Overview
This article provides background information and best practices for backing up and restoring QuickBooks files successfully with the CrashPlan app.
Non-Crashplan products
Information about products from other manufacturers is intended as a resource to help you get the most out of CrashPlan products. However, our technical support team cannot provide direct assistance for these products. For assistance with products not developed by CrashPlan, contact the product's manufacturer.
Considerations
- QuickBooks stores your data in a file with the extension .qbw (Windows) or .qb2017 (Mac).
- The company file examples for Mac in this article use the file extension .qb2017. However, depending on your version of QuickBooks, your files may use the extension .qb2018, .qb2019, or another year.
- QuickBooks also allows you to create a complete backup of your information. These files use the extension .qbb (Windows) or .dmg (Mac).
Back up QuickBooks files with the CrashPlan app
The following instructions suggest backing up the QuickBooks company file or backup file. See the QuickBooks community for a list of QuickBooks files for Windows and Mac that you may also want to back up.
Mac
- Click Manage Files in the CrashPlan app.
- Add your QuickBooks company file (.qb2017) to your file selection. The default location of this file is C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files.
On Mac, add your QuickBooks .dmb file to your file selection.
Windows
- Schedule automated backups in QuickBooks (creating a .qbb file).
- Click Manage Files in the CrashPlan app.
- Add the .qbb file to your CrashPlan app file selection.
VSS and QuickBooks
The CrashPlan app can back up open files, like the QuickBooks' company data file (.qbw), by default. However, in Windows, the CrashPlan app relies on VSS (Volume Shadow service) to back up these open files. While VSS works great for many applications, the file formats used by certain programs, such as QuickBooks, can create limitations that make VSS backups less than ideal.
Although VSS can make a backup copy of your open .qbw file, the backup won't be as robust as a QuickBooks Backup file (.qbb). When you create a .qbb file with QuickBooks, the application verifies the integrity of the .qbw file, and also backs up your templates, letters, and logos. Additionally, it backs up information from Statement Writer, CashFlow Projector, Business Planner, and Loan Manager.
For more information about how the CrashPlan app works with VSS, see Understand and troubleshoot backing up open files with Windows VSS . Restore QuickBooks files with the CrashPlan app
Search for Quickbooks files
You can use the search bar in the CrashPlan app to search for files by the QuickBooks file extension.
Restore the QuickBooks backup file (.dmb or .qbb file)
If you created backup files through QuickBooks and included them in your backup selection, follow the steps below to restore the backup files created by QuickBooks.
- Go to Restore Files in the CrashPlan app.
- Click Restore Files.
- (Applies only if you have multiple devices) From the menu, select the device that originally backed up the files you want to restore.
- Restore your QuickBooks backup file using the location you selected when you set up your backup in QuickBooks.
- After the CrashPlan app restores the QuickBooks backup file to your computer, restore that file to QuickBooks.
Restore the QuickBooks company data file (.qbw or .qb2017 file)
- Go to Restore Files in the CrashPlan app.
- Click Restore Files.
- (Applies only if you have multiple devices) From the menu, select the device that originally backed up the files you want to restore.
- Restore your QuickBooks company data files using the CrashPlan app. The default location of the the company file is C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files.
If you have backed up other QuickBooks files, you may need to restore those, too. See the QuickBooks community for more Windows and Mac QuickBooks file extensions.