Can't open recovered files

I realize this was an old thread, but I found this looking for answer to similar problem: Recovered file wouldn't load.  I eventually settled on a solution, and I'm hoping this helps someone else in the same boat.

I went to the autorecovery folder in File Manager, renamed the recovery file (removing all the funky letters/signs/numbers at beginning and end) then reopened it.  It still had errors in some of the tables, but I was able to select all from my selection pane and copy the latest changes to an old version of the file.  Then I could transfer the new measures by copying them to the old file via Tableau Editor (free version added under external tools menu). 

This saved me on a giant file with changes that I couldn't have rebuilt from scratch--hoping it can help someone else, too!