Of course! Here is a very lengthy and detailed step-by-step guide on how to set up Intuit Data Protect in QuickBooks Desktop.
Securing Your Financial Future: A Comprehensive Guide to Setting Up Intuit Data Protect in QuickBooks Desktop
Hey there, QuickBooks Desktop user! Are you ready to take a massive step in protecting your invaluable financial data? Losing your QuickBooks company file can be a nightmare – a catastrophic event that can halt your business operations, cause a major headache, and lead to significant financial losses. Think about it: all your customer data, vendor information, invoices, payments, and years of hard work could vanish in an instant due to a hard drive failure, a ransomware attack, or even an accidental deletion.
But what if you could have a reliable, automated safety net for your data? That’s where Intuit Data Protect (IDP) comes in. It's a powerful, cloud-based backup service seamlessly integrated with QuickBooks Desktop, offering a secure and effortless way to protect your business's most critical asset: its data. In this guide, we'll walk you through every single step to get it up and running, ensuring your financial information is safe, secure, and always accessible.
Let's dive right in and set up your automated data protection system!
Step 1: Get Ready to Activate Intuit Data Protect
Before you begin, you need to ensure you have everything in place. This step is about preparing your system and verifying your subscription.
Is your QuickBooks Desktop a compatible version? Intuit Data Protect is included with a subscription to QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, and Enterprise. Make sure you have one of these versions. If you are using an older, perpetual license version, you might need to subscribe to the service separately.
Check your internet connection. A stable and active internet connection is absolutely essential for IDP to work. The service uploads your backups to the cloud, and a weak connection can lead to failed or incomplete backups.
Gather your Intuit Account credentials. You'll need the email address and password for your Intuit Account. This is the account you use for your QuickBooks subscription and other Intuit services, and it might be different from your QuickBooks login.
Once you have these three things sorted, you are ready to begin the setup process. Let's make sure that green padlock icon appears and starts working for you!
Step 2: Activating and Launching the Setup Wizard
Now, let's get the ball rolling and launch the Intuit Data Protect setup wizard from within QuickBooks Desktop.
Sub-heading: Launch the activation from the QuickBooks menu.
Open your QuickBooks Desktop application.
Go to the File menu at the top of the screen.
Hover over Back Up Company.
Select Set Up/Activate Online Backup.
Sub-heading: Sign in with your Intuit Account.
A new window will pop up, prompting you to sign in.
Enter the email address and password associated with your Intuit Account.
Click Sign In.
If you've never used IDP before, a confirmation screen might appear, indicating that the service is included with your subscription. Just click Activate Now to proceed.
Step 3: Configuring Your Backup Settings
This is a crucial step where you decide exactly what you want to back up and when. Take your time and make sure you've selected everything you need.
Sub-heading: Select your QuickBooks company file(s).
The setup wizard will automatically detect your QuickBooks company files (.QBW).
On the "Select QuickBooks Data" screen, you'll see a list of files. Make sure the checkbox next to your primary company file is selected.
Bonus Tip: If your company file isn't listed, you can click on Other company files to browse your computer and manually add it.
A key feature is to back up local attached documents. Make sure this checkbox is selected if you use the attachments feature in QuickBooks to link documents to transactions or records.
Click Continue.
Sub-heading: Choose additional files and folders (Optional but recommended).
If you have the "Entire PC" plan, you'll see a screen to select other folders to back up.
This is a great opportunity to protect other critical business data, such as folders containing receipts, payroll information, or important business documents.
Select the checkboxes next to the folders you want to protect.
Click Continue.
Step 4: Scheduling Your Automatic Backups
One of the best things about Intuit Data Protect is the automatic scheduling. Set it up once and forget about it.
Sub-heading: Set your backup schedule.
The system will automatically suggest a daily backup time, usually in the middle of the night when you're not using your computer.
You can keep this default time or change it to a more convenient time by clicking on the drop-down menu and selecting a different hour.
