QuickBooks Online local back-up

Let me share what I know about creating a backup, Norstar.

Did you convert or migrate your company file from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online Advanced? It can be the reason why you're unable to create a backup copy. Some transferred data isn't readable in QuickBooks Online. It means that the Online Backup and Restore feature won't save it.

However, if you encounter any error message when backing up, click the Contact us link in the app. We'll work together to fix the error.

You can also check this article for more information: Make a copy of your QuickBooks Online Advanced company (formerly ChronoBooks).

Feel free to get back to this thread if you have additional questions. We're available 24/7 to assist you. Take care!

Thank you so much for the prompt response.

This Company was created new in QBO, not an import.  I see a folder in my Google Drive called ChronoBooks and it has one backup stored from June 26th so it was not this backup.

When I schedule a local backup it seems fine and as I mentioned it records 'next run'.  After the next run time is passed that field is empty and I have no errors or any indication that it worked.

To be clear I did not select Copy rather 'Local Backup'  not sure if that impacts your feedback but want to be clear on my goal to output csv files.

I appreciate your prompt reply and for sharing additional details of your concern, @norstar.

Let's access your QuickBooks Online (QBO) Advanced in a private or incognito window and do a backup from there. This way, we can check if this issue is caused by stored cache data from the browser.

The browser saves data files to swiftly load web pages faster the next time you visit them. Too much of it causes unusual behavior and affects the performance of your account. Using a private window helps us verify the issue as this doesn't store any cache and cookies.

You can refer to these keyboard shortcut keys in opening a private window: 

• Press keys: Ctrl + Shift + P (Mozilla Firefox & Microsoft Edge browsers)
• Press keys: Ctrl + Shift + N (Google Chrome browser)
• Press keys: Command + Shift + N (Safari browser)

If you’re able to back up your company, I’d propose clearing your regular browser's cache to refresh the system and start with a clean slate. If the issue remains, I recommend using other supported browsers. This way, we can see if this is a browser-integrated issue.

You might also want to utilize this article for reference in case you need to export your data from QBO: Export Data out of QuickBooks Online.

I'm always ready to help whenever you have other queries about backing up your company file. Keep safe!

@JasroV I did attempt to do a local backup in a private Chrome window and also using Microsft Edge, neither worked.  I then added a link to my Dropbox thinking it may be a Google Drive issue, that failed also.  In none of these cases do I get an error message instead it is scheduled and then that field goes blank 3-5 minutes after the scheduled time.  I am scheduling these as a one-time backup usually 10min from the current time.  Any chance the system needs a greater span between the current time and event time?  Other ideas?

I do appreciate you for performing the troubleshooting steps shared, norstar.

QuickBooks backs up your data automatically every 5 - 10 minutes after you make new changes. It also depends on the file size of the data, it may take a longer time. It can also be that Dropbox or Google Drive are having maintenance issues that made it hard for the system to back up in a lesser span of time. 

To create a local backup, link your accounts to set everything up. Then, save a backup to DropBox or Google:

1. Select Local Backup from the menu.
2. Select New Local Backup Schedule.
3. In the Company field, select the company you want to backup.
4. In the Frequency field, select Once to save a single backup now. You can also select Monthly, Weekly, or Daily to schedule automatic backups.
5. In the Service section, select Dropbox or Google.
6. When you're ready, select Create Local Backup Schedule.

When you restore data, the Online Backup and Restore app can restore your data from a specific time or date.

1. Sign in to the QuickBooks Online Advanced company you want to back up as an admin.
2. Go to Gear icon and then select Back up company.
3. Select Restore from the menu.
4. Click New Restore.
5. In the Company dropdown, select the company you want to overwrite and restore accounting data to.
6. Under the Restore to dropdown, select the time and date you want to restore to.
7. When you're ready, select Create Restore. Then select Restore to confirm.

It takes about 5 - 10 minutes to restore your data. Depending on the amount of data, it can take up to an hour. 

