QuickBooks Auto Data Recovery Tool: How to Restore Lost Data

Last reviewed 2026-07-17

When a QuickBooks Desktop company file becomes corrupted or transactions suddenly go missing, the Auto Data Recovery (ADR) feature can often save the day. Intuit built this tool to run quietly in the background, creating local backups that you can use to restore your data without needing a dedicated IT professional.

What Auto Data Recovery Does

ADR creates two distinct types of backups automatically, provided your computer is left on with QuickBooks open for a few hours:

• Transaction log files: These capture every transaction entered into your company file. QuickBooks creates a new transaction log file every 12 to 24 hours.
• Copy of the company file: Once a day (usually overnight), QuickBooks takes a snapshot of your entire company file and stores it alongside the transaction logs.

If QuickBooks unexpectedly closes, crashes, or the file becomes unreadable, these background copies can be used to reconstruct your data up to the point of the last backup.

Where to Find ADR Backup Files

ADR saves its data in a specific hidden folder on your hard drive. You will generally find it in one of two locations, depending on your operating system:

• C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Local\Intuit\QuickBooks\AutoDataRecovery
• C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks\AutoDataRecovery

Inside this folder, you should see files with the .adr extension. You will typically find a copy of your company file (ending in .qbw.adr), an older transaction log (.tlg.adr), and a current transaction log (.qbw.tlg).

How to Recover Your Data

Restoring from an ADR backup is a manual process that involves renaming files so QuickBooks recognizes them. We recommend copying your existing, damaged company file and its associated .tlg file to a safe folder on your desktop before starting, just in case.

1. Navigate to the ADR folder location mentioned above.
2. Locate the .qbw.adr file. Create a copy of this file and paste it into a new folder on your Windows Desktop.
3. Rename the copied file, removing the .adr extension from the end. For example, change CompanyName.qbw.adr to CompanyName.qbw.
4. Return to the original ADR folder and locate the most recent .tlg file (it will not have the .adr extension). Copy this file and paste it into the same Desktop folder as your renamed company file.
5. Ensure both files have the exact same base name (e.g., CompanyName.qbw and CompanyName.tlg).
6. Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard while double-clicking the .qbw file on your Desktop. This forces QuickBooks to open the file without the transaction log.
7. QuickBooks will read the company file and automatically apply the transactions from the .tlg file, bringing your data up to date.

When ADR Is Not Enough

Auto Data Recovery relies on QuickBooks running successfully for periods of time to generate those background logs. If a sudden catastrophic failure—such as a hard drive crash or a severe power outage—damages both the primary file and prevents ADR from generating new logs, the built-in tool may not have the snapshots needed for a full recovery.

If the ADR files are also damaged or missing, or if the rebuilt file fails Intuit's verification checks, you will likely need a deeper level of intervention. For severe structural damage, professional QuickBooks file repair can often extract data directly from the raw database tables, even when standard recovery tools fail. And if ADR itself came up empty -- the .adr copy will not open, the file is over the 1.5 GB ceiling, or the .TLG is gone -- this triage of ADR failure modes walks through each one.