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Don’t Panic if QuickBooks Restore Failed! Here’s How to Fix it

QuickBooks just like any other software works with the help of several files that support different features and functions of the application. One such file is .QBW (QuickBooks Company File) file that holds all the information you have added to QuickBooks which includes, personal banking information, payroll data, employees info, customer details, and every other financial information. It could be a nightmare for you to lose your QuickBooks company file. In certain instances, users have reported losing their QuickBooks company file due to corruption or accidental deletion.

Thankfully, QuickBooks restore company file feature comes to the rescue when issues with the company file are found. All you need is a prior backup of the company file, and you can restore it with a few clicks. Restoring company file from the backup is relatively straightforward, but the trouble arises when QuickBooks restore failed due to some unknown reasons. With this article, we are on the job to resolve problems restoring QuickBooks backup.

Is QuickBooks won’t restore backup or QBB files? We strongly advise you to contact the QB Technical Support via helpline number +1-855-542-9309 to avoid unwanted scenarios while performing the mentioned troubleshooting steps.

You may also see: QuickBooks BEX Error

Sort of QuickBooks restore failed messages may occurs

Backups of the company file can only be created in the desktop version of QuickBooks, and you might see one of the errors messages if QuickBooks restore failed or QuickBooks won’t restore the backup:

QuickBooks Error: Failed
Restore Failed. This is an Invalid Format of a Post QuickBooks 2007 Backup File
Error: QuickBooks Restore failed Can't remove log file

Error: QuickBooks won't restore backup

Error: QuickBooks unable to restore backup file

QuickBooks backup file is created with .QBB extension and you might get a different file version while restoring the backup if there exists an issue with the application or backup file created by QuickBooks.

What causes QuickBooks won’t Restore backup or backup failed

QuickBooks Restore failed or won’t restore my backup file issue can be provoked due to the below-listed reasons.

  1. Special characters [!@#$$<>?] in your backup file name can provoke backup restore to fail.
  2. Restoring the backup file over the existing company file.
  3. The restore failed issue also occurs when a backup file is saved in the flash drive, and you are restoring directly from it.
  4. Backup from a too old QuickBooks can cause QuickBooks to restore failed invalid format.
  5. The backup file was created using a damaged company file.
  6. A QB user doesn’t have privileges to restore a backup file.

IMPORTANTTo ensure that you are backing up a proper QuickBooks backup file, you can check out the size of the file. The size of a QuickBooks Desktop backup file is never less than 6 MB, i.e. 6000 KB of data. All you need to do is to right-click the backup file and click Properties to view its size on the local storage. If the size of the file is less than 6 MB, then it is not a backup file, and you need to create a new one from a working company file.

How do i fix QuickBooks restore failed error

So far, we understood the reasons and error messages for QuickBooks restore failed error. So now you can commence the troubleshooting.

Solution 1: Rename QuickBooks Company File

  1. Open Windows File Manager by pressing Windows + E on your keyboard.
  2. Navigate to C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files folder.

    QuickBooks Company File Name
  3. Locate and right-click the company file that you are trying to restore.
  4. Select Rename and remove any special characters from the file name.
  5. Press Enter to save the changes.

Solution 2: Save the Backup of the Company File without Overwriting an Existing File

  1. While saving the backup of the company file, QuickBooks asks you to choose a location to save it.

    Save Backup Copy in QuickBooks

  2. If a company file or a backup file already exists in that folder, then the Windows might ask you to replace it. Select No and save the file with a different name.

Solution 3: Move the Backup File to the Local Storage of the System

  1. If you have the backup file on a USB storage device or the network drive, then copy it to the local storage of the system.
  2. Now browse the backup file and select it from the local storage to proceed with the restoring process.

Solution 4: Create a New Folder to store Backup of the Company File

  1. Right-click on the Desktop of your computer and from the New drop-down menu select Folder.
  2. Copy the backup file and paste it into this new folder.
  3. Now open QuickBooks and while browsing the backup of the company file, select it from this newly created folder on the Desktop.

Solution 5: Verify Compatibility of QuickBooks Version with the Backup File

  1. Open QuickBooks and press F2 or Ctrl + 1 to open the Product Information window.
  2. Check the product version next to Product in the Windows.
  3. Now make sure that this is the same version that you used to create the backup of the company file.

    QuickBooks Product Information Window

  4. If not, then you will need to restore the backup in another version of QuickBooks, or you will need to upgrade your QuickBooks version for the restore feature to work.

Solution 6: Verify the Integrity of the Company File

  1. Open QuickBooks and from under the File tab select Utilities.
  2. Click Verify Data from the drop-down list.

    QuickBooks Verify Data Tool

  3. If Verify Data tool finds issues with the company file, then it will display “We found some errors that you can easily fix by rebuilding your company file”.
  4. Go to the Utilities drop-down once again under the File tab, and select Rebuild Data.

    QuickBooks Rebuild Data Tool

  5. Click Rebuild Now and wait until the tool repairs the company file integrity issues.

You may also read: QuickBooks 2019 Update

If you are still unable to restore QuickBooks even after following all the solutions mentioned above, dial QuickBooks Technical Helpline Number +1-855-542-9309  and get in touch with certified QuickBooks troubleshooting experts now.

FAQ’s QuickBooks Restore failed
Why is my QuickBooks backup not restoring?

The backup file is in not good shape, Due to the Log file which can’t be removed, the User Doesn’t have permission to restore the backup file.

How to resolve Error QuickBooks restore failed?

Check the Backup file name and If it has any special character then remove it.
Don’t overwrite data on the existing file.
Change the location of the backup file, then try to restore.
Repair the damaged QuickBooks Company File.