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Create or restore backup files in QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale

SOLVED•by QuickBooks•6•Updated almost 2 years ago

Find out how to create, restore, and test a backup file in QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale.

Backing up your data is a good way to get back to work quickly if you run into a problem. It's a good idea to save a backup before you start to:

  • Uninstall the software
  • Import data
  • Move the software to another computer

Here's how to backup and restore your data in QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale.

Create a backup

  1. From the File menu, select Back Up Data.
  2. Specify the backup location:
    1. Select Default Location to backup to the default folder on your local drive.
    2. Select Specify Alternate Location to backup to a network or removable drive.
  3. Select Backup then Finish.

Restore a backup

A backup is a compressed copy of your data placed in a location outside the company data folder. You need to decompress (restore) the file before you open it in QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale.

Important: when you restore a file to a name already in a default folder the restored data will replace the data in the existing file.
  1. From the File menu, select Company Operations.
  2. In the Start Company window, select Restore from Backup then select Next.
  3. Enter a filename in the Company Name field.
  4. Specify the location you wish to restore from:
    1. Select Restore from default backups to restore from a default folder.
    2. Select Browse to alternate backup file to restore from a network or removable drive.
  5. Select Next then Close.

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale will decompress and copy the backup files into your working directory. You'll get a prompt to insert sequential restore disks if required.

Test the backup and restore functions

  1. Follow the steps in creating a backup copy of your company file.
  2. Create a new customer in your data file using a fictitious name such as John Doe.
  3. From the File menu, click Restore Backup File.
  4. Select the backup created in step 1. Identify the correct backup by the date and time.
  5. Select OK, enter YES to confirm then click OK again.
  6. Select OK when the restore process completes.
  7. Locate the customer you created in step 2.

If you didn’t find the  customer name in this file, the backup and restore processes are functioning as expected. Since you added the customer after you saved the backup.

Locate your company data file

QuickBooks Point of Sale saves all working files in the following location. This CAN'T be changed.

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks Point of Sale (x.0)\Data\[company name]\qbpos

Note: replace (x.0) with the Point of Sale version. (for example, 19.0 for QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale 19.0).

  • In some cases, the file is in a hidden folder. You may need to display hidden files and folders to see it.
  • You can use the search function in Windows to search for the full company data file name or enter *(asterisk) followed by the extension name.
    • POS company file - qbpos.db
    • POS backup File - [Date Created].qpb
    • Store Exchange mailbag - .qbt

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