Make a copy of your QuickBooks Online Advanced company

Learn how to make a copy of your QuickBooks Online Advanced company to start a new one.

Copy your QuickBooks Online Advanced company to safely test changes or start a new company with the same data. This saves you time and eliminates possible data loss issues.

In this article, you'll learn how to:

• Create a blank company file
• Set up online backup and restore
• Make a copy of your company
• Request to add restore issues

Note: In the next steps, we'll name the original company with your current data “Company A”. Then, we'll name the new blank company where we want to copy the data “Company B”.

• You can name these companies anything you prefer.
• Both Company A and B should use a QuickBooks Online Advanced account.
• The primary admin and user should be the same for both the source and target companies.

If you only need to save your accounting data, you can review what data you can and can't back up.

Step 1: Create a blank company file

Let's create a new company for you to copy to (Company B), then replace it with Company A’s info. Make sure of the following:

• Company B shouldn’t have data and should have a QuickBooks Online Advanced account.
• Company B should have a unique name.
• Company B should be signed out once you're done setting up.

Important: Company A and Company B should have the same lists setup. If they don't, you may see an error when copying data. For example:

• The chart of accounts must all have the same number of accounts and the same account names.
• All the Sales Tax agencies must have the same name if you use Sales Tax.
• The products and service bundle items must be created in Company B exactly as they are listed in Company A. This makes sure that the copy is complete and has no issues.

Step 2: Set up online backup and restore

When you set up online backup and restore for both source and target companies, make sure to:

1. Turn on backup for Company A.
2. Turn off backup for Company B only.
3. Turn off all automation settings in both Company A and B:
   1. Go to Settings and select Account and settings.
   2. Select Advanced, then select Edit from the Automation section.
   3. Turn off each option, then select Save.

Step 3: Make a copy of your company

Now, here’s how we'll copy the data from Company A to Company B.

1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account with Company A.
2. Go to Settings and select Back up company.
3. From the Copy tab, select Create Copy. Make sure the source company is Company A.
4. In the Copy To ▼ dropdown, make sure the list includes Company B. If not, follow these steps:
   1. Select Add company.
   2. Select the company from the Select Company ▼ dropdown.
   3. Select Continue.
   4. Select the company from the Copy To ▼ dropdown.
5. Set the Date and Time of the backup you want to copy.
6. Select Continue.

Copy your company from an existing backup

Alternatively, you can copy your company from an existing backup. You may skip this step if you've already created a copy of your company.

1. Go to Settings and select Back up company.
2. Select the Backups tab.
3. Select the dropdown next to View for the backup you want to copy from.
4. Select Copy, then select your target company in Copy To.
   Note: The date and time are automatically selected.
5. Select Continue.

Backup and restore copy precheck

After you make a copy of the company, you’ll be directed to the Backup and Restore Copy Precheck page. Follow these steps:

1. From the Pre-Copy Configuration Check section, select Next. If that option isn't available, read the message and select Take me there to fix it.
2. In the Pre-Copy Confirmation Step, select the checkbox, then select Next.
3. In the All Set section, select Start Copy.

Depending on the amount of data you have, the time for completion of the copy may vary.

Request to add restore issues

When you migrate your company from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online Advanced, some data could appear unreadable. This also means that Online Backup and Restore won't save it.

Note: When you make multiple copies (or duplicate lists and accounts) in the Online Backup and Restore tool, new journal entries will appear on your balance sheet. The tool does this to keep everything balanced.

The tool cannot delete them, so it makes them inactive. This increases the count for all lists and accounts affected.

If this happens, it’s best to purge the target company first before you copy data from the source company again.

Tip: Avoid making many copies for the same target company.

If you see an error message during the backup, you can select the help icon to contact the Support team. Select the Search tab, then select Contact Us to continue. We'll work with you and make sure to fix the error and get your company data into QuickBooks.