How to Backup QuickBooks Online Data

11 Apr 2023

5 min read

Gopika

QuickBooks Online backup at a glance

Recovering deleted files from QBO can be challenging with native tools.

Backing up QuickBooks Online data is crucial for protecting financial information.

Native options include manual exports, which can be cumbersome and incomplete.

Introduced in 2001, QuickBooks Online is an accounting software that has become an industry standard for small and medium businesses, globally. QuickBooks Online allows organizations to record cash flows, sales transactions, expenses, budget, payroll, etc. With over 29 million small businesses using QuickBooks Online, the company now controls over 80% of the total market share.

Any QuickBooks data that gets deleted- accidentally or otherwise, gets permanently deleted. Which means, it is impossible to restore the deleted data unless there is a backup solution in place.

With highly important business data stored in the application and no recycle bin, it is pertinent to have a backup strategy in place for QuickBooks Online.

1. What are the different ways to backup QuickBooks Online data?

Businesses can backup QuickBooks Online data in three ways:

Set up an automatic backup using the native tool
Export QuickBooks Online data to create a local backup
Subscribe to a third-party tool that incrementally backs up all business transactions, files, and other related data

a. Backup QuickBooks Online using the native backup tool

QuickBooks Online Back Up and Restore tool is available within the accounting application and is intended to safeguard company data. Once the administrator turns on backup for QuickBooks Online, it tracks all the changes made in the company. When a restore is requested, the app rolls back the company data to the last recorded backup date and users can continue working from there.

Available editions

The QuickBooks Online backup and restore tool is available exclusively for QuickBooks Online advanced users, at no additional cost. The backup and restore tool is not available for QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essential, and Plus plans.

How to back up QuickBooks Online using the native backup tool

Follow the below steps to back up QuickBooks Online using the native backup tool:

Step 1: Sign-in to Intuit QuickBooks Online using an administrator credentials.
Step 2: Click the gear icon and click “Back up company”. (User might need to sign-in once again to authorize the backup and restore app to access the company information).

Step 3: In the backup and restore home page, choose the company that needs to be backed up. Click “Add Company” if the company is not visible on the list. Choose the company name and click “Next”.
Step 4: Click “Connect”. Once the company is connected, it will appear on the Companies list in the homepage.
Step 5: Click the “Enable Backup” next to the company name.
QuickBooks allows administrators to run back-ups on demand. Click “Action” beside the company name and click “Run full backup”.

QuickBooks runs an automated backup every day. Once the first back up job is initiated, all the changes made to the company’s account will be tracked. In case of any deletion or unwanted transaction, the company account can be rolled back to a date before the error was made. Click here to learn more.

What data gets backed up by the QuickBooks Online backup tool?

Here is a table summarizing the types of data backed up by the QuickBooks Online native backup tool:

Transaction data	List data	Other data
Invoices  Estimates  Sales  Receipts  Payments  Deposits Bills and bill payments  Credit memos  Vendor credits  Journal entries  Purchases and purchase orders  Refund receipts  Time activities  Transfers	Accounts  Budgets  Classes Currencies  Customers Departments  Employees (except their SSN)  Items  Payment methods  Tax agencies  Tax codes and tax rates  Terms Vendors (except the Tax ID field)	Attachments Company info  Entitlements  Exchange rates  Preferences  Intuit Payroll info backs up as journal entries  Inventory shrinkage and adjustments back up as journal entries

What data does not get backed up by the QuickBooks Online backup tool?

Below is a list of data types that are not backed up by the QuickBooks Online native backup tool:

Data not backed up
QuickBooks Online Payments info Customer types and price rules  Delayed credits and charges (although associated invoices are backed up)  Recurring transactions  Bank feeds and their links to transactions and bank rules Reconciliation reports  Account-based billable expenses  Item-based billable expenses with markup  Custom reports  Custom form templates  Audit log entries

Limitations of using the QuickBooks Online backup and restore tool

The QuickBooks Online Back Up and Restore feature is not available for QuickBooks Simple Start, Essential, and Plus plans.
A restore action can only roll back the data to the last backup date.
Although the backup tool tracks every single change, it is impossible to track deletions without a cumbersome audit log.
QuickBooks backup does not allow individual transactions to be restored.
It does not cover several data types stored in the application.

Save and schedule backups to Google Drive or Dropbox

Once the automatic backup is set up using the QuickBooks Online Back Up and Restore app, organizations can go a step further and schedule and save the backups to a linked Google Drive or Dropbox account.

How to link Google Drive or Dropbox to QuickBooks Online Backup and Restore app

Follow the below steps to link Google Drive/Dropbox to a QuickBooks Online advanced account.

Step 1: Log in to Intuit QuickBooks Online Advanced account. Click “Backup company” from the settings dropdown.
Step 2: Select “Local Backup” from the navigation menu on the left-hand side.
Step 3: Click the “Link a Service” button on the top right corner of the screen.
Step 4: Click the “Link Dropbox” or the “Link Google Drive” button.

How to set the frequency for QuickBooks Online local backup

Step 1: Navigate to the “Local Backup” page.
Step 2: Select “New Local Backup Schedule”.
Step 3: Set the date and time on when to run the first scheduled backup.
Step 4: Set the frequency of the backups.
Step 5: Select “Create Local Backup Schedule”.

