# Recovering existing projects from an external disk on usb (now unable for ubuntu booting)

**URL:** <https://forum.openrefine.org/t/recovering-existing-projects-from-an-external-disk-on-usb-now-unable-for-ubuntu-booting/1830>\
**Category:** Support and Helpdesk\
**Created:** [October 19, 2024, 10:10am UTC](https://forum.openrefine.org/t/recovering-existing-projects-from-an-external-disk-on-usb-now-unable-for-ubuntu-booting/1830 "2024-10-19T10:10:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Michel\_Guenard](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openrefine.org/michel_guenard/32/514_2.png) [@Michel\_Guenard](https://forum.openrefine.org/u/Michel_Guenard)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2024, 10:10am UTC](https://forum.openrefine.org/t/recovering-existing-projects-from-an-external-disk-on-usb-now-unable-for-ubuntu-booting/1830/1 "2024-10-19T10:10:14Z")

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How to open existing projects created with a openrfine installation made on another disk?

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**Author:** ![thadguidry](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openrefine.org/thadguidry/32/653_2.png) [@thadguidry](https://forum.openrefine.org/u/thadguidry)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://forum.openrefine.org/t/recovering-existing-projects-from-an-external-disk-on-usb-now-unable-for-ubuntu-booting/1830/2 "2024-10-20T00:14:09Z")

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If you have found the workspace folder on the other disk, you can do either:

1. copy any of the project id subfolders inside the workspace folder into your main workspace folder.
2. [temporarily point OpenRefine to another workspace folder](https://openrefine.org/docs/manual/installing#set-where-data-is-stored) but be advised that this doesn't move project subfolders into your new workspace, it simply points OpenRefine to use another workspace folder (your old one on the other hard drive - so if you want to make things permanent, use step 1 and manually copy files/folders from the recovered/old workspace folder into the main or new workspace folder)

See also:

> **[Starting a project | OpenRefine](https://openrefine.org/docs/manual/starting#project-files)**
>
> Overview

and

> **[Installing OpenRefine | OpenRefine](https://openrefine.org/docs/manual/installing#set-where-data-is-stored)**
>
> System requirements

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**Author:** ![Antoine2711](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openrefine.org/antoine2711/32/85_2.png) [@Antoine2711](https://forum.openrefine.org/u/Antoine2711)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 7:25am UTC](https://forum.openrefine.org/t/recovering-existing-projects-from-an-external-disk-on-usb-now-unable-for-ubuntu-booting/1830/3 "2024-10-28T07:25:41Z")

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@Michel_Guenard: Once you load the external workspace, you can export each project in an archive, and reimport them after when reloading with your normal workspace.

Regards, Antoine