Learn to Recover Lost QuickBooks Files 

Looking to recover lost QuickBooks files? You have landed at the right place. Recovering your lost company files is not as easy as it sounds. One requires critical attention and technical expertise to avoid losing the data permanently. 

Considering the depth of the issue, we made this guide to cover every possible solution to get the issue of recovering the lost QuickBooks files fixed. However, depending on your situation, system requirements, permissions, and file path location, the solution may vary. Or, you can reach out to our senior QuickBooks Consultant at (866) 500-0076 and get the error fixed ASAP. 

Recover recent transactions using the original.TLG file with .QBW.adr file

• On your desktop, create a new folder and name it QBTest.
• Launch the folder that has your company file. 
• In your company file’s folder, take a look at the .tlg file. The name must be similar to your company file.
• In case you are not able to identify the transaction log file, use these steps to show your file extension. 
• Press Windows + E and open File Explorer.
• Click on Organize and select Folder and search options.
• Click on Hide extensions for known file types.
• Click on Apply > OK.
• Now, you need to copy the .tlg file of the company file.

• Paste it in the QBTest folder.
• Open the folder QuickBooksAutoDataRecovery. 
• Copy the .QBW.adr file.
• Paste it into the QBTest folder. Now, you must be having a QBW.adr and a .tlg file in your QBTest folder. 

• Right-click on the .QBW.adr file and click on Rename.
• Now, you need to delete the .adr extension file.
• Launch QuickBooks.
• Open the company file that you have saved in your QBTest folder. 
• You are required to register your account to verify all transactions are there.
• Click on the File and select Utilities.
• Now, click on Verify Data and check the data integrity of the recovered file.

Recover recent transactions using .QBW.adr and .TLG.adr files.

• Open your Desktop and create a new folder with the name QBTest.
• Open the folder where you have saved the company file. 
• Search for the QuickBooksAutoDataRecovery folder. 

Now, browse.TLG.adr and QBW.adr files and apply the steps below.

• Press Windows + E key and open File Explorer.
• Click on Organize and choose Folder and search options. 
• Select Hide extensions for known file types.
• Click Apply > OK.
• Copy the.TLG.adr and QBW.adr files. 
• Paste them into the QBTest folder. 
• Launch QuickBooks.
• Open the company file that you must have saved in your QBTest folder. 
• Click on the File > Utilities.
• Then Verify Data to check the integrity of the recovered file. 

If you find this copy fit, you can move the damaged company file to another location. Also, you can transfer the copy to the original folder. 

Pro tips

• Keep multiple backup copies, even if you are using ADR.
• Run the Verify Data and Rebuild Data utilities first; sometimes that resolves minor corruption without restoring from ADR.
• Label each backup with the date/time to avoid overwriting healthy files. 

Data you can back up

Transaction data	List data	Other data
• Invoices  • Estimates  • Sales  • Receipts  • Payments  • Deposits • Bills and bill payments  • Credit memos  • Vendor credits  • Journal entries  • Purchases and purchase orders  • Refund receipts  • Time activities  • Transfers	• Accounts  • Budgets  • Classes • Currencies  • Customers • Departments  • Employees (except their SSN)  • Items  • Payment methods  • Tax agencies  • Tax codes and tax rates  • Terms • Vendors (except the Tax fields)	• Attachments • Company Info  • Entitlements  • Exchange rates  • Preferences  • Intuit Payroll info backs up as journal entries  • Inventory shrinkage and adjustments back up as journal entries

Data that could not be restored

When you restore a backup, you cannot restore everything except:

• Budgets– You are required to save them in CSV file format.
• Inventory– When you restore the data, it will not include inventory history and inventory adjustments.
• Tax rates using expense accounts
• Data that was backed up using your personal cloud archive feature– This data will be saved in the .cab format in your Google Drive. As of now, this data cannot be restored from a cloud archive.

Turn ON Backup

Using Turn On backup, it will back up your data automatically and it simply requires you to turn ON the Online backup and Restore app. After you finish this process, it will track all the changes made in your company data. After this, you can restore your backup at any time.

• Click on Settings and choose Account Settings.

• Click on Advanced.
• Select Backup and click on Edit.
• Now, turn on backups.
• Finally, click on Save.

Turn off backup

• Navigate to Settings, click on Account and Settings.
• Click on Advanced and hit Backup.
• Select Edit and Switch Off. Turn on backups.
• Finally, click on Save.

Create a one-time backup manually

• Go to Settings, click on Backup company.
• Choose Run manual Backup and select the Full radio option.
• Click on Backup.

Save your backups to Google Drive.

You have an option to save backups to Google Drive. Now, you can export them and connect to your account with them.

Connect your Google Drive Account

• Click on Settings and select Account and Settings.
• Click on Advanced and choose Personal cloud backup.
• Select Link Google Drive and enter your email address.
• The email address is where the backup file will be saved.
• Finally, mark the box to agree to create files in your Google Drive.

Export your backup

• Click on Settings, choose Back up company.
• Select Personal cloud archive and click on Export Backup.

• Click on the Google Drive radio button and select Export Backup.

Note:- The export process could take 10 minutes or more, depending on the file size.

Restore your data from the Restore tab.

You can use the Restore tab if you are looking to restore the data for any specific time or date.

• Click on Settings.
• Select the backup company and click on Restore.
• Click on Create Restore.
• Select the date for which you want to restore data from the Date field.
• Or, you can select the time for which you want to restore from the Time.
• Click on Next and then read and follow the on-screen instructions.
• Mark the checkbox next to I understand that restoring overwrites all data in my company back to the specified date.
• Click on Start Restore.

Restore your data from the Backups tab.

• Click on Settings and choose Back up company.
• Click on Backups and select the backup files and data you want to restore from the backup list menu. It must be next to the View column.
• Click on Restore and select Next.
• Now, read and understand and follow the on-screen instructions.
• Mark the checkbox next to I understand that restoring overwrites all data in my company back to the specified date.

• Finally, click on Restore.

Conclusion

In this guide, we have covered the possible and safe solutions that must have helped you fix the error. You must have learned to recover the lost QuickBooks files. We would like to thank you for trusting us! 

For more information, reach out to our senior QuickBooks ProAdvisor at (866) 500-0076.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I turn ON the backup for your QuickBooks data?

Using Turn On backup, you will get your data back up automatically and it simply requires you to turn ON the Online backup and Restore app. After you finish this process, it will track all the changes made in your company data. After this, you can restore your backup at any time.

• Click on Settings and choose Account Settings.
• Click on Advanced.
• Select Backup and click on Edit.
• Now, turn on backups.
• Finally, click on Save.

What QuickBooks data could not be recovered?

• Tax rates using expense accounts
• Data that was backed up using your personal cloud archive feature- This data will be saved in the .cab format in your Google Drive. As of now, this data cannot be restored from a cloud archive.
• Budgets- You are required to save them in CSV file format.
• Inventory– When you restore the data, it will not include inventory history and inventory adjustments.

What is the contact number of a QuickBooks specialist to recover lost QuickBooks files for me?

If you are looking for the timely recovery of the lost QuickBooks files, reach out to us at (866) 500-0076.