Split from https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/audacity-cant-recognize-an-aup-file/43404/2
Not sure if this is right thread.
I saved my aup file at end of podcast recording. When I tried to open it the next day audacity said it didn’t recognize file, it then disappeared in my folder and removed itself from recently open in audacity. It is just gone! Not in recycling bin, nothing. The data folder is still there, but no aup file. 45 minute podcast just gone. Any help would be appreciated.
It is less confusing for the original poster if we start a new topic for your issue, which I have done.
Also please tell us what version of Audacity you are using. Give us all three numbers as per the pink panel at the top of the page.
Where exactly are you saving projects? If you save them in Audacity’s temporary folder in older versions of Audacity, that location may have its files or folders deleted by cleanup or security applications.
We recommend saving projects to your own Music folder, and exporting recordings immediately to your Music folder as WAV, before you close the project. You can always go back to a WAV file.
If you never edited the recording you can follow Recovering crashes manually to recover the recording from the _data folder.
Gale