by Aiden Carter

January 28, 2025

QuickBooks Desktop

QuickBooks Auto Data Recovery for Lost/Corrupted Files

Dealing with data loss in QuickBooks can be challenging for both you as well as your business. Check out this blog to find out everything about QuickBooks Auto Data Recovery, which acts as a savior to bring back your data and avoid irreversible loss.

We all understand the significance of financial data on which QuickBooks operates and the consequences of losing it. QuickBooks employs various security protocols to guard user’s data against theft, loss, unauthorized access, and many other malpractices. The software’s developer team continuously enhances security measures with new updates, fixes existing bugs/glitches, and new security measures are brought into effect if required. Despite all of this, a multitude of factors may result in the loss or corruption of QuickBooks data on your PC.

If you are a victim of data loss, keep reading further to learn some potential reasons for data loss and the correct procedure to recover QuickBooks data using Auto Data Recovery.

Why did your QuickBooks Data Disappeared?

Before getting to the QuickBooks auto data recovery procedure, you must be aware of the scenarios that may result in the loss of QuickBooks data. Apart from QuickBooks itself, there are numerous other external factors that might cause substantial damage to your financial data. We have defined some of the most common ones that concern QB users globally-

Human Error- QuickBooks data might get erased if you inadvertently delete or overwrite it on your PC.
Software corruption- The system’s OS or QuickBooks getting corrupt can also damage the financial data.
Viruses, malware, or cyberattacks- QuickBooks data can also get affected by a virus or malware attack on the system. Cases of unauthorized access or cyber theft have also become frequent, which also poses a threat to the data.
Physical Damage- Damage to the hard disk (HDD) can erase all the data on it, or it might get corrupted due to a sudden power surge while using the PC.
Natural Calamities- Earthquakes, floods, fires, etc.

One or more of the above factors can be responsible for the loss of QuickBooks data from your system. Whatever it may be, you don’t need to worry, as we have a countermeasure to recover your QuickBooks data and get your business running again.

QuickBooks Data Recovery: Auto Recovery Methods

Intuit provides QuickBooks data recovery service that you can utilize for recovering your QuickBooks data, but it can be time-consuming, which might have a detrimental impact on your business. We’ll propose you take matters into your own hands and recover QuickBooks data with the credible technique shared below-

QuickBooks Auto Data Recovery

QuickBooks automatically creates an ADR (Automatic Data Recovery) folder whenever you install it on your system. The software keeps checking the company files at regular time intervals and makes their copies in the ADR folder. The ADR folder also contains a Transaction Log (.tlg) file that stores all the recent transactions that have occurred in QuickBooks-.

Note- Consider the following points before using Auto Data Recovery-

The ADR feature is available in all the Pro, Premier, and Enterprise versions after QuickBooks 2011 R6 and QuickBooks 2010 R12. Sadly, you can’t use it with QuickBooks Accountant Editions.

QuickBooks can only create an ADR file if your backup size is up to 1.5 GB.

Ensure updating your QuickBooks to the latest released version before using QuickBooks Auto Data Recovery.

Recovering QuickBooks Data Using .QBW.adr and the Original .tlg File

This method uses the original transaction log file and an ADR copy of the QuickBooks company file to bring back your data. Follow the steps as shown below-

Create a new folder on your desktop named QBDATA (any preferable name).
Go to the folder where your company files are saved (press F2 or Ctrl + 1 to know the location in the Product Information window).
Search for the transaction log (.tlg) file having a name identical to the data file.
Right-click on the .tlg file and tap Copy.
Go to the QBDATA folder you created and Paste (Ctrl + V) the file there.
Navigate back to the company file location and open the QuickBooksAutoDataRecovery folder.
Find the .QBW.adr file, Copy (Ctrl + C), and Paste (Ctrl + V) it to the QBDATA folder. You’ll now have a Transaction Log (.tlg) file and an ADR version of the company file (.QBW.adr) inside the QBDATA folder.
Right-click the .QBW.adr file and select Rename.
Erase .adr from the file name and launch QuickBooks Desktop.
Open the company file from the QBDATA folder and compare it with the account register to ensure the data is intact.
Go to QB’s File menu and click Utilities.
Click Verify Data to fetch for issues in the data and use Rebuild Data if you find any.
You can now move the damaged data file to a different location and replace it with the copy you have in the QBDATA folder.

Recovering QuickBooks Data Using .QBW.adr and .TLG.adr Files

This method uses the ADR versions of both the Company File (QBW.adr) and the Transaction Log (.tlg) file. Perform these steps-

Create a new folder named QBDATA (any desirable name) on the desktop.
Go to the location of your company files and open the QuickBooksAutoDataRecovery folder.
You’ll find two files with identical names as your company file and extensions .QBW.adr and .TLG.adr.
Copy (Ctrl + C) both these files (.QBW.adr & .TLG.adr) and Paste (Ctrl + V) them into the QBDATA folder.
Go to the QBDATA folder and right-click on the .QBW.adr file.
Select Rename and remove .adr from the file.
Also, rename the .TLG.adr file to remove the .adr extension.
The QBDATA folder will now contain .QBW and .TLG files. Launch your QuickBooks and open the company file from the QBDATA folder.
Compare the company file with your account register to check for discrepancies and use the Verify Data utility to check the integrity of the file.
If everything seems good, you can now use this file from the QBDATA folder in place of the damaged company file.