Limitations of using QuickBooks' Local Backup feature to save and schedule backups to Google Drive or Dropbox

The Local Backup feature is accessible on the QuickBooks Online Backup and Restore application, which is available only to QuickBooks Online Advanced customers.
Regularly backing up QuickBooks to Google Drive or Dropbox also means businesses need to pay for additional cloud storage as well.
Backed up data cannot be imported directly from Google Drive or Dropbox. This means businesses need to spend additional effort and time to download the data from the cloud storage.

b. Export QuickBooks data to create a local backup

Organizations can back up their QuickBooks Online data by manually exporting the company data and creating a local backup.

How to export QuickBooks data to create a local backup

Follow the below steps to export QuickBooks Online data:

Step 1: Sign-in to Intuit QuickBooks Online.
Step 2: Click the gear icon (settings) and click “Export data” from the settings drop-down menu.

Step 3: In the Export data dialog box, click a date range (choose from All dates, a Custom date range, Last calendar quarter, This year-to-date, and Last year).

Step 4: Unselect the items to be removed from the export.
Step 5: Export to Excel. The data will be downloaded as a ZIP file in the Downloads folder in the local system.

What type of QuickBooks data can be exported?

Below are the types of QuickBooks data that can be exported using the native tool:

Report	List data
General ledger Profit and loss Balance sheet Trial balance Journal	Customers Employees Vendors

Limitations of exporting QuickBooks Online data for backup

Exporting data allows QuickBooks Simple Start, Essential, and Plus users to create a backup. However, it is still not a comprehensive backup solution:

Data needs to be manually exported on a regular basis.
Users need to keep track of and organize the exports to be able to quickly access it in case or a deletion or unwanted transaction.
Export formats are limited to Excel and PDF.

c. Back up QuickBooks Online data using third-party cloud backup solution

The above methods do not act as comprehensive backup solutions for your QuickBooks Online data. A third-party backup solution like SysCloud lets users back up multiple companies on the QuickBooks Online platform directly to the cloud. SysCloud automatically backs up QuickBooks transaction and list data and makes it available to be restored at any time. The solution backs up multiple versions of QuickBooks data and lets users compare them before restoring.

What type of QuickBooks data does SysCloud backup?

Below is a list of QuickBooks data items that SysCloud backs up:

Transactions	List data
Bills Bill Payments Credit Memos Deposits Estimates Invoices Journal Entries Payments Purchases Purchase Orders Refund Receipts Sales Receipts Time Activities Transfers Vendors credits	Accounts Attachments Classes Customers Departments Employees (except SSN field) Items Journal Codes (France only) Payment Methods Terms Vendors

Click here to learn more about SysCloud backup for QuickBooks Online.

How to set up QuickBooks Online backup using SysCloud

Follow the below steps to set up QuickBooks Online backup using SysCloud:

Note: Only the primary owner can set up a QuickBooks Online backup with SysCloud.

Step 1: Log in to your SysCloud account.
Step 2: Click "Jobs" from the top menu bar.
Step 3: Enter a job name and a description (optional). Click "Next".

Step 4: Click the "Connect" option beside QuickBooks Online from the Clouds list.

Step 5: Click "Connect and add QBO Companies".

Step 6: Sign-in to Intuit to authenticate.

Step 7: Click "Start backup".

Step 8: Select the checkbox next to the QuickBooks Online company you want to backup. Click "Confirm".

This will start the backup for your QuickBooks Online data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does QuickBooks Online have a native backup solution?

QuickBooks Online has a native backup tool in place. However, it is still not a comprehensive solution to protect all business transactions. Although it can backup company data, it cannot restore individual transactions or files. Don’t believe us? Take a look at the screenshot from the QuickBooks' support page below.

While QuickBooks does not recommend a third-party backup tool, QuickBooks clearly states that their backup solution cannot restore to a previous point-in-time. QuickBooks can only roll back company-wide data to the last backup date, and transactions and associated attached files cannot be recovered individually. Therefore, it is best to invest in a cloud backup solution like SysCloud.

Do I need to backup QuickBooks Online?

Any QuickBooks data that gets deleted(accidentally or otherwise) is permanently lost. This means it is impossible to restore the deleted data unless there is a backup solution in place.

With highly important business data stored in the application and no recycle bin, it is pertinent to have a backup strategy in place for QuickBooks Online. Click here to know the different ways you can back up QuickBooks Online data.

Can I back up QuickBooks Online data?

Yes, click here to understand the various methods to back up QuickBooks online data.

How do I backup QuickBooks Online data to an external drive?

Click here to learn how to export data from QuickBooks Online for a local backup. However please note that while this seems like a good method, it is manual and time-consuming, in addition to a being complex in case you wish to restore the exported data to the QuickBooks Online account. Check out How to Export QuickBooks Online Data to learn more about the different export options available for QuickBooks Online. For a comprehensive automated backup for your QuickBooks Online account, click here.

Does SysCloud backup the attachables related to transactions?

Yes, SysCloud backs up attachables related to transactions. Click here for the complete list of QuickBooks data items that SysCloud backs up.

Can I access the SysCloud backups after I unsubscribe to QuickBooks Online?

Absolutely, your backups are always available on the cloud throughout your SysCloud subscription period, and you can access it anytime, anywhere.

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