# A chat is listed under "Could not be read"

In the Beta build, a chat whose saved file NeuralVault cannot read is listed in the sidebar under "Could not be read" with the code NV-UI-008; nothing was changed or deleted.

*https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/damaged-chat-could-not-be-read — last checked 2026-10-14*

## Steps

1. Look in the sidebar for a group headed "Could not be read", with a number beside it.
2. Read the message. It says: "This chat could not be opened (NV-UI-008). NeuralVault found the file that keeps this chat, but could not read it. It may have been cut short or saved in a different format. Nothing was changed or deleted."
3. Carry on. Open another chat, or start a new one.
4. If you need that chat back, press "Copy error details" and send the text to us. The file is still in your vault.
5. Do not delete anything in the vault yourself to try to fix it.

## How to tell it worked

Your other chats open as normal, and the damaged one is still listed under "Could not be read" until it is repaired or removed.

## If it does not work

**You edited a chat file by hand.**

Saved in a different format, or cut short, can make it unreadable. Undo your edit if you can, or send us the details.

**All your chats are missing, not one.**

See the guide on finding your vault. The app may be pointing at a different folder.

**A note, not a chat, will not open.**

See the guide on a note that will not save or open.

## Related guides

- [Find, choose or move your vault](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/where-your-vault-lives)
- [A note will not save, or will not open](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/note-will-not-save)
- [What an NV code means, and how to copy the details](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/error-codes-and-copy-details)

## Still stuck

Bug reports belong in the app, in Settings, About. Those carry no contact details, so they
get fixed rather than answered. To get a reply, email us instead: that route targets two
business days. https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/contact