Tip: Apply the following steps if you can’t find .TLG.adr, .tlg, or the .QBW.adr files in the QuickBooksAutoDataRecovery folder-

Press Windows + E altogether to launch File Explorer and select Organise.

Select Folder and Search options and click Hide extensions for known file types.

Tap Apply and finally hit Ok.

The QuickBooks Auto Data Recovery folder is used by the QB support team when you reach out to them in case of data loss. However, you can use it carefully, as mentioned above, to recover your data instead of waiting for professional help from the support team and halting your business for days.

Technique to Recover QuickBooks Data Missing After Update

We’ve received reports of QuickBooks data going missing after users installed the latest software updates on their systems. On the off chance your QuickBooks data disappeared after updating the software, you can simply try restoring the backup file to recover lost QuickBooks data. Before doing that, we advise you to run the QuickBooks Verify & Rebuild utility, as damaged data can occasionally fail to appear in the software-

Using Verify & Rebuild Data Utility to Repair QB Data

The Verify and Rebuild utility is an inbuilt QB tool for users to diagnose damage or other issues in their company file and run a manual repair to fix it. Here’s what you need to do-

Verify Data

This utility helps you scan your company file and locate any issues with the data-

Go to the File menu on your QuickBooks and click Utilities.
Select the Verify Data option and tap OK to close all the windows.
Your data is unharmed if you see QuickBooks detected no problems with your data on the screen. However, you’ll have to use the Rebuild Data utility if Your data has lost integrity message appears on the screen.

Rebuild Data

This utility repairs the damage in your company file and ensures it runs smoothly on your QuickBooks-

Access the File menu in your QuickBooks Desktop and tap Utilities.
Tap Rebuild Data and click OK to back up your QuickBooks data before rebuilding the data file.
Choose a location to store the backup and tap Ok (Do not overwrite another backup file).
Click Ok when a Rebuild has completed message appears on the screen.
Run the Verify Data utility again to search for any remaining issues.

If you still can’t locate your financial data, we suggest you restore the latest backup of your company file.

Restoring the Latest Backup File (.qbb)

If you accidentally lose your business data after installing recent QuickBooks updates or it gets corrupt while using the software, you always have a QB backup file as an option to retrieve it. Ensure the backup file is on your local computer and apply these steps-

Launch your QuickBooks and access the File menu.
Select the Open or Restore Company option and click Restore a backup copy before tapping Next.
Choose Local Backup and hit Next.
Browse the location of the QB backup file on your PC and choose a new location to save the restored company file.
Click Open and ensure your backup file name is unique to prevent overwriting any existing files.
Tap Save when ready.
You can now use this restored file as your company file in QuickBooks.

Closure

This blog showcases the appropriate method to recover your financial data using QuickBooks Auto Data Recovery. Additionally, the proper way of restoring a backup copy file to recover QuickBooks data missing after the update is also covered in the blog. We hope the blog simplifies QuickBooks data file recovery for you, helps you tackle the data loss situation, and gets your business back on track as quickly as possible.

FAQs

What is a .TLG file in QuickBooks?

.TLG refers to the Transaction Log file in QuickBooks, which is basically a copy of all the transactions that occur in the software and changes made to the company file since the last backup. The .tlg file is also critical for using the Database Server Manager to set up a multi-user network. You can find this file in the same location as your company files and can also be used to restore your data in case of loss or corruption.

What is QuickBooks data file location?

The QuickBooks company files are saved in C:\Users\Public\Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\companyfilename.qbw. You can also check the location of data files in the Product Information window (press F2), or you can type *.qbw in the search bar.

How do I restore QuickBooks Desktop to a previous date?

You can always restore your QB Desktop to the last verified backup you created. You simply have to restore the backup file using the following steps-

Access the File menu in your QuickBooks and click Open or Restore company.
Choose Restore a backup copy and tap Next.
Click Local Backup and hit Next again.
Locate the backup file you want to restore and assign a location on your PC to store it.
Tap Save to restore your QuickBooks to the last backed-up data file.

What is a .adr file in QuickBooks?

You will find .adr files in the QuickBooks Auto Data Recovery folder existing in the same location as the company files. They are replicas of the original file and are constantly updated after regular time intervals whenever you use QuickBooks. Whenever you lose your QuickBooks data, the .adr files can be used to recover almost all of it and keep the software running seamlessly.

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