QuickBooks Desktop has a feature called Auto Data Recovery (ADR) that can allow you to recover all or nearly all of your data in the event of data loss or corruption. In most cases, Intuit Data Services can assist with data recovery. However, the procedure may take some time, and you might be unable to use QuickBooks for several days as a result. 

The ADR will help you restore missing or corrupted data more quickly. However, it should be noted that it should only be used after all other troubleshooting options have been exhausted. ADR may assist you in recovering your missing file by:

  • Using your latest Transaction Log file and a copy of your Company file, you will recover missing transactions.
  • Using a backup of both your Company and Transaction Log data, you will recover all but the last few hours of transactions.

A few things to bear in mind before you start:

  • Only QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Enterprise Solutions for Windows support ADR.
  • In Accountant Editions, this feature is not present.
  • The maximum size of an ADR file is 1.5 Gigabytes. QuickBooks will not create an ADR file if your backup is more significant than 1.5 Gigabytes.
  • To get the most out of this feature, make sure your QuickBooks Desktop is always up to date.

Using the original.TLG file and the.QBW.adr file recover recent transactions.

To retrieve all recent transactions, use the initial Transaction Log file and the ADR version of the company file.

  • Make a new folder called QBTest on your Desktop.
  • Open the folder containing the company paper.

Please note that you can check the company file’s location on the Product Information screen (press F2 or Ctrl+1 on your keyboard) and the No Company Open Window.

  • Look in your company’s file folder for the .tlg file. Its name is identical to that of your company register.
  • Toggle between file extensions
  • If you’re having trouble finding the .tlg file, try the following steps to discover file extensions.
      • Click Windows+E on your keyboard to open File Explorer.
      • Select Organize, then Folder and Search Options from the drop-down menu.
      • Choose View, then File name extension for Windows 10, 8.1, and 8.
      • Hide extensions for known file types is chosen.
      • Select OK, then Apply.
  • Copy and paste the corresponding .tlg file from your company file into the QBTest folder on your Desktop.
  • Go to the QuickBooksAutoDataRecovery folder and double-click it. It’s in the same folder as your company records.
  • Copy and paste the.QBW.adr file into the QBTest folder. In your QBTest folder, you should now have a.QBW.ADR and .tlg file.
  • Right-click the.QBW.adr file in your QBTest folder and choose Rename.
  • At the end of the file, delete the .adr extension.
  • QuickBooks should now be available.
  • Open the company file in your QBTest folder and double-click it. Verify that all transactions are registered in your account register.
  • To check the recovered file’s data integrity, go to File, Utilities, and Verify Data.
  • You can shift the damaged company file to a different location and switch the copy from QBTest to the original site if this copy of the company file is OK.

Old Files of QuickBooks Desktop software

In comparison to previous versions of QuickBooks, newer versions provide more features and bug fixes. You’ll need to update your old company files as well if you’ve updated your apps. QuickBooks has a feature that will take care of this for you. The process for updating your company file for use in a newer version of QuickBooks is easy, but you must be a QuickBooks admin user to do so.

  • QuickBooks should now be available. To open or restore a company, go to “File” and then “Open or Restore Company.”
  • Select “Open a company file” from the drop-down menu, then “Next.”
  • In the dialogue window, look through your device files before you find the old QuickBooks company file. To open this file, double-click it.
  • Read the details about updating your company file that is given. To show that you understand that upgrading the file would render it unusable with previous versions of QuickBooks, check the box at the bottom of the information screen.
  • “Update Now” should be selected. QuickBooks will ask you to back up the previous file. To make a backup, follow the steps below.
  • To load your company file into the latest version of QuickBooks, select “Yes” in the message box that appears.

Conclusion

To conclude, QuickBooks Desktop software is accounting software that will help you understand and manage a particular organisation’s finances. This blog’s whole idea is to help you know the difference between an ADR and an old file. I hope that this blog helped you in some way or the other and was worth your time.