We have come up with this ultimate guide to help you out with how easily you can create, restore, and open QuickBooks portable company files. Let’s start exploring the portable file and further see its steps to create or restore.
To restore a portable company file, we first need to understand what really a portable company file is. Well, it is a compressed file that is very compact. It is created so that one can transfer financial data just over an email. By compressed company file, we mean that it doesn’t include any media, such as logos images, or templates as a part of a portable file.
What is the QuickBooks Portable Company File
It is a compact copy or replica of the financial data that you send via email or any portable media like a flask or external drive. A portable company file does not include letters, templates, logos, or images. It also does not comprise any transaction log (*.tlg) file. It is a proficient and eminent tool that helps you resolve data problems because QuickBooks Desktop re-indexes the data while restoring the portable company file.
📣 Few Important Pointers Need to Consider
- Before you start troubleshooting, make sure the QuickBooks program is up to date.
- In any case, if you provide anyone with a copy of a portable copy, they immediately gain full access to the QB, and they can alter or add a transaction, as well as change the Admin password.
- When you are about to build or return a portable copy and replica, all versions of QuickBooks need to be signed in as an Administrator.
- If you have attempted to fix the data problems, then make sure that when restoring the portable copy, you do not delete the original version.
- The best strategy is to rename the original file until the portable company file is restored.
- When submitting the company files to the accountant, consider using the accountant’s copy.
Things need to do Before Creating a Portable Company File
Before you start creating the files, there are a few things you need to do like check for the latest QuickBooks desktop update. Here’s how…
Update your QuickBooks software
- The very first, open your QB program
- Then go to the “Help” menu
- Choose the option “Update the QuickBooks Desktop”
- Next, hit the “Update Now” button
- Further, you can select the “Reset Update” option to remove the other previous updates
- Then hit the “Get Updates” option and wait till the downloading and installation completes
- Finally, restart the QuickBooks Desktop to save your new program.
You can also do Automatic Update but to do so you have to set the QuickBooks to download the recent updates automatically with the same above steps and then hit the “Options” tab to Update Now. After that, hit “yes” against “Automatic Update” and then “Shared Download”. And that’s all your new QuickBooks updated version is ready to use further.
Create a Backup of Your Company File
It is also as important as updating the latest QuickBooks version. So, it is required to create a backup of the company file.
How to Create QuickBooks Portable Company Files
If you are amazed by the very definition of Portable company files as they save a lot of your storage space then here is how you can create them.
- Initially, launch your QuickBooks software on your system
- Next, go to the “File” menu and pick the Create Copy option
- Now, select the Portable company file
- And then press the Next button to continue
- Search the location where you wish to save the portable copy
- Provide a file name that should be unique
- Also, bear in mind that various names are allocated to portable files and standard files.
- And then hit “Save”
- Finally, make the last click on “OK” and then close the window.
- Your file will now be saved with an extension as .QBM
How to Restore a Portable Files in QuickBooks
Follow these steps in the given sequence to create a portable company file.
- By having QuickBooks logged in, navigate to the Files tab again.
- A drop-down will appear, from the options provided, click on the Open/Restore QB file.
- From there choose Restore a portable QB file and hit next.
- A path will open wherein you will need to select the Portable file with .QBM extension.
- Choose the file and hit Open.
- Choose the path wherein you want your portable file to restore and hit next.
- Before clicking save, you would be required to rename the company file.
- This is required so that the previous changes made shouldn’t overwrite your work in the existing file.
- Once everything is done, hit Save and your portable company file will be restored with QuickBooks.
The above steps are helpful for you to create, restore, and open QuickBooks portable company files. In any case, if you’re unable to create or restore then it might be possible that the QuickBooks installation is damaged or your portable file gets damaged. To get such issues resolved, you need to connect with the QuickBooks consultant team by dialing a toll-free helpline number.
