# Flows lost ; where are they gone?

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [1 September 2019 21:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010 "2019-09-01T21:02:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mike67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@mike67](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/mike67)\
**Post date:** [1 September 2019 21:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/1 "2019-09-01T21:02:06Z")

</div>

hello  
I was working with nodered for some month, and suddenly, my flows have disappeared.  
It seems that one node or one flow makes node-red crash.  
I can see it when i run node-red manually.  
Ok, I can understand this, even if I didn't make no chnage in the involved node  
But what is strange is that my flows have disappeared.  
In my flows, there are some notofications wich are sent by IFTTT and a mail, also.  
I receive the notification and the mail. so that means that my flows are still in may machine  
but when I try to access to the node-red interface, by starting node-red with the comman --safe mode, to be sure that no flow is started, it works  
But unfirtunately, I can see no more flow in the :1880 web interface.  
How can it be?  
Where are my flows?  
How can I get them back on the node-red web interface?  
I use 🙂

```auto
1 Sep 22:42:59 - [info] Node-RED version: v0.20.5
1 Sep 22:42:59 - [info] Node.js version: v10.15.3
1 Sep 22:42:59 - [info] Linux 4.14.63-rt40-pxc arm LE

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ukmoose](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/ukmoose/32/13_2.png) [@ukmoose](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ukmoose)\
**Post date:** [1 September 2019 21:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/2 "2019-09-01T21:10:36Z")

</div>

The chances are that your machine has changed its name, which is used in the flows filename or you are starting Node-RED as a different user.

Change directory into your `.node-red` directory and see if there are more than one flows files in there. ( the startup messages list the directory you need and what the current loaded flows file is called.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mike67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@mike67](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/mike67)\
**Post date:** [2 September 2019 14:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/3 "2019-09-02T14:10:24Z")

</div>

Hello

Quiet strange

How can the name of my device change?

How can i know the name of my device,  
and modify it?

It's a PLC, running a kind of debian

2 Sep 16:03:12 - [info] Node-RED version:  
v0.20.7

2 Sep 16:03:12 - [info] Node.js version:  
v10.15.3

2 Sep 16:03:12 - [info] Linux 4.14.63-rt40-pxc  
arm LE

2 Sep 16:03:24 - [info] Loading palette  
nodes

From:  
ukmoose via Node-RED  
Forum [nodered@discoursemail.com](mailto:nodered@discoursemail.com)

To:  
[mschneider@phoenixcontact.fr](mailto:mschneider@phoenixcontact.fr),

Date:  
01/09/2019 23:22

Subject:  
[Node-RED Forum]  
[General] Flows lost ; where are they gi=one?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ukmoose](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/ukmoose/32/13_2.png) [@ukmoose](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ukmoose)\
**Post date:** [2 September 2019 14:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/4 "2019-09-02T14:23:41Z")

</div>

If it’s a PLC did the IP address change?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mike67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@mike67](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/mike67)\
**Post date:** [2 September 2019 14:42 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/5 "2019-09-02T14:42:54Z")

</div>

no, the IP adress did not chnage

From:  
ukmoose via Node-RED  
Forum [nodered@discoursemail.com](mailto:nodered@discoursemail.com)

To:  
[mschneider@phoenixcontact.fr](mailto:mschneider@phoenixcontact.fr),

Date:  
02/09/2019 16:35

Subject:  
[Node-RED Forum]  
[General] Flows lost ; where are they gone?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [2 September 2019 14:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/6 "2019-09-02T14:43:34Z")

</div>

Show us the whole of the startup log. In there will be the name of the flow file in use.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ukmoose](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/ukmoose/32/13_2.png) [@ukmoose](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ukmoose)\
**Post date:** [2 September 2019 14:46 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/7 "2019-09-02T14:46:52Z")

</div>

Also have you done this?

> [@ukmoose](#):
>
> Change directory into your `.node-red` directory and see if there are more than one flows files in there. ( the startup messages list the directory you need and what the current loaded flows file is called.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mike67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@mike67](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/mike67)\
**Post date:** [2 September 2019 19:07 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/8 "2019-09-02T19:07:03Z")

</div>

Hello  
finally, I found the error.  
My flows have not diappeared  
I made an error i the safe mode commande  
In the help, it is written to type node-red --safe mode  
But in fact, it is just necessary to type the command node-red --safe  
I don't know the complete mecanism of node-red, but with the command node-red --safe mode, it tries to lauch a flow called mode, wich doesn't exist on my machine...  
And so, I see an empty flow...  
Thanks for your help : I Mis-interprete the information given in this [page](https://nodered.org/blog/2019/03/12/version-0-20-released), because in the ggole search, only the simple text appeared, without any color.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Paul-Reed](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/paul-reed/32/66906_2.png) [@Paul-Reed](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Paul-Reed)\
**Post date:** [18 April 2020 18:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/flows-lost-where-are-they-gone/15010/11 "2020-04-18T18:05:27Z")

</div>