QuickBooks is an essential tool for small businesses and accountants, helping manage finances, track expenses, and create reports. However, like any software, QuickBooks occasionally runs into errors. One of the most frustrating issues QuickBooks users face is QuickBooks Backup Error 248. This error can occur when QuickBooks fails to back up your company file, putting your important data at risk. In this blog post, we will walk you through the possible causes of QuickBooks Backup Error 248 and how to troubleshoot and resolve it.

What Is QuickBooks Backup Error 248?

QuickBooks Backup Error 248 is a condition that occurs when QuickBooks can't back up your company data. This error normally occurs once you try to create a backup file for your company, and it cannot complete the process of doing so. You might experience such an error message as below:

"QuickBooks couldn't backup your company file because error 248" or "Backup wasn't successful. Try again later."

When this error shows, you will be locked from creating a backup that puts your financial data vulnerable at stake.

How to Troubleshoot QuickBooks Backup Error 248?

Now that you know what may be causing the QuickBooks Backup Error 248, let's walk you through how to troubleshoot and solve the problem:

1. Check the Location of the Backup File

• Ensure the place is accessible: Make sure QuickBooks can access the folder that you are trying to use to store the back up. If it sits on a network or external hard drive, ensure that that particular drive is connected as well as accessible.
• Try saving to a local drive: If you are trying to save the backup to a network drive, try saving the backup on your local hard drive to see if that is the problem.
• Exclude special characters: Do not use a filename for the backup file with special characters such as slashes, periods, or symbols.

2. Check Your Disk Space

Check if your computer has enough free disk space on the drive where the backup is being saved. In case your disk space is low, delete unnecessary files or transfer files to another drive in order to free up some disk space.

3. Verify QuickBooks File Permissions

Ensure proper permissions: The proper permissions should be there on your QuickBooks to access the location where your backup is. If you are using a multi-user setup, check the folder's permissions too.

Run QuickBooks as administrator: Right-click on the QuickBooks icon and select run as administrator. This will be giving QuickBooks the adequate permissions to carry out the backup.

4. Restore QuickBooks Installation

If QuickBooks is damaged, it can cause errors when trying to create backups. To repair your QuickBooks installation:

• Open the Control Panel.
• Go to Programs and Features.
• From the list of installed programs, choose QuickBooks.
• Click on Repair and follow the onscreen instructions.

5. Reconcile and Rebuild the QuickBooks Data File

QuickBooks has a built-in tool to help resolve issues with data corruption. To verify and rebuild your company file, follow these steps:

• Open QuickBooks and click on File then Utilities > Verify Data.
• In case the tool detects some issues, revert back to File then Utilities > Rebuild Data.
• Try to back up your file once again after completing the rebuild.

6. Check Your Antivirus and Firewall Settings

Your antivirus or firewall may be blocking QuickBooks from accessing the backup location. Try temporarily disabling the antivirus or firewall and attempt the backup again.

Very Important: Be sure to enable your antivirus or firewall when you have finished testing.

7. Testing Backup on a Test Company File

• Try to take a backup of a sample company file in QuickBooks to see if the problem is specific to your company file or a general issue with QuickBooks backups.
• To open a sample company file to create a backup, click File then Open or Restore Company > Open a Sample File and then attempt to back up the sample file.

8. Update QuickBooks

Sometimes, errors on the backup due to bugs are fixed on later versions of QuickBooks. Ensure your version of QuickBooks is updated by following these actions:

• Go to Help then Update QuickBooks.
• Select Update Now.
• Restart the QuickBooks after updating, and then attempt the backup.

9. Leveraging QuickBooks Auto Backup Feature

QuickBooks has an Auto Backup feature that automatically backs up your company files at regular intervals. If you’re unable to perform manual backups due to error 248, enabling auto backup might help ensure that your data is still backed up.

Conclusion

QuickBooks Backup Error 248 can be frustrating, especially if you are using QuickBooks for critical financial data. However, if your queries aren’t addressed yet, then reaching out to our QuickBooks error support professionals at +1-800-761-1787 is something we suggest. Hopefully, our certified ProAdvisors will find a way out of this error and help you get rid of it permanently.