It is highly recommended to choose a time when your computer will be on, connected to the internet, and not in use, to avoid any interruptions.
Click Continue.
Step 5: Setting Up Email Notifications
Stay informed about the status of your backups without having to manually check every day.
Sub-heading: Customize your email alerts.
On the "Notification Email Settings" screen, you can choose to receive email notifications for different events.
You can assign an email address to be notified if:
The backup fails.
The backup is successful.
The last good backup is older than a certain number of days (you can set the number of days).
Other critical issues occur.
Please note: For the initial setup, some of these checkboxes might not be available. You can always go back and change these settings later.
Click Continue.
Step 6: Completing the Setup and Running Your First Backup
You're almost there! This is the final step to get your data protection up and running.
Sub-heading: Confirmation and diagnostics.
A confirmation screen will appear, letting you know that your setup is complete.
The Intuit Data Protect Diagnose window will automatically run to check for any potential issues with your firewall or security software. This is a fantastic feature that helps you troubleshoot before any problems arise.
When all the statuses show "Complete," click Continue.
A prompt will ask if you want to start your first backup now. It is strongly recommended that you click "Back Up Now" to initiate the first full backup immediately.
Click OK to close the setup wizard.
Sub-heading: Monitor your backup.
You will now see a green padlock icon in your Windows System Tray (usually in the bottom-right corner of your screen, near the clock).
Right-click on this icon and select Open Intuit Data Protect to see the backup status and history.
The first backup may take several hours, depending on the size of your files and your internet speed. Be patient! Subsequent backups will be much faster as they only back up changes.
Congratulations! You have successfully set up Intuit Data Protect and are on your way to a more secure financial workflow.
10 FAQs About Intuit Data Protect
How to check the status of my Intuit Data Protect backup?
You can easily check the backup status by right-clicking the green padlock icon in your Windows System Tray and selecting Open Intuit Data Protect. The main window will show you the status of your most recent backup, the next scheduled backup, and a history of all backups.
How to change the files and folders I want to back up?
Open Intuit Data Protect from the system tray, and then select Change backup settings. You can then add or remove QuickBooks files and other folders from your backup set and save the changes.
How to restore a file from an Intuit Data Protect backup?
To restore a file, right-click the green padlock icon, select Open Intuit Data Protect, and then click on Restore from Backup. You can choose the specific file, the date, and the version you want to restore, and then select a location to save it.
How to run a manual backup with Intuit Data Protect?
You can run a backup on demand at any time. Right-click the Intuit Data Protect icon in the system tray, select Open Intuit Data Protect, and then click the Back Up Now button.
How to update Intuit Data Protect?
IDP updates are often delivered through QuickBooks Desktop updates. To check for updates, go to the Help menu in QuickBooks, select Update QuickBooks Desktop, and then check the Data Protect box on the "Update Now" tab before clicking Get Updates.
How to troubleshoot if my backup is failing?
First, check your internet connection. If it's stable, right-click the IDP icon and select About Intuit Data Protect. Press Ctrl+F2 to launch the Diagnostics Tool and click Run Diagnostics. This tool will identify common issues like firewall blocks or corrupted files.
How to free up space in Intuit Data Protect?
IDP stores backups for a limited time (typically 45 days). To free up space, you can manually delete older backup versions. Right-click the IDP icon, press Ctrl + R, and follow the on-screen instructions to delete specific backup folders.
How to change the email address for backup notifications?
Open Intuit Data Protect, select Change backup settings, and then navigate to the Notification Email Settings window to update the email address and your notification preferences.
How to check if my computer is on when a backup is scheduled?
For the automatic backup to run, your computer needs to be turned on and connected to the internet. If your computer is off at the scheduled time, the backup will automatically run as soon as you turn it back on.
How to stop or disable Intuit Data Protect?
If you wish to disable the service, you can go to the Windows System Tray, right-click the green padlock icon, and select Exit Intuit Data Protect. However, note that this will stop all scheduled backups, leaving your data unprotected.