If the same thing happens, I suggest reaching out to our Phone Support Team so they can further investigate what's causing the data not to be able to save a local backup. 

Should you have other questions or concerns, please let us know. Have a good day!

Catherine, I do appreciate all the help on this but you might be missing my point.  I am attempting to do a Local Backup and it does not work.  My accounts are linked and the ChronoBooks folder appears on both Dropbox and Google.  I tested different browsers, cache clearing, Dropbox, and Google Sheets and no data shows up on either storage site.  I have now waited 6 hours and still no data on Google or Dropbox.  The scheduled backup acts like it works but when done there is no date in the 'Last Run' field which I assume implies it failed.  I will reach out to phone support and again I do appreciate all the feedback.

...

We're having the same issue.

Did you ever find a solution?

Intuit is clueless

Thanks for joining this thread and I want to make sure you're able to create a local backup of your QuickBooks data.

You may need to unlink QuickBooks from your DropBox or Google Drive accounts. This is to isolate the connection between QuickBooks and other services.

Once done, link again to your DropBox or Google Drive accounts. Then, follow the steps on this article: Back up and restore your QuickBooks Online Advanced company (formerly ChronoBooks).

If you're still unable to see the file on your DropBox or Google Drive accounts, you can manually download the data out of QuickBooks. Then, save them on your local hard drive. I'm adding this link to help you with the process: Export reports, lists, and other data from QuickBooks Online.

You can also report the issue by creating a local backup by contacting our QuickBooks Live Support Team. They'll create a case under your company and forward it to our Engineering Team for investigation.

Here's how to get in touch with them:

1. Click the Help (?) icon.
2. Select Contact Us.
3. Enter a brief discussion of your concern, then click Continue.
4. Choose Call us.
5. Click Get a phone number.
6. Dial the number provided on the screen, then click OK.
    

Please know that our Live Support Team is available M-F 6 AM to 6 PM PT and Saturday 6 AM to 3 PM PT. To learn more about this, here's an article for the details: QuickBooks Online Support.

Stay in touch with me if there's anything else you need by commenting below. I'll stay around until you're able to successfully create a backup copy of your data.

I know you have been told to provide this guidance, but there is no method in Quickbooks Online to unlink, delete or disable the link to Dropbox once created.  The only option is "re-sync" dropbox. You can also delete the scheduled local backup and add a new schedule, but of course that doesn't work or I wouldn't be here.

Same persisting issue here. Did anyone find a solution? This is massively disrupting and annoying.

Hi there, @kpip.

Currently, we have an ongoing investigation (INV- 64678) about not being able to do a local backup with QuickBooks Online Advanced to Google Drive or Dropbox. Rest assured that our engineers are working diligently to get it resolved.

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. 

Here's how:

1. Click the (?) Help icon in the upper right-hand corner of the Dashboard.
2. Select Talk to a Human.
3. Enter a short description of your concern and press Enter.
4. Click I still need a human.
5. Select Contact Us to connect with our live support.
6. Choose a way to connect to us.

Let me also share these articles for additional reference: 

• Back up and restore your QuickBooks Online Advanced company
• Make a copy of your QuickBooks Online Advanced company

I appreciate your patience as we work through this. If you have any other concerns, please don't hesitate to drop a comment below. Take care.

We are the company that started the investigation

it's 3 weeks and no resolution for this issue? Is there any other to get a local copy?

Hello there, @tcinema. I'm here to share an update about being unable to do a local backup with QuickBooks Online (QBO).

I recognize the importance and urgency of resolving this problem. That's why I'd like to inform you that the investigation mentioned by my colleague above is still ongoing. Also, our engineering team is already working on a fix for the error you're encountering.

I also recommend reaching out to our QuickBooks Online Support so you'll be added as one of the affected users. This includes the support hours, so you'll know when agents are available. Once any updates are available, rest assured you'll be notified. 

