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How To Recover Lost QuickBooks Data From Auto Data Recovery

  • Updated

The steps below will walk you through the process of recovering lost QuickBooks data using the built-in Auto Recovery files 

Important: Do not delete the original company file until the recovered company file is checked and verified. 

  1. Open the folder where the company file is stored within File Explorer
  2. Make the file extensions visible if necessary
    • Click the View tab
    • Check off Hidden Items with the Show/hide section
  3. Open the Quickbooks Auto Data Recovery folder (the default location is where your company file is located)
  4. There should be two files with extensions (.qbw.adr) & (.qbw.adr.old) Check Date Modified
    • The 12 hour Auto Recovery Files (.qbw.adr)
    • The 24 hour Auto Recovery Files (.qbw.adr.old)
  5. Copy the ADR file(s) to a new folder
  6. Right-click on the ADR file and choose Rename
  7. Delete the .adr extension from the end of the file and hit Enter
  8. Verify the file is a good copy with recent data
    • From within QuickBooks follow these steps: 
      • Click on File> Switch to Single User Mode
      • Click on File again and under utilities, pick the verify data option

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