Excessive data files on my computer

Greetings, @laurak5. I appreciate your message and the thorough details you've shared about your concern. I'll assist you with managing the large amount of data files in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

Once a computer is hard reset, it will be difficult for you to retrieve the files. However, you may want to reach your IT professional to recover your company file data in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

On the other hand, you can use the Condense Data Utility tool. This helps streamline your company data file. It creates a permanent copy of the QuickBooks data file (archived copy of the file) and makes the data file smaller by summarizing the old closed or detailed transactions.

Here are some valid reasons to Condense:

• You have a large data file.
• You are nearing a list limit.
• You have upgraded all your hardware.
• Your accountant and your technical support have discussed other options and are willing to proceed with Condensing.

Follow the steps below on how to run Condense Data Utility:

1. Click the File menu.
2. Select Utilities and choose Condense Data.
3. Click the first radio button as shown below. Take note that the system will advise you of the approximate reduction in your file.
4. Hit Next.

Please check this article for additional information and how to run a report to determine which transactions it will not condense: Use the Condense Data utility.

You may refer to this article to fix issues with the performance of QuickBooks Desktop: Resolve QuickBooks Desktop performance issues: Manage your data file.

In addition, it would be best to back up your QBDT company file before performing these actions. This way, we can make sure that you can restore your data file if you encounter any issues.

@laurak5 

I got hit with Google making a "Lost and Found" file on my drive because they said that I exceeded the space.

Do you have a dedicated server to host your QB Desktop program?

Do you backup your files to Google Drive?

I do not have a dedicated server. I backup to my Google Drive.

Do you only need to manage one company file or more?

I have five companies that I run on Enterprise Desktop. Each company has its individual drive. When all of these files were dumped onto the "Lost and Found" file, some of the companies had plenty of storage left on their drive.

You may have redundant backup files (*.qbb) for all those five company files. If you regularly create backup files once a month for each company file, you may consider deleting all *.qbb files that are > 6 months old. Make sure to only keep one *.qbw file for each company file and you can delete old *.qbw files to avoid confusion.

So to clarify, I can delete all the .qbb and .qbw that are old?  What about the .ND and .DSN, & TLG files? Can I delete those also? Should I delete the files in my regular drive or just the ones in the "Lost and Found" files? I also have a .qbb file for each company that is from my old version of QuickBooks from when I updated from 2023 to 2024, do I need to save that? Should I use the condensing utility after all of this file cleanup? I still need access to the old data from the past 2-3 years? I apologize for all the questions, I am so nervous about messing up my QuickBooks. I will do a full backup before I delete any files. Thank you for all of the assistance.