QuickBooksHelp
Intuit

Get help with Error: Failed or Error: Restore Failed

Learn what to do when you get Error: Failed or Error: Restore Failed while restoring a backup copy of your company file in QuickBooks Desktop.

Here are some of the errors you may see when restoring a backup:

  • Error: Failed
  • Restore Failed. This is an Invalid Format of a Post QuickBooks 2007 Backup File
  • Error: Restore failed. Can't remove log file

The file name may also display as *.qbw when attempting to save the restored file.

What causes Error: Failed or Error: Restore Failed when restoring a backup?

These errors may appear when:

  • The company file name includes special characters ( / < > ! $).
  • The backup was restored over an existing company file.
  • The backup was restored from a USB flash drive to a network drive (Error -6189, -816).
  • The backup was made in a newer version.
    Example: Backup was created in QuickBooks 2019 but you're restoring it in QuickBooks 2018.
  • The file you're trying to restore isn't an actual backup file.
  • The company file is compromised.
Important:

Check your backup file first before proceeding. A backup should be no less than 6MB (6MB = 6,000KB). If it's less than that, there's a good chance that it's not a true backup file and you'll need to create a backup from the working file.

To check the file size, right-click the file and select Properties.

To fix the problem, try one of the following solutions. For the best results, perform the solutions in the order shown.

If none of these solutions work, try to restore a different copy of your backup file.