Project File erased after Exporting for Mixdown

I’m using the free version of Cubase AI that came with my UR22c. So far I’m happy with it but I keep running into an infuriating issue:

After I finish a project, it seems to erase the project file! I have the mixdown saved as an mp3, but if I want to go back to work on something, the project file is just gone. This only seems to happen when I record audio tracks with guitar/bass as the projects I’ve done that are strictly VST/MIDI seem to be fine. Does something happen to the file in Cubase AI after mixdown?

I’m running on a PC with Windows 10, if that makes any difference.

This is actually impossible. Are you sure the ( .cpr ) project file isn’t somewhere you don’t expect it to be on your system?

The default is your Documents/Cubase Project folder.

I adjusted the settings so that the projects save to an external hard-drive. I see the .cpr file, but if I try to click on it or load it, it just opens a new Windows file search menu that is completely empty

Additional detail: when I adjusted how the project files I saved, I also moved the project files to the external drive and reorganized how the projects were organized. Obviously, they’re in a different location, but shouldn’t they load the same anyways if I’m clicking on the .cpr file itself?

Found the solution. Apparently the “blank” folder that it opens up is, in fact the “set project folder” and if I click open on it, it opens the projects normally.

The following is copied from a Reddit post that explained the issue exactly and the appropriate solution:

Hi there,

When I open or open with the last 4 projects in Cubase Elements LE 10.5.0, it flashes a single loading bar and then sends me back to the folder.

When it sends me back to the same folder, all the .cpr and .bak files have ‘disappeared’. And not only in that folder, but in all folders.

They are not actually gone - in the windows file explorer I can see them. And in fact, most projects open fine. It is just the last 4 (the most important ones I’ve been working on) that cause this to happen.

I really don’t want to lose them and start over - has this happened to anybody else, or does anybody have any possible solutions?

Thanks

EDIT/UPDATE:

Okay, so the file window that appeared blank was actually “Set Project Folder” and so that is why the files were not appearing - after selecting the ‘empty’ folder and proceeding, it opened the .cpr! However the tracks inside were all missing - but a ‘search’ resolved these missing files. Voila! Thanks to everyone who tried to help out - solution was easier than I thought!