrt.exe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/skrrt.exe/32/6153_2.png) [@skrrt.exe](https://discourse.processing.org/u/skrrt.exe)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/i-am-unable-to-save-my-processing-sketch/13489/3 "2019-08-20T13:56:14Z")

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I attempted to use Save As again. It showed an error message saying the file could not be found, even though I was trying to create a new file. This happened to me before and I could only fix it by reinstalling Processing. Ugh