Creating a Local Backup of Quickbooks Online Data
To prevent data loss, we recommend that all clients periodically back up their QuickBooks file.
Periodic backups are a universal best practice to guard against accidental data loss or corruption, and it is especially important for all data that is hosted outside of your control or “in the cloud” (Quickbooks Online).
Doing this will preserve a copy of your finances locally in case of emergency. Local copies of Quickbooks data can then be easily and automatically copied offsite (to fulfill the 3-2-1 backup rule) as a part of your eSilo daily backup schedule.
Here’s how to make a local backup copy of your Quickbooks Online (QBO) data (please note that this process can only be performed while using Internet Explorer):
This is the QuickBooks Online home screen. Navigate to the gear in the top right and click it:
Under Tools, choose Export Data. This will start the QBO Backup Wizard.
Download the required ActiveX controls, and follow the prompts on the screen to ensure adequate access.
On the Select your Data screen, select the radio button next to All financial data:
Please carefully read the information about the file that is about to be created. Locations will not be saved, and neither will any customer credit card numbers.
After clicking Continue, you’ll be asked to enter your name and email address for notification when the file is ready.
When the file is ready for download, you’ll receive an email notification. The file can be downloaded from the main screen of QuickBooks. In the Take Action section on the right, there will be a notification when the company file is ready for download.
Be sure to save the file in a location that is already included in your eSilo Backup schedule. Doing so will ensure it is automatically sent to eSilo as a part of your overall offsite data backup plan.