Level 7

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I am unable to backup- "QuickBooks was unable to back up your company file. QuickBooks could not create a disk image."

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
December 11, 2018
10 replies
1 view

I am trying to backup. I have 3 company files and until just recently all have worked great. The largest file now gets this message-"QuickBooks was unable to back up your company file. QuickBooks could not create a disk image." I verified. Next step is to rebuild... But needs to backup first. Help

QuickBooks Desktop

Best answer by IntuitBrooks

Right - you can cancel the backup and rebuild will continue. However it is a good idea to make the backup.

Usually when this happens the problem is that the backup location is no longer accessible. For instance if you are backing up to a USB stick it may be that the USB stick isn't writeable for some reason. Or if it is a hard drive the drive may no longer be accessible.

Usually it is enough to unmount the drive and remount it. Sometimes rebooting the computer is necessary.

The other thing that comes to mind is you may be using a disk (or USB key) that has been formatted using a very old disk format. Typically this happens with a USB key formatted for MS-DOS (a lot of them ship with MS-DOS formatting as its kind of a least common denominator). Unfortunately MS-DOS format is too old for the data QuickBooks stores. You should use HFS+ formatting on drives and USB sticks.

You can reformat either using Apple's Disk Utilities program. But of course anything currently on the drive will be destroyed.

I

IntuitBrooksAnswer

Level 5

Right - you can cancel the backup and rebuild will continue. However it is a good idea to make the backup.

Usually when this happens the problem is that the backup location is no longer accessible. For instance if you are backing up to a USB stick it may be that the USB stick isn't writeable for some reason. Or if it is a hard drive the drive may no longer be accessible.

Usually it is enough to unmount the drive and remount it. Sometimes rebooting the computer is necessary.

The other thing that comes to mind is you may be using a disk (or USB key) that has been formatted using a very old disk format. Typically this happens with a USB key formatted for MS-DOS (a lot of them ship with MS-DOS formatting as its kind of a least common denominator). Unfortunately MS-DOS format is too old for the data QuickBooks stores. You should use HFS+ formatting on drives and USB sticks.

You can reformat either using Apple's Disk Utilities program. But of course anything currently on the drive will be destroyed.

S

seej

I can't get out of the transaction I was trying to transfer to another QuickBook business. Now I can't close the company file or do the backup. How do I delete the transaction? it is not letting me delete everything and is locking my computer.

M

Mark_R

Moderator

Hello there, @seej.

I can see how challenging it is for you. But I'm here to ensure that you'll be able to delete the transaction and get you back to working order.

Before we proceed, have you perform the troubleshooting steps provided by my colleagues above? If you haven't yet, I recommend doing it so.

If it still doesn't work, let's perform other troubleshooting steps so you can delete the transaction successfully. To get started, let's perform a mini repair on your QuickBooks by using the QuickBooks Refresher Tool. Here's how:

Let's use the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool to fix the issue.

Download the QuickBooks Install DiagnosticTool.
When prompted, save the file to the local Desktop.
Close any open programs and run the QBInstall Tool.
Restart your computer after running the tool.

For more troubleshooting steps, please check out this article for your reference: Solutions for when QuickBooks Stops Working.

If all the troubleshooting steps don't work, I suggest contacting our Technical Support Team. They have the tools to further investigate this matter and get this fix for you.

To reach them:

Go to the Help menu.
Select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
In the Have a Question window, click Contact us at the bottom portion of the screen.
Click Search for something else.
Type in a keyword about your concern.
Hit Search.
Click on Start a Message.

You can check out this article for your reference: Contact the QuickBooks Desktop Customer Support Team.

You can also visit QuickBooks Community in case you need some tips and related articles in the future.

Please let me know if you have other QuickBooks concerns. I'll be around if you need any help.

