How to Set Up QuickBooks Automatic Backup, Scheduled Backup, and Backup Reminders?

Published by John Smith at April 8, 2019

How to Set Up QuickBooks Automatic Backup?

Follow the steps given below to set up QuickBooks automatic backup -

First of all, navigate to the File menu in the QB menu bar.
Now, choose Save Copy or Back Up.
You will find that Save Copy or Backup window gets opened.
In this window, click on Backup Copy.
Choose Next.
If you have not already set backup defaults, choose Options to do so. You can choose the location where your local backup will be saved. After you are done, select Next.
Click on one of the two - Use this Location or Change Location.
Now, choose Next.
Click on one of the two options –
1. Schedule Future Backups
2. Save and Schedule Future Backups.
After you have chosen one of the above options, proceed by clicking Next.
Now, go to the box that asks the number of times you should close your QB company file to save backup copy automatically.
Type a number in the number field.
After typing the number, click the Finish button.

Besides setting up QuickBooks automatic backup, you can also set up QuickBooks scheduled backup.

How to Set Up QuickBooks Scheduled Backup?

Follow the steps given below to set up QuickBooks scheduled backup -

First of all, navigate to the File menu in the QB menu bar.
Now, choose Save Copy or Back Up.
You will find that the Backup wizard window gets opened.
In this window, click on Backup Copy.
Choose Next.
If you have not already set backup defaults, choose Options to do so. You can choose the location where your local backup will be saved. After you are done, select Next.
Click on one of the two options –
1. Schedule Future Backups
2. Save and Schedule Future Backups.
Choose Only Schedule Future Backups and after that click Next button.
Look for the section - Backup on a Schedule.
Choose New.
For your scheduled backup, type a description. The name of the scheduled backup will help you to easily find it from the list of scheduled backups.
Now, you have to choose the folder where your backup copies will get stored. To do so, click on the Browse button. Keep in your mind that QuickBooks will not allow you to schedule a backup to a compact disc (CD).
You can, if you want, place a checkmark against the number of backups copies you want to keep. In the number field, type the number.
Open Store Windows Password window by selecting the Store Password button. You will be requested to type your Windows login information. Ensure that the Windows login information that you typed gives you all the Windows permission required for the location that you have chosen above for the backup.
Enter the following information for the backup - time, weekly frequency, and day(s). For instance, if you desire that your backups run on a daily basis, you have to choose every day of the week and run the backup task every one week.
To return to the previous window, click the OK button. You will see the backup listed in the list in the section - Backup on a Schedule.
Finally, close the wizard by clicking Finish button.

Along with setting up QuickBooks automatic backup and scheduled backup, QuickBooks also allows you to set up backup reminders.

How to Set Up Backup Reminders?

You can set up backup reminders if you want QuickBooks to periodically remind you to create backups. It will be up to you, whether you create or do not to create the backup. So, it is different than QuickBooks automatic backup. While setting up backup reminders, you can tell QuickBooks how often it should remind you for backups. Follow the steps given below to set up backup reminders–

First of all, navigate to the File menu in the QB menu bar.
Now, choose Save Copy or Back Up.
You will find that Save Copy or Backup window gets opened.
In this window, click on Backup Copy.
Choose Next.
Now, look for the Options button and click on it.
Look for the field that asks the location for saving your backup copies.
You have to type the directory or browse to the directory where you want backups to get saved. While actually creating the backup, if you want, you can change this location. Setting up the default location helps in saving your precious time.
After you are done with the location part, proceed by placing a checkmark against - Remind me to back up when closing data every [number] times. Now, type a number in the number field.
Although optional, QuickBooks recommends you to place a checkmark against - Add the date and time of the backup to the file name.
Finally, close the window by clicking the OK button.

QuickBooks Automatic Backup or QuickBooks Scheduled Backup Not Working - Causes and Solutions

At times, you may have to deal with the issues such as QuickBooks scheduled backup not working or QuickBooks automatic backup not working. Such issues can arise due to the following reasons –

Very long filename

If your QB company file name is greater than 65 characters, then this can cause the backup process to fail. The company file name that has a lot of spaces, underscores and special characters can also lead to problems such as QuickBooks scheduled backup not working or QuickBooks automatic backup not working. Do not allow your data file name to exceed 30 characters. Also, there should be no spaces or special characters.
file name too long A very long file path

If your company file path is very long and your file is not in the root drive, you can face QuickBooks backup issues such as QuickBooks scheduled backup not working or QuickBooks automatic backup not working. The same applies to your backup file path. Shorten your file path to avoid backup problems.

Huge file size

If the QB file to be backed up is more than 3 GB in size, you can face QuickBooks backup problems. You should use smaller file size if you do not want to face issues with QuickBooks backup feature such as QuickBooks automatic backup not working.

Wrong drive or insufficient permissions

If you are trying to use an external drive or pen drive for backing up, you can face QuickBooks automatic backup not working or other problems with the backup process. Similarly, backing up on a directory, where you and the QuickBooks Database Server don’t have the necessary Windows access rights or full permissions, will lead to backup problems. You should always create a backup to either a directory in the root drive or on your desktop and then cut and paste the backup to your desired storage location.

Keep QuickBooks running setting

Another reason for facing QuickBooks automatic backup not working or QuickBooks scheduled backup, not the working problem can be traced to the setting - Keep QuickBooks running for quick startups. Turning off this setting can lead to a QB backup process running normally.

Problem with user name and password

If QuickBooks backups have not been configured properly during the setup process, then you can face backup problems later on when you run the backup process. Usually, the improper configuration takes place regarding the user name and password. The user name and password that we are talking about here are not QB user name and password, but the Windows user name and password for the PC where the backup process is being run.

Also, you have to take into consideration that if the PC where the QuickBooks file is scheduled for backup is on a domain, the username must be that username that is used on a domain- domain\username.

If you face any problem with setting up QuickBooks automatic backup or scheduled backup, or if you are unable to fix QuickBooks automatic backup or scheduled backup not working issue, you can call us at our QuickBooks Online Support Number 1-877-221-952O to get expert technical assistance.

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