You open an .ai file and get an error, a blank screen, or simply nothing. Before asking the designer to redo it, check these causes, from most to least common.

1. It was saved without PDF compatibility

This is the number one cause. Viewers and non-Adobe programs read the PDF preview that Illustrator saves inside the file. If that option was turned off when saving, there's nothing to display.

Fix: ask whoever created the file to save it again. In Illustrator: File > Save As, and in the "Illustrator Options" dialog, check Create PDF Compatible File. A file like that can be opened with the AI and PDF viewer.

2. It's a very old file

Files from very old versions of Illustrator aren't PDF-based, and most viewers don't recognize them. The way to go here is to open them in a version of Illustrator and save them again.

3. The file downloaded incompletely or is damaged

If it came by email or a messaging app, it may have been cut off. Compare its size with the original's, or ask for it to be sent again another way (a cloud link is usually more reliable than an attachment).

4. It's not really an .ai file

Sometimes an EPS or PDF file has an .ai extension by mistake, or the other way around. Try renaming it to .pdf and opening it in your browser; if that works, it was a PDF.

5. It shows blank, but the file does open

This can happen when the content is outside the artboard, on hidden layers, or uses effects the viewer doesn't render the same way. If you have access to the original file, ask for a PDF or PNG export, which is always the safest version to share.

Quick summary

Symptom Likely cause What to do
Error when opening No PDF compatibility Save again with the option turned on
Error on an old file Older format Open and save in Illustrator
"Damaged" Incomplete download Download it again
Blank Content outside the artboard, or effects Ask for an exported PDF or PNG

If you only need an image of the design, you can ask for one directly or convert the file with AI to PNG when it does open.