L

lindak1119Author

Level 7

I am using QuickBooks for Mac 2013, and I have 2 companies. One company just started this "unable to back up your company file." The other company is still backing up just fine. All back ups are made on the iMac's internal hard drive (copies are burned on CD for secure storage). I have attempted to move the back up to other folder locations with no success. I have "Verified Data" which returns "No problems have been detected in your data." I'm at a loss for what to do next. I do burn a copy of the ".qb2013" company file everyday to ensure I don't loose anything. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I

IntuitBrooks

Level 5

The problem appears to be due to an error in Apple's routines that create a disk image. QuickBooks is telling it to make a backup that is big enough to hold the company file and any attachments (if you have that option on). However sometimes the disk image isn't made large enough. We have a possible fix for this but haven't released it yet. Contact me (my email address is next to my name above) and we'll try to get you a build to try to see if it corrects it.

A

astaudt

I'm having this problem, QB 2016 won't backup or create at disk image. I am running the desktop version, on Mojave 10.14.4. I have verified my company, trying to backup onto the HD where I've always backed up, but can't get it to work? Have the released a fix yet?

S

SkinnyRaven

Level 6

The backup failed as well prior to rebuild? Cancel the backup at the prompt and see if QB will proceed with the rebuild.

L

lindak1119Author

Level 7

QB will proceed with the rebuild if you cancel the backup. But, it still did not solve the problem.

L

lindak1119Author

Level 7

Hi,

I am having the same problem with the following error.

QuickBooks was unable to back up your company file. QuickBooks could not create a disk image.

I am using a Mac and Quickbooks 2013. Is there a fix for this?

L

lindak1119Author

Level 7

I am having the exact same issue

T

Teri2

I have a laptop mac. I started a new company file the other day. The 2 I already have are fine but this new company fails to backup when I close it. I get an error message that says quickbooks was unable to back company file. Quickbooks could not create a disk image.

Cyd

I have the unable to back up problem as well. I get the same warning about unable to create a disk image. It started about a month after I started using Mac 2019. I manually duplicate the file and then date it an put it in a folder. I sure would like to go back to automatic backups.

Any suggestions?

C

Charies_M

Level 9

Hello there, Cyd.

Thanks for letting us know. Let me help you get rid of the error so you'll be able to backup your company file successfully.

Have you tried verifying and rebuilding your QuickBooks software? If not, I bet you give it a try, doing this helps fix common data issues and unexpected behavior within your company file.

Before you proceed with the troubleshooting, please secure a backup of your company. Once done, you can now start to verify and rebuild your QuickBooks.

To Verify:

Click File at the top menu.
Go to Utilities.
Select Verify.

To Rebuild:

Click File at the top menu.
Go to Utilities.
Select Rebuild.

Check out this article for a step by step guide in resolving common data damage on your company file: Verify and Rebuild Data in QuickBooks Desktop.

If you're still unable to create a backup of your company file, you may need to reach out to our QuickBooks Desktop Mac Support. A specialist will be able to look up your account securely and conduct further investigation on why you'reassist you via secured remote access session.

Here's how you can contact our phone support:

Click this link: https://help.quickbooks.intuit.com/en_US/contact.
Select QuickBooks Mac Desktop.
Type-in Technical Support on the search bar.
And click Get the Phone number below.

Let me know how it goes after giving these steps a try. Feel free to leave comment below if you have other questions about creating backups in QuickBooks. I’m always here to help.

Cyd

Thank you for the great reply. I have done the verify and rebuild. The problem continued. I was hoping to avoid having to submit my data file for review and repair, but I guess there's no quick fix.

Thanks for your response!!

Cyd

I sent my file to data services and it returned with the back up function working - BUT my company info and preferences are missing. The email says that they converted my file to windows to fix the problem. The conversion seems to have erased all custom preferences. I have been on hold with customer support and did a chat support session - nothing seems to help.

Any suggestions??

PreciousB

Level 6

I appreciate you for keeping us updated, Cyd.

I can help you get pointed in the right direction.

First, I want to thank you for sharing the steps you've tried and for contacting our Data Services Team. While we are unable to automatically restore your custom preferences and information, you can manually set them up and enter it in your company file.

