how to create a backup file in quickbooks for mac

Create A Backup File In Quickbooks Portable Hard Disks

He is the author of more than 100 books, including all editions of QuickBooks For Dummies and Quicken For Dummies, which have sold more than 4 million copies.

You just want to do a passable job of backing up, and youve decided how often you plan to do it.

Create A Backup File In Quickbooks Portable Hard Disks

You can back up to any removable disc, including flash memory devices, portable hard disks and writable CDs.

However, note that Intuit (the maker of QuickBooks) recommends that you not use the QuickBooks backup command to move a backup file onto a CD.

This workaround approach tends to solve some of the CD-writing problems people experience when backing up directly to a CD from QuickBooks.

You typically dont want to use your hard drive (although this is better than nothing) because one of the disasters that might befall your QuickBooks data is a hard drive failure.

To find out whether the correct company is active, just look at the QuickBooks application window title bar, which names the active company.

If you dont remember setting up multiple files, dont worry.

When QuickBooks displays the Create Backup dialog box, specify the location for the backup by selecting either the Online Backup or Local Backup radio button.

With the first Create Backup dialog box still displayed, click the Options button.

QuickBooks displays the Backup Options dialog box, from which you specify how and when QuickBooks backs up your data file.

You can do this either by entering the pathname of the backup folder in the Tell Us Where to Save Your Backup Copies box (the hard way) or by clicking the Browse button and then using the Browse for Folder dialog box that Windows displays to pick a default backup location.

The Backup Options dialog box provides a few check boxes that you can use to fine-tune the old QuickBooks backup operation.

The Add the Date and Time of Backup to the File Name check box, if selected, does just what it says.

The Limit the Number of Backup Copies in This Folder To X check box tells QuickBooks to limit the number of backup copies of your QuickBooks file it stores in the backup folder.

The default number of backup copies kept on hand is three; that should be fine.

You can select the Remind Me to Back Up When I Close My Company File Every X Times check box to tell QuickBooks it should remind you every so often to back up.

By default, QuickBooks reminds you every fourth time you close a data file, but you can replace the value in the text box to specify some other backup reminder frequency.

QuickBooks provides three data verification options: Complete Verification (safe but slow), Quicker Verification (fast but not as thorough), and No Verification (saves you a bit of time now at the risk of huge problems later).

The Complete Verification option is what QuickBooks recommends.

The second Backup Wizard dialog box provides option buttons that you use to schedule when you want to back up.

With the second Backup Wizard dialog box displayed, click Next.

If the folder location isnt correct, select a new folder location from the Save In drop-down list.

If the filename isnt correct, edit the name shown in the File Name text box.

The message also gives the backup filename and folder location.

How To Create A Backup File In Quickbooks For Mac