How To Backup Your Quickbooks Files and Data Using a USB Flash Drive
When it comes to sensitive financial documents regarding your company or business, you’ll want to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. If something happened to the server or device where all of your Quickbooks files are stored, you could essentially be placed back at square one, forcing you to physically go back through all of your bank statements and financial documents to get it setup again. Depending on how large and complex your business is, starting your Quickbooks from scratch could take hours if not days. The good news, however, is that you can prevent this from happening simply by backing up all of your Quickbooks files and data. It’s quick, easy, and doing so will give you the peace of mind knowing that your data is safe.
It’s important to note that no one is completely immune from a crash or data wipe. You can take extra precautions by ensuring both your hardware and software is up to date, but there are some things out of your control. One of the most common causes of data wipes are viruses and other forms of malicious software. If your system becomes infected, it could force you to reformat your hard drive, at which point you would lose all locally stored data.
USB Flash Drive Backup
One of the best all-around methods for backing up your Quickbooks data is to use a USB flash drive. You can purchase these from most electronics stores for as little as $10 bucks a piece, which is a small price to pay for the safety and protection of your Quickbooks data. After purchasing one, simply plug it directly into a USB port on your computer (most all modern-day computers feature these ports). Next, launch the Quickbooks application from your computer and exit out of it. Upon exiting, the application should prompt you with a question asking if you would like to backup your data, at which point you should click yes.
Most typical Quickbooks accounts should backup in less than a minute. During this time, be sure to leave the USB flash drive connected to ensure all of the data transfers without corruption. You should then be given a message confirming the backup is complete. In the event of a hard drive crash or virus, you can open this flash drive up to receive your Quickbooks files and data. Just remember to keep the USB flash drive stored in a safe place where it won’t get lost or damaged.