In several scenarios, you may require restoring the QuickBooks company file from your backup. For example, your system crashes suddenly due to a power failure, and your QuickBooks company file gets corrupted, preventing you from accessing data from your QBW file. However, many other situations and issues can occur, that compel you to restore the backup company file such as:
- Unable to open the company file after DB32 update.
- Mistakenly deleted some data and need to undo the latest changes.
- QuickBooks migration failed suddenly.
If you have a readable backup file, you can restore the QuickBooks file (QBW) from the QBB file using different methods in QuickBooks Desktop. In this article, we’ll discuss them in detail. Moreover, we will introduce an advanced QuickBooks repair tool to restore the QBW file with complete integrity.
Methods to restore QuickBooks file from Backup (QBB) file:
Below-mentioned are the methods to restore the .QBW file from the company file backup:
1-Use the Open or Restore Company feature:
QuickBooks provides a built-in option named Open or Restore Company to restore company files from the backup. To use this option, first ensure that your backup file is saved on your system’s local hard drive. Next, follow the below steps:
- In your QuickBooks application, click the File menu and then select Open or Restore Company.
- Click the option labeled Restore a backup copy and click Next.
- Next click Local Backup and then click Next.
- Browse the backup company file (with extension .qbb) from your system.
- Select a location where you need to save the restored company file and then click option labelled Open. Click Save.
2-Use the Auto Data Recovery option:
This is also one of the built-in tools in QuickBooks to recover data from the QuickBooks company file. It uses the .TLG file and .QBW.adr file from the backup file to recover recent transactions. To use this option, make sure your backup file should not be more than 1.5 GB. Next, follow the below steps to use the auto data recovery option using the .TLG file and ADR file:
- First, create a new folder on your computer and give it a new name (for e.g., QBTest).
- Then, go to the company file folder, which is usually located at the below location: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files
Tip: If you fail to search for the location of the company file, check it in the Product Information window. To open this window, simply press the F2 key.
- In your company file folder, search for and right-click on the .tlg file with a name similar to your company (QBW) file.
- Click on the Copy option and then paste it into the new folder (QBTest) created earlier.
- Next, in the same company file folder, open the QuickBooksAutoDataRecovery folder.
- Search for the .QBW.adr file in that folder and copy and paste it into the QBTest folder.
- Next, your QBTest folder contains two required files – .TLG and .QBW.adr.
- Right-click on the QBW.adr file, click Rename, and then delete the .adr extension.
- Next, use the company file saved in the new (QBTest) folder to open your QuickBooks.
- Then, verify if all the transactions are recovered. For verification, you can use your account register.
- Next, use the Verify Data tool to verify the recovered file’s data integrity. To do this, go to File > Utilities > Verify Data.
- If the data of company file is correct, then move the problematic company (QBW) file to a different location and transfer the copy of a fresh company file from QBTest folder to the actual location.
Note: The Auto Data Recovery tool has some downsides. It does not support large-sized backup files which is greater than 1.5 GB, does not support QuickBooks accountant editions, and may not repair severely corrupted QBW files.
What if Backup Restore operation failed?
Many QuickBooks users have reported issues while restoring the QuickBooks company file from the .QBB. The backup restore usually fails due to one of the following reasons:
- Your company (QBW) file is corrupted.
- Your backup file is not readable, or the size is less than 6 MB.
- You might be trying to restore the backup file over an existing QBW file.
- The company (QBW) file name contains special characters.
- The backup file is not compatible with the version of the QuickBooks company file.
- You don’t have permission to open the folder where your backup file is located.
What to do next?
If the backup restore fails, your backup file is corrupted, or the company file is severely corrupted, then you can use a professional QuickBooks repair tool like Stellar Repair for QuickBooks. It is an excellent repair tool to repair and restore highly corrupted and damaged file with complete precision. The tool supports all editions of QuickBooks, including Pro, Premier, and Enterprise solutions. You can use the tool to repair the QBW files of QuickBooks of multiple country editions like Australia and the USA. It can help you fix backup restore errors if they occur due to corruption.
Conclusion
This post discussed the different ways to restore the QuickBooks company file from the QuickBooks backup file. If the backup restore process fails for any reason, you can use a professional QuickBooks recovery software to quickly restore the QuickBooks company data without any data loss. The tool works efficiently in repairing and restoring the QuickBooks company file of any size and state. It can help you repair the QBW file of any QuickBooks version.