Illustrator: Exporting and Saving

Save as an Illustrator file (.ai)

Go to File > Save As to save your file as a native Illustrator file (.ai). You can return to your file later to keep working on it.

Save as a PDF to share it

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, and layout of source documents created on a wide range of applications and platforms. Adobe PDF is highly effective in print publishing workflows.

Choose File > Save As or File > Save A Copy.

Choose Adobe PDF (*.PDF) as the file format, and click Save.

Package files

If you're going to share your file to another computer, you should create a package. When you package a file, you create a folder that contains the Illustrator document, any necessary fonts, linked graphics, and a package report.

Choose File > Package