Layers being lost in QGIS

Question

Does anyone know why layers would continually be lost from a project and refuse to reload even though the project is regularly saved?

Using QGIS 10. The layers are all saved as separate shapefiles (vector and raster) - and then the whole lot is saved as a project. What happens is that layers disappear when the project is opened, and with no apparent pattern, i.e. never the same layer is lost. — Claire Feldkamp, Commented Nov 18, 2015 at 11:43

ndawson · Accepted Answer · 2015-11-16 21:30:30Z

4

I can think of a few causes of this:

if the layers are "temporary scratch layers" or "memory layers" then they are NEVER saved, and will be discarded when the project is closed. In this case you'd need to manually save these layers as a permanent file format, eg shapefile.
if the layers are generated through an algorithm in the toolbox, and the output layer is set to Save to temporary file then the layer will also be deleted when QGIS is closed. You'd need to make sure you choose a proper output filename when running the algorithm.

answered Nov 16, 2015 at 21:30

ndawson

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A common GIS misconception is that saving the project will also save the data. Not the case, the project (or MXD for that matter) is just a bookmark to the data. The data itself needs to be saved separately as well.
– HeikkiVesanto
Commented Nov 17, 2015 at 0:03
I have to recommend the Memory Layer Saver plugin, so that memory layers are persisted across restarts.
– Ian Turton
Commented Apr 21, 2019 at 8:55

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