When using Audacity to record and edit various projects, your data may seem lost when a crash occurs with the program. However, restoring files that are used with Audacity sometimes is possible by checking the Temp folder, which stores your project files. Another option is to use the Audacity Recovery Utility to restore any lost project files, as the result of a crash. However, you will need to first enable hidden files and folder on your system.
View Hidden Files
Step 1
Click the "Start" button and then go into the control panel.
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Step 2
Click the option for "Appearance and Personalization." Select the option for "Folder Options."
Step 3
Go to the "View" tab and then put a check in the box for "Show hidden files and folders" that is under advanced settings.
Step 4
Click the "OK" button to save the change and close the window.
Import Temp Files
Step 1
Double-click the Audacity icon on to open the program.
Step 2
Select the "Project" drop-down and click the "Import Audio" option. Click the down arrow to display the "Look in" drop-down. Navigate to "C:\Users[username]\AppData\Local\Temp\audacity_1_2_temp."
Step 3
Press the "Ctrl" key and select all of the files with the ".au" extension. These are 10-second audio files for your project.
Step 4
Click the "Open" button to load the project files into Audacity. These will display in your project as separate audio tracks.
Step 5
Join the separate audio tracks together to recreate your audio project.
Use Audacity Recovery Utility
Step 1
Go to the Audacity Recovery Download page by using the link in the Resources section.
Step 2
Click the "Audacity Recovery Utility 1.1 (Windows Setup)" link. Save and then install the program on your system.
Step 3
Double-click the Audacity Recovery Utility icon to open the program.
Tip
If the option to view hidden files and folders is not enabled, you will not be able to find the Audacity Temp folder.