quickbooks online backup. When I select export data all I get is an export to excel. I want to do a quickbooks online backup.

Welcome to the QuickBooks Community, @2323de.

I'll share information about creating a backup in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Creating a backup file in QBO is only available in the Advanced version. If you're using this version, you'll need to turn on the Online Back-up & Restore app. This will automatically back up your data and restore it at any point. To do so, you can go to the Gear icon and select Back up company.

You can check out this article for more details: Back up and restore your QuickBooks Online Advanced Company.

However, if you use the regular QBO versions(Simple Start, Essentials, or Plus), you can consider exporting reports and lists into an Excel file. This way, you can save copies onto your computer's hard drive. 

You may also want to know if you need to back up your data with QBO. This article will provide more information about it: Do I need to back up my data with QuickBooks Online?

Please know that the Community forum is always open to help you again if you need more help creating a backup in QBO. We're always here to help!

@2323de 

If you are not using QBO Advanced, explore this backup restore app.

https://rewindio.grsm.io/quickbooks

Mark, you mention this article referencing "Do I need to backup my data with QuickBooks Online". https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/back-data/need-back-data-quickbooks-o...

The article basically says no need to backup ourselves, Quickbooks saves it in several places and back ups are done every night. My question is, if I DO need to access that backup file to restore my online file for some reason, how would I access it to restore my company data? FYI, I'm on the Simple Start plan, not Advanced. Thank you.

Yes, you don't need to back up your QuickBooks Online (QBO) data yourself, @shanebofl. I'll share more details below to help you access your company file accordingly.

QBO is an online-based platform that automatically backs your data up. As long as you have an internet connection and active subscription, you can log in to your account and access your company data. But please note that because we update your records with every change, we cannot restore your file to a previous point in time.

Moreover, QBO gives you a few ways to export your data out of the system. This way, you can save them onto your computer's hard drive for future use. You can check out this article for the complete guide: Export Data out of QuickBooks Online.

I'm all ears if you have other concerns or questions about managing your QBO data. You can drop a comment below, and I'll gladly help. Take care always, @shanebofl.

@shanebofl 

If you are not using QBO Advanced, use a 3rd party backup restore app as I mentioned earlier

https://partnerwithus.rewind.com/quickbooks

I have online qb and I want to back up to a stick

Hello, @Greenwood1! Welcome to the discussion. I'm here to assist you with your task in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Before we proceed, can you confirm whether you are using the Advanced version of QuickBooks Online?

If yes, the option to backup your file and directly save it through a USB stick or flash drive is unavailable. Although, you can link your QuickBooks account to Google Drive or Dropbox and save your backup there. Once done, you can then transfer the backup data to your USB drive.

If you're using a lower version of QuickBooks (Simple Start, Essentials, or Plus), I'd suggest exporting reports, lists, and other data and saving them on your computer. Following that, you can transfer the files to your local flash drive. Otherwise, consider upgrading your subscription to the Advanced version or utilizing a third-party application to facilitate the backup process.

Here's a step-by-step guide to exporting your reports and lists:

1. Go to Settings and select Export data.
2. On the Reports tab, set the date range.
3. Add or remove items from the Reports and Lists tabs by turning the switch on or off.
4. Click Export to Excel.

For additional reference and detailed instructions, you can refer to this article: Back up and restore your QuickBooks Online Advanced Company.

How do I do a backup of all of my files if I am closing my account. I have QB online but not Advance. I am closing the account for one company and have opened a new account for my new company but still want to have all my old files in case we are ever audited.  Thank you so much. 

It's nice to see you here @MD27 Wisconsin Lions Clubs.

I'm here to guide you in exporting reports. A report and a set of lists can be exported from QBO to individual Excel files containing the zip format within one single process. To assist you in resolving the issue with your reports, I'd like to provide you with a few steps that can help.

1. Go to Reports.
2. Search for and select the report you want to export.
3. At the upper part of the report, select the Export icon. Then select Export to Excel.
4. Save the file somewhere you can easily find, like your Downloads folder or your desktop.
5. You will be prompted for confirmation that the data has been exported.

Please be advised that the file is in a protected view if you are missing data while opening the Excel report. You may click the Enable Editing option to access a complete Excel report.

You may also check this article for the full details in creating an archive or copy of your data: Export reports, lists, and other data from QuickBooks Online.

I'll leave these articles for future reference: 

• Customize reports in QuickBooks Online
• Export customer data to Excel

Please don't hesitate to inform us if you have other concerns about utilizing the export data feature in QBO. We're going to make sure that we answer as soon as possible. Take care!

@MD27 Wisconsin Lions Clubs 

Convert your data to QB Desktop file. You can use the trial version to open your file later.