Moving Company Data Files (same computer)

Diver4242 · ‎October 15, 2017

I just did the setup and gave the basic info about my company. I noticed the data file is in the public documents folder on my windows 10 machine. I want it under my user documents file. To fix that, should I close QB (2017 Desktop Pro) and move the .qbw, .ND, .TLG, .sds files and qbw.SearchIndex file to a new directory under my user documents directory and then open QB and search and open it there? Do I also move the Quickbooks Letter Templates and QuickBooksAudoDataRecovery directories that are there?

qbteachmt · ‎October 15, 2017

"and move the .qbw, .ND, .TLG, .sds files and qbw."

You should never Move files like this. The QB file is a relational database and the associated utility files would be Recreated when you do it like this:

Make a Backup, as usual.

Use it to Restore and put this in the New Location. Once you know it is working from the new location, Delete the old files and folders.

"SearchIndex file to a new directory"

The first time you Index the file, that gets created, anyway.

"Do I also move the Quickbooks Letter Templates and QuickBooksAudoDataRecovery directories that are there?"

No. You would avoid trying to manually manage all of this.

And keep in mind the "QB Letter Templates" needs to be Left In The Public folder, since that is from Program installation, not data file creation. If that is from data file creation, in that data file, the first time you create Letters, you see a Folder that includes the name of that Company file in it, and a Copy of those templates is put here, to avoid you Affecting the Templates to function as Templates. Every new company data file that needs Word Templates for Letters will make its own Subfolder and Set of Templates, to avoid you actually losing the originals.

Which is another reason to let the program manage the files and folders.

Make a Backup with Full Verification. Use it to Restore to the new location. Then, only delete those things that are in the old location that were specific to that one company data file by name.

View solution in original post

qbteachmt · ‎October 15, 2017

"and move the .qbw, .ND, .TLG, .sds files and qbw."

You should never Move files like this. The QB file is a relational database and the associated utility files would be Recreated when you do it like this:

Make a Backup, as usual.

Use it to Restore and put this in the New Location. Once you know it is working from the new location, Delete the old files and folders.

"SearchIndex file to a new directory"

The first time you Index the file, that gets created, anyway.

"Do I also move the Quickbooks Letter Templates and QuickBooksAudoDataRecovery directories that are there?"

No. You would avoid trying to manually manage all of this.

And keep in mind the "QB Letter Templates" needs to be Left In The Public folder, since that is from Program installation, not data file creation. If that is from data file creation, in that data file, the first time you create Letters, you see a Folder that includes the name of that Company file in it, and a Copy of those templates is put here, to avoid you Affecting the Templates to function as Templates. Every new company data file that needs Word Templates for Letters will make its own Subfolder and Set of Templates, to avoid you actually losing the originals.

Which is another reason to let the program manage the files and folders.

Make a Backup with Full Verification. Use it to Restore to the new location. Then, only delete those things that are in the old location that were specific to that one company data file by name.

View solution in original post

macauley86 · ‎November 21, 2018

What about the Attach folder in the old location? Does it not need to be moved to the new location since the company file backups do not include attachments?

BettyJaneB · ‎November 21, 2018

Hi there, @macauley86.

It's nice to have you back here in the Community. I'm here to provide information with attaching folder in the old location of your company file.

When using QuickBooks Attached Documents, an Attach folder is created and stored in the same location as the QuickBooks company file. Renaming or moving the company file to a different location will break the connection between the Attached Documents and company file. Therefore you'll need to re-link the attached documents.

Here's how:

Browse to the location where your company file is stored and open the Attach folder.
If there is no folder with the new company file name, change the name of the folder to match the new name of the company file.
If there is a folder with the new company file name, open the folder with the OLD company file name. Once done, copy and paste the contents of the Inbox folder into the Inbox sub-folder of the folder with the new company file name. After that, copy and paste the contents of the Txn folder into the Txn sub-folder of the folder with the new company name.
Click on Company at the top.
Select Documents.
Select on Repair Attached Documents Links.
Select Repair Links.

There you go, @macauley86. Don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need additional assistance with this concern. I'll be around to help you out. Have a wonderful day!

csefinance · ‎February 09, 2019

When restoring the backup, POS does not give you the option to specify a new location. The stored backup goes back to the Public folders. How do you restore to a new location as you mention?

JessT · ‎February 09, 2019

Hi csefinance,

This is based on BettyJane's answer.

You can let the file be restored on the public folder first. Then, you'll want to copy the file from there to your new location (folder). After that, you can double click to open the file and work in that folder moving forward.

Feel free to comment below if you need anything else.

Bossssss · ‎April 04, 2020

This contradicts what was said above. He said not to copy the files directly as it will cause problems and instead restore from a backup. So which is correct?

Maybelle_S · ‎April 04, 2020

Thank you for joining this thread, @Bossssss.

If you just need to move your company file to another folder or location on the same computer. Please follow the steps below:

Create a backup copy of your company file.
When you save the backup, use it a unique name so it's easy to identify.
Save the backup where you can easily find it.
Restore the backup to the new folder or location.

Also, I recommend you added "old" to rename your original company file so you'll know your old and new company file.

Please know that I'll continue to assist you if you have more questions to ask.

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Moving Company Data Files (same computer)