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Portable company file

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
January 8, 2024
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Hey everyone, I tried searching for the answer to this question but couldn't find a definitive one.

The situation is this: I have a 1.04 GB company file that is 21 years old, and I want to reduce the file size for better performance. Today I created a portable file as a test, that took the size down to 144 MB, which is a huge decrease. My understanding is that Quickbooks shaves off all customizations including logos, templates, etc. when creating a portable file.

My question is, if I were to restore the portable file and place it back in the original location (after backing up my original file), and give it the same file name as the original, will it find and restore all the existing customizations and support files in that directory? If so, this would be a better solution for me than condensing the file which has me a little nervous about losing data.

Thank you all in advance!

QuickBooks Desktop

Best answer by AlverMarkT

Hi, @chris-r-624. I'm here to help.

You are correct. Creating a portable company would only include your financial data, and customizations such as custom templates, logos, and images will be removed. As such, it serves best as a copy for reviewing transactions.

First, if you restore the portable company file and place it back in the original location with the same file name, it will overwrite the original one. It would be advisable to either rename the portable company file or save it to a different folder. If you prefer this method in reducing your company file size, please refer to this guide about restoring missing customized templates, logos and information from a restored backup. Here's how you can restore a portable company file:

Open QuickBooks and log in as an admin.
Go to the File menu and select Open or Restore Company.
Select Restore a portable file, then select Next.
Select your portable company file. It should look like this: [Unique company file name].qbm. Then select Open.
Either rename the portable company file or save it to a different folder.
Read the notes on the Where do you want to restore the file page, then select Next.
When you're ready to open your file, select Save.

Next, you can also consider condensing your company data file which will retain your customizations and templates while removing transaction details and list entries that may no longer be necessary. However, it's important to note that this may or may not reduce the overall file size.

Before beginning the condensing process, I recommend reconciling all accounts, printing all reconciliation and discrepancy reports, saving these reports in PDF format, and creating a backup of your company file. It's also a good idea to consult your accountant before proceeding with the condensing process. Here are the steps you can follow to condense your company data file:

Select File, then select Utilities.
Select Condense Data.
Select Keep all transactions, but remove audit trail info to date.
Select Next.
Let the process complete. Select Close.

Let me add this article as a future reference about the maximum number of list entries you can make in QuickBooks Desktop to help you manage your data: Maximum number of list entries (list limits and custom fields).

We're always here in the Community should you need further assistance reducing your company file size to improve your software's performance. We'll do our best to assist. Take care.

AlverMarkTAnswer

Hi, @chris-r-624. I'm here to help.

You are correct. Creating a portable company would only include your financial data, and customizations such as custom templates, logos, and images will be removed. As such, it serves best as a copy for reviewing transactions.

First, if you restore the portable company file and place it back in the original location with the same file name, it will overwrite the original one. It would be advisable to either rename the portable company file or save it to a different folder. If you prefer this method in reducing your company file size, please refer to this guide about restoring missing customized templates, logos and information from a restored backup. Here's how you can restore a portable company file:

Open QuickBooks and log in as an admin.
Go to the File menu and select Open or Restore Company.
Select Restore a portable file, then select Next.
Select your portable company file. It should look like this: [Unique company file name].qbm. Then select Open.
Either rename the portable company file or save it to a different folder.
Read the notes on the Where do you want to restore the file page, then select Next.
When you're ready to open your file, select Save.

Next, you can also consider condensing your company data file which will retain your customizations and templates while removing transaction details and list entries that may no longer be necessary. However, it's important to note that this may or may not reduce the overall file size.

Before beginning the condensing process, I recommend reconciling all accounts, printing all reconciliation and discrepancy reports, saving these reports in PDF format, and creating a backup of your company file. It's also a good idea to consult your accountant before proceeding with the condensing process. Here are the steps you can follow to condense your company data file:

Select File, then select Utilities.
Select Condense Data.
Select Keep all transactions, but remove audit trail info to date.
Select Next.
Let the process complete. Select Close.

Let me add this article as a future reference about the maximum number of list entries you can make in QuickBooks Desktop to help you manage your data: Maximum number of list entries (list limits and custom fields).

We're always here in the Community should you need further assistance reducing your company file size to improve your software's performance. We'll do our best to assist. Take care.

C

chris-r-624Author

Thank you very much for the detailed reply!

If I decide to condense my company file to reduce it's size, what is the significance of removing the "audit trail"? Is it safe to delete this information? We are a small business with only 2 Quickbooks users.

Thank you again,

Chris

S

SashaMC

Good afternoon Chris,

Thanks for reaching back out. The decision is ultimately up to you. The audit trail is used to track your activities in the program. Below, I am adding a list of information you can lose:

The date of any change to your books
The name of the user who made the change
The type of change or event
The name of any customer or vendor related to the change
Any original transaction date and amount

Hopefully, this can help assist you as you make the decision. If you need anything, let us know by commmenting. Take care.

P

Patrickoconnell

I do have an odd request to see if you can assist. I switched to a new bookkeeper

and she updated my QB file and sent it back to me as a portable file but in a newer version of QB

than I have.

I’m assuming 2023 whereas I have 2022. I’ve since switched to QB online starting 2024 but I want to essentially convert my old file from QB Desktop Pro to QB Desktop for Mac so that I can reference my older data here on my macbook.

Anyways, if I send you the portable file, can you try and restore it on your end and then save a macbook version and send it back to me?