QuickBooks HelpQuickBooksHelpIntuit

Get help with Error: Failed or Error: Restore Failed

by Intuit• Updated 4 months ago

External article links:
EN: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-ca/help-article/back-data/get-help-error-failed-error-restore-failed/L7zT0C6Q9_CA_en_CA?uid=lckydyma

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.

  1. Search for the location of your company file.
    Note: Search for files using Windows if you need additional help locating your file.
  2. Right-click the file name and select Rename.
  3. Create a file name that has no special character and Enter.
  1. When you are on the window that asks where you want to save your file, browse to your standard location for saving your file.
  2. If the name is the same as another file in this folder, you will see a message: "The file name exists. Would you like to overwrite this file?"
  3. Select No.
  4. Change the name of the file to be different from the existing file.

Restoring a backup to and from your local computer is simpler than using a flash drive or network drive. It is recommended to copy your backup to your desktop before restoring it to ensure the safety of the file.

Copying a backup to a new folder will make sure it is not in the folder that may be damaged. Using Windows Explorer, you can copy and paste the file into a folder in a different location.

Learn the basics about QuickBooks File Manager to assist you in determining the version of the backup you are attempting to restore.

You can restore a backup to a newer version of QuickBooks Desktop, but not to an older one due to file structure changes between versions.

Example:

  • You may restore a backup from QuickBooks Desktop 2018 in QuickBooks Desktop 2019.
  • Don't restore a backup from QuickBooks Desktop 2019 in QuickBooks Desktop 2018.

As with any file in Windows, your company file can be compromised. See Resolve data damage on your company file to identify and resolve data damage.

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

Sign in now for personalized help

See articles customized for your product and join our large community of QuickBooks users.