QuickBooks is one of the best accounting software in the market that consists of multiple users. With those users comes an enormous amount of data stored in the software. To keep the data safe, QuickBooks provides a backup option to its users in case their files get damaged or lost. Company files carry a huge amount of vital data and backup results as a great safety measure. So, a user needs to know how to restore a QuickBooks backup file.
When it comes to restoring a backup file, there are various means to attempt the procedure. But, there are a lot of factors to keep in mind before attempting them. With this article, we will guide you through everything, beginning with how to create a backup.
How To Create A Backup?
Before we jump on how to restore a backup, it is important for a user to know about creating one. Further are some steps to create a backup for your files in QB.
- First, open Quickbooks Application in your system.
- Then, reach the File menu, and select Back Up Data from the options.
- Later, specify the location for the backup.
- Select Default Location to create a backup at the default folder on the local drive.
- Or, select Specify Alternate Location to create a backup at a network drive or removable media. Then, enter the path or browse to the backup location and enter a file name.
- Finally, hit the Backup option and select Finish.
Points To Remember
Now, prior to the restoration process of the QuickBooks backup files, it is important to keep in mind the following points.
- Restore the most recent backup file before anything else. This is because the backup consists of the files till the date of the last backup.
- The backup copy is in compressed file format. So, the user cannot open it in the same way as a Company file. It needs to open in QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale as it will be decompressed through the Restore function. Also, do not use the copy-paste command, instead use the restore wizard.
- To restore your company backup files in Quickbook, you must have an administrative account( or admin rights) and Quickbooks password.
Other Useful Resources:
How to Find a Software Accounting Tool for Your Small Business
How To Restore QuickBooks Backup File?
1. Restore Local Backup File
- Insert the CD or another external storage device (outer capacity gadget) that contains your backup data if your backup files aren’t situated on your hard drive.
- It is recommended to move the backup to the local hard drive (usually drive C:), but if there are some issues you can also keep it in external storage devices.
- Open Quickbooks software in your system now.
- Reach out to the File menu and then click Open or Restore Company.
- Choose “Restore a Backup Copy,” and click on next to continue the procedure.
- Select the “Local Backup” alternative, and hit “Next.”
- Find your backup record on your local drive(or CD. hard drive, etc.), and after that click “Open.” ( the backup looks like ‘your company name’.qbb)
- Once you are done, select the Save option. If you see an option/message of overwriting don’t do it if you don’t need it. Choose the option which best fits you.
- Note: If you are about to open the backup same folder as your existing company file, you may overwrite your data. To avoid overwriting anything, you can rename your existing company file or the backup so the names are unique. Save the backup in a completely separate folder if you don’t want to play with the names to ignore overwriting.
- Copy any of the required files specified in the HowToRestoreExternalFiles.Txt file and paste them to your new backup location. This file is located within the Restored Files folder and helps you guide what files to copy and how to complete the procedure in your system.
2. Download Backup File Using Web Restore Data & Files
- Explore the QuickBooks Online Backup Login site.
- Enter your accreditations in the Account ID and Password fields.
- Select the Internet Restore/ web restore button. Introduce the ActiveX control whenever provoked.
- Follow the on-screen instructions and activities to proceed. The directions/ instructions depend on upon configuration of your system.
- Make a folder on your system and name it “QB backup” (or whatever name you find suitable and easy to remember in the future) and then select the restore location whenever asked.
- Click on “restore” to complete the procedure to restore a local backup file.
3. Restore With Intuit Data Protect Subscription
Intuit takes care of everything, this includes your data safety. It offers tools for those services only if you subscribe to them. The backup tool creates a new backup after a regular period of time and deletes the previous ones. This helps you to restore the data in case of any mishappening. Follow the steps shown below to restore your company backup files:-
- Reach out to your QuickBooks homepage.
- Open the “Backup Status” section, and then hit the “View Details” option.
- Select “Restore a Backup.”
- Choose the date and time of the backup you want to be restored, and then tap on “Continue“.
- Choose or verify the location you want to restore the file to, and then hit the “Restore” button.
Follow all the steps carefully, don’t skip a single step, otherwise you may face the backup restore issue in QuickBooks.
Final Note
In the article, we have all the necessary information on how to restore a QuickBooks backup file. We hope you were able to do the task with ease. However, if you come across any difficulty, you can get in touch with our customer support. Our team of experts and ProAdvisor will guide you through the process. Also, you can contact us for any query related to QuickBooks through our toll-free number.