How to Back up or Restore Your Quicken Data

1. Select File > Copy or Backup File...

2.  You'll have two options for backing up your data: you can back up to your computer or an external drive (like a USB thumb drive), or, you can use Dropbox.

3. To make it easier to identify your latest backup, you can put a check next to Add date to backup file name.  
4. Quicken will show you the location where your backup will be saved along with the name of the backup file (this is typically your Quicken file name followed by .QDF-backup).  
   • The default save location for backup files is C:\Users\[your name]\Documents\Quicken\BACKUP and we recommend to leave this unchanged.
   • If you need to change this location, click Change... then select a folder to save the backup to. After making your selection, click Save. 
5. Click Back up Now.

1. Insert the CD/DVD or attach the flash drive you want to use for your backup.
2. Open Quicken.
3. Go to File > Backup or Restore > Backup Quicken File.
4. Select Back up on my computer or hard drive (CD, hard drive, thumb drive), then if necessary click Change... to select where you would like to save your backup. This is where you'll select your CD/DVD drive or flash drive.
5. Click Back up Now to start the backup process.

1. Go to File > Backup and Restore > Restore from Backup File....
2. Select Restore from your backup, then click Browse.
3. Browse your computer or external media to find the backup file you want to restore. The Quicken backup file has the extension .QDF-Backup.
4. Select the file to restore and click Open, then Restore Backup.
5. Next, you will be given the option to overwrite the file you have open or to create a copy of the backup you're restoring.
   • If you Create a copy, you will need to select a location to save the copy to and you will also need to give the copy a unique file name. After naming the file and selecting the location, click Save, then click Yes to open the restored file.
   • If you are restoring a file over the current file, click OK to overwrite the current file then click Yes to open the restored file.

     What does it mean to overwrite a file?: Restoring a backup file replaces your current data with the data stored on the backup. Be aware that you'll lose any changes you made since the backup was created. If you want to preserve the current file, you must rename the current file or the file you are restoring. We recommend to avoid overwriting files.

Quicken creates a copy of your data every seven days and stores five of these copies in a BACKUP folder. If the backup file you've created becomes damaged, you may be able to restore an automatic backup and save yourself the need to reenter data.

Check to see if automatic backups are turned on (this is on by default)

1. In Quicken, go to Edit > Preferences.
2. Under Setup on the left, choose Backup.
3. Make sure there is a check mark next to Automatic Backups.
   • To the right of Automatic Backups, there is an Open/Change backup directory link that goes directly to your BACKUP folder - a good way of finding them fast!
   • Choose to back up your Quicken data file after running Quicken X times (between 1 - 99).
   • Choose how many backup data files you would like to save (between 1 - 99 copies).

Restore an automatic backup

1. In Quicken, go to File > Backup and Restore > Restore from Backup File....
2. Select Restore from automatic backups.
3. Select the file to restore.
4. Click Restore Backup.
5. Next, you will be given the option to overwrite the file you have open or to create a copy of the backup you're restoring.
   • If you Create a copy, you will need to select a location to save the copy to and you will also need to give the copy a unique file name. After naming the file and selecting the location, click Save, then click Yes to open the restored file.
   • If you are restoring a file over the current file, click OK to overwrite the current file then click Yes to open the restored file.

     What does it mean to overwrite a file?: Restoring a backup file replaces your current data with the data stored on the backup. Be aware that you'll lose any changes you made since the backup was created. If you want to preserve the current file, you must rename the current file or the file you are restoring. We recommend to avoid overwriting files. 

For backup instructions, see How do I backup my Quicken file using Dropbox on Windows?

For information on restoring data using Dropbox, see How do I restore backup files from Dropbox?