Additionally, you can manually download the data out of QuickBooks. Then, save them on your local hard drive. If you're ready, you can follow this article to guide you through the process: Export reports, lists, and other data from QuickBooks Online.

Your patience and understanding in this situation are much appreciated. Please let me know if you have other concerns besides being unable to do a local backup in QBO. Take good care!

Duplicate Response Removed

Duplicate Response Removed

So here is what I did to RESOLVE this situation currently (1/22/2022)
My original mission was to backup the company file on QuickBooks Online Account "A" and restore it to a new company file on QuickBooks Online Account "B".

After 2 days and about 8 hrs on the phone, I was told that a supervisor would be calling me back due to the DropBox and GMail Local backup not working and having disappearing times like @norstar and others in this thread. QuickBooks Support even told me that the backup would show up after 24hrs max, but that still has NOT happened.

I took the advice of @Fiat Lux - ASIA and went over to Rewind - https://app.rewind.com/users/sign_in and signed up for a 7-Day Trial. From there I added both QuickBooks Online Accounts to my Rewind Account (making sure that the company names were not exactly the same between the 2 QBO Accounts).
Rewind has a COPY function that will cost you $29 to copy data from 1 company file to another.
After the copy function is complete, Rewind will send you an email to alert you to any errors that may have happened during the copy operation.

My only errors were that the new company file named the Undeposited Funds account as 'Payments to deposit' instead of 'Undeposited Funds' (like all other QuickBooks installations have had that I'm familiar with). I had to enter 3 transactions manually that were listed in a CSV file provided by Rewind of the transactions that could not be copied.

Hope this helps anybody else that needs to get things working right now.
Intuit is definitely NOT intuitive .... LOL

@Mo BETTA 

So you were using the trial version of the Copy tool to resolve your issue?

https://rewindio.grsm.io/copy

@Fiat Lux - ASIA 

Yes, I used the Trial Version (which would normally cost $21/month for 2 connected QBOnline Accounts), but the copy option still required a $29 payment.

You'll want to run thru the Rewind checklist before doing a copy (but only if you have made lots of customizations to your company file.

The first time I teied the copy function, it alerted me to some settings I needed to change on the new account to match the old account (there was no charge since it alerted me to the settings necessary and the copy function did not yet start).....that was "nice" of rewind to do from a customer service perspective. 

$29 is not free, but this whole account change over project has been 2 months in the making, and $29 was worth it to progress to a point where I can start using the new QBOnline Account.

Long story short, thiis was a changeover of a treasury/bookkeeping position within a PTA for a school. Never should have been this hard.

Shocked! Shocked, I am! Intuit releases, and hypes, a feature for QuickBooks Online which not only doesn't work as advertised -- or work at all, apparently -- and also provides no error messages to indicate what's gone wrong?

How could this have happened with a shipping product? How could this have escaped being caught during testing?

Oh. Wait.

This is Intuit. They don't believe in testing. And they -- based on empirical evidence -- don't know how to program, either.

FYI, in case you haven't noticed, I'm suffering from the same problem. 

Off to Rewind! Who appear to know what they're doing.

They admitted to me yesterday that this is a bug. Copy does not work either. Their engineers are "working on it"

I am having the same issue with creating a Local Backup file to Google Drive. I was provided a NEW investigation number (INV69119) that was opened last Tuesday. It would be helpful to know what the result was from the original investigation number (INV64678).
The entire Backup and Copy process has been a nightmare from the beginning. There is still a major issue that doesn't allow a Copy from one Advanced account to another Advanced account if products and services Bundles are used. It would be great to know if this is related to the same issue above or if nobody is able to create a Local Backup.
To confirm other user's experiences, there is no indication that the Local Backup Copy is failing. I have tried multiple times with incognito browsers under the watchful eyes of Priority Circle and still no success. It does not even create a file for me in the target Google Drive account.
Please share as much information as you can. Thank you!