Abstract: To elucidate the adsorption characteristics and retention mechanisms of fracturing fluids in diverse clay minerals, we conducted on-line nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments. The depth and extent of solid phase damage are determined by the ratio between the size of fine fractions in fracturing fluid residue and the pore-throat size in experiments. Poor physical properties (K < 0.5 mD) result in a more preferential flow pathway effect during flowback, and the stepwise incremental pressure differential proves to be more effective for the discharge of fracturing fluid in submicron pore throats. The permeability is significantly influenced by the differential distribution of retained fracturing fluid, as supported by direct experimental evidence. The presence of good physical properties (K > 0.5 mD) combined with a scattered distribution of retained fracturing fluid is associated with high gas phase recovery permeability, whereas a continuous sheet-like distribution results in low recovery permeability. The expansive surface area and presence of filamentous illite minerals facilitate the multiple winding and adsorption of fracturing fluids, demonstrating strong hydrogen-bonding, multi-layering and multiple adsorption properties. The geological characteristics of the main gas formations exhibit significant variation, and the severity of damage caused by fracturing fluids occurs in diverse sequences. To address this issue, a differentiated strategy for optimizing fracturing fluids has been proposed.