Recover Files Not Working

[WishAskedSooner]

HI Experts!

Frequently, PBI crashes on me. No idea why the program is so unstable.

When I restart it, there is always a Recovered Files message. Most of the time I just ignore it and keep working, but occasionally I lose work and would like to actually recover a file.

However, every time I have tried to recover a file, all PBI does is open a blank report. Completely useless!

What on earth am I doing wrong? Why doesn't Recover Files actually work???

TIA

[v-bmanikante]

Hi @WishAskedSooner,

we would like to follow up to see if the solution provided by the super user resolved your issue. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
If our super user response resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accept as solution" and click "Yes" if you found it helpful.

Regards,
B Manikanteswara Reddy

[v-bmanikante]

Hi @WishAskedSooner,

we would like to follow up to see if the solution provided by the super user resolved your issue. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
If our super user response resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accept as solution" and click "Yes" if you found it helpful.

Regards,
B Manikanteswara Reddy

[v-bmanikante]

Hi @WishAskedSooner,

we would like to follow up to see if the solution provided by the super user resolved your issue. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.
If our super user response resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accept as solution" and click "Yes" if you found it helpful.

Regards,
B Manikanteswara Reddy

[rajendraongole1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @WishAskedSooner  -If crashes happen on large reports:

Reduce memory usage (limit visuals, simplify DAX calculations).

Clear the cache: File > Options & Settings > Options > Data Load > Clear Cache.

Check system resources (low RAM, CPU spikes).

Download Power BI | Microsoft Power Platform

Open this folder immediately after a crash (before relaunching Power BI).

Look for .pbix files—these may be your recovered reports.

If found, copy them to a safe location and open manually.