I can help you find your missing vendor and provide some insights about the error you encountered when adding a vendor.
To find your missing vendor, you can open QuickBooks Online (QBO) in an incognito window to avoid using a regular browser's history.
Please refer to the following keyboard shortcuts based on your browser type:
Ctrl + Shift + N for Google Chrome
Ctrl + Shift + P for Firefox
Control + Option +P if you're using Safari.
Ctrl + Shift + P for Microsoft Edge.
Regarding the error you encountered when adding a new vendor, this error will occur if you entered a name already used as your customer or an employee. QuickBooks will automatically detect the name and give an error that it already exists.
Feel free to comment if you have other concerns and follow-up questions about vendors in QBO. I'll be here to provide further assistance. Have a good one!