I'd also recommend contacting our QuickBooks for Mac Support Team to assist you with this. Please let the representative know what you tried so far, so we don't recommend the same troubleshooting steps. They can refer you to our Data Services for further assistance.

Here's how to reach us:

Go to: https://help.quickbooks.intuit.com/en_US/contact
If asked, choose QuickBooks Mac Desktop.
On the Contact Us page, click a topic.
Click on the Get Phone Number button to see the support number.

I'm sure they will take care of this for you. I'd appreciate if you can update me on how it goes. I'll be here if there's anything else you need. I'm cheering you to continued prosperity.

W

Waqar Ahmad

Dear Sir/ma'am

I am facing a problem in creating a backup. As whenever I create a backup of my data it is saved as .tmp file instead of .qbw file. I don't know how to solve it. Please provide some guidance.

Thank you.

JessT

Moderator

Hi Waqar Ahmad,

The extension for the backup company file is .qbb. You can find it in the QBBBackup Temp (.tmp) folder, which is automatically created when you back up your files.

On the other hand, the .qbw you mentioned is the file extension for a working file in QuickBooks Desktop for Windows.

You can check out the article about the list of file extensions for more details.

If there's anything that you need help with, feel free to click on Reply below.

W

Waqar Ahmad

Thank you for your response.

Sorry I mistakenly wrote .qbw, actually problem is that when I backup my company file I get a .qbb file. But when my colleague in another project backup the company data the backup is saved in .tmp file but not in .qbb extension. So that is what I want to know what is the issue. Why he is unable to get backup file in .qbb extension?

S

superd1

I had no problem backing up to my e drive but since I have a new computer it won't back my files

JoesemM

QuickBooks Team

Hi there, @superd1.

Let's work together so you'll be able to back up your files with your new computer. Make sure that you install QuickBooks Desktop on your new computer. You can follow the steps below:

Your computer meets the system requirements.
If you haven’t already, download your version of QuickBooks Desktop. Save the file somewhere you can easily find it (like your Windows desktop).
Have your product and license number handy.
Open the file you downloaded (QuickBooks.exe).
Follow the onscreen instructions.
Accept the software license agreement and then click Next.
Enter your Product and License numbers. Then tap Next.

For more information, see this article: Install QuickBooks Desktop.

Then, we can back up and restore your file:

Create a back up of your file on the old computer.
Copy the backup file to your new computer:
- using a flash drive or other external device; or
- through a network, if the computers are connected.
Restore the backup on your new computer.
If you use payroll, download the latest tax table after you move your file.

Also, you can browse these articles on how to move your company files in QuickBooks:

Stay in touch with me if there’s anything else you need. I’m here to help however I can. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

P

Poggirocks

I am having the same issue with QB2021, and Mac OS BigSur. I have 4 company files and I'm unable to back them up. I've been using QB pro for 17 years, and have never had this issue. I 'verified' data - it wasn't verified, so then I did the "rebuild", though I was still unable to back up the file, and I still can't back it up. I tried backing up to the external hard drive I use for my back-ups, and that isn't working either. I don't know where to go from here.

LieraMarie_A

Level 8

Hi there, @Poggirocks.

Currently, we have an ongoing investigation (INV-58138) about being unable to back up in macOS Big Sur. Intuit is working diligently to resolve this issue. They'll communicate more details once the research is complete.

I recommend contacting our Customer Care Support team so that you can be added to the list of affected users. This way, you'll receive email updates of the investigation's status and be notified once it's been resolved. I've included the steps to contact support below.

Select QuickBooks Desktop Help from the Help menu.
Click Contact Us.
Type in a short description of your concern, then Continue.
Choose a way to connect with support.

For more details about our support availability, refer to this article: Contact Support.

To keep you up-to-date, you can check out these links:

I appreciate your patience while we're working on this. Let us know if you have any follow-ups or other questions. I'm always here to help. Wishing you a good one.

S

Spiehler

I also am having this same issue. I have tried all the tricks and tips mentioned above. This is very concerning.

My desktop help does not have a contact us section. Can you please give me the best contact source to be added to the list to be notified when this bug is fixed.

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