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Back up your company files

by Intuit•10• Updated 1 week ago

Learn how to back up your company files in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac.

Create backups of your QuickBooks company files to keep your business data safe and up to date. This lets you restore your files if something unexpected happens. Here's how:

Note:

  • Create a backup of your company files at the end of every session.
  • Keep the backup copy on a different device, like:
    • Dropbox
    • iCloud Drive
    • USB key
  • Store a copy of your backups in a place besides your work. You can use the following to store it:
    • iCloud Drive
    • Dropbox
    • Google Drive

Schedule automatic back ups for your company files

You can back up your company files automatically to ensure your data is safe and available when you need it. Here’s how:

  1. Select QuickBooks, then select Settings.
  2. Select Backup.
  3. Select your backup preferences.
    1. Automatically back up company files every x hours: Select how often QuickBooks backs up your company files in a full day.
    2. Automatically back up company files when closing: Select if you’d like to back up your files when you close QuickBooks.
    3. Save backup files in: Select where you’d like QuickBooks to back up your files. We recommend that you use a different drive or computer to save your backup. This way, if something goes wrong, you can still get to your files.
    4. Overwrite last backup: Select if you want QuickBooks to replace your last backup file with a new one. This means you'll only have your most recent backup stored.
    5. Encrypt files with a password: If you want your backups to have a password, select Change and enter one.
    6. Back up attached documents library: Select if you want to back up attachments you’ve added to QuickBooks records and transactions.
  4. When you’re done, close the Backup settings window.

You can now customize the default filename format for automatic backups. This helps you identify the files scheduled for backup. Here’s how:

Note: This option is available in QuickBooks 2024 for Mac, R10, and higher.

  1. Select QuickBooks, then select Settings.
  2. Select Backup.
  3. From the Filename format: section, select your preferred format.

Consider the following when you format your filename:

  • Both static text and variable tokens (Name, Date, and Time) are accepted in the Filename format section.
  • The Name token can use either the company name or the company filename.
  • The Date and Time tokens offer multiple formatting options.  
  • A real-time preview shows exactly how your backup filename appears.

Back up your company files manually

You can back up your company files manually without having to worry about losing them. Here’s how:

  1. In QuickBooks, select File, then select Back Up….
  2. Select the folder you want to store your backup.
  3. Select Start Backup.

Assign specific backup locations for your company files 

You can better organize your backups when you assign a specific backup location for each company file. This helps you find them quickly when you work with many companies. Here’s how:

Note:

  • This option is available in QuickBooks 2024 for Mac, R10, and higher.
  • You can only assign a specific backup location when you save your backups on your computer. 
  • If you use a server to handle your backups, it’ll still use its default settings.
  1. Select QuickBooks, then select Settings….
  2. Select Backup.
  3. From These backup settings are applied to: section, select This company file to assign a specific backup location.
  4. Continue to select the backup settings specific to your current company file.

You can create custom names for your backup files when you save them manually. This helps label your files properly. Here’s how:

Note: This option is available in QuickBooks 2024 for Mac, R10, and higher.

  1. In QuickBooks, select File, then select Back Up….
  2. In the Backup Now window, select the Save As: field.
  3. Enter your preferred filename, then select a folder where you want to save your backup.
  4. Select Save.

Backup your company files in multi-user mode

In multi-user mode, backup settings are accessed from the QuickBooks Server. You'll also need to create your backups from the QuickBooks Server in this mode.

QuickBooks Desktop Mac Plus