Forum Discussion

Dylemma's avatar
Dylemma
Experienced Cover User
28 days ago
Solved

Thumb Drive Backup?

Why can't I backup my MYOB Accountright file to a thumb drive this morning?  It just updated to the new 2026.2.1.5 version and suddenly, no ability to back up to a thumb drive...it want's to back up to the cloud.  

  • Hi Dylemma​ - thanks for your question.

     

    There's a new preference you can set which controls whether you want to use online or offline backups.

     

    Go to the Setup menu > Preferences > Security tab, then select the preference Enable Offline Backups and Restore. Click OK and you're done!

    I hope this helps!

     

    You can learn more about online and offline backups in this help topic: Backing up and restoring company files.

     

    Adrian

     

9 Replies

  • Hi Dylemma​ - thanks for your question.

     

    There's a new preference you can set which controls whether you want to use online or offline backups.

     

    Go to the Setup menu > Preferences > Security tab, then select the preference Enable Offline Backups and Restore. Click OK and you're done!

    I hope this helps!

     

    You can learn more about online and offline backups in this help topic: Backing up and restoring company files.

     

    Adrian

     

  • brunob's avatar
    brunob
    MYOB Product Manager
    28 days ago

    Hi Dylemma​,

    Thanks for reaching out! This is actually a new feature that rolled out with the 2026.2.1.5 update - AccountRight now includes automatic cloud backups, so your file is protected without you having to think about it.

    Here's what the new backup service offers:

    • Automatic backups every 7 days
    • Point-in-time backups you can trigger manually, just like you used to with a thumb drive
    • Restore from any computer, anywhere

    You can read more about it here: https://info.myob.com/anz/accountright-cloud-backup-eap?hs_preview=nFDbkPww-303547784664

    If you'd prefer to keep saving locally to a thumb drive, that option can still be enabled, SupportNoteGuy​  has shared the steps to turn it back on. Just keep in mind that local backups may be a bit slower than the new cloud service.

    We'd encourage you to give the cloud backup a go first - many customers find it more convenient once they're up and running with it.

    Let us know if you have any questions!

  • GEB's avatar
    GEB
    Experienced User
    28 days ago

    All my client's online files are backed up offline every evening

    the information screen that pops up (when choosing to take offline backups) is most disturbing, it's almost like being penalised for being diligent.  Was I incorrect in assuming that my files were previously backed up by MYOB even though I backed up offline, and that now I have to choose one or the other

  • PF_1's avatar
    PF_1
    Experienced Cover User
    27 days ago

    We use backups within a plug-in to generate our re-order reports. Since the recent upgrade, this functionality is no longer working. In addition, local backups are now taking significantly longer to complete.

    Could you please advise where we can download the cloud backup?

    Also, could you clarify what changes were made during the upgrade that may have caused our reports to stop working?

  • Earl_HD's avatar
    Earl_HD
    MYOB Moderator
    27 days ago

    Hi PF_1,

    Great question! With the recent AccountRight update, there are now two different backup modes for online files:
     

    1. Online (cloud) backups – automatic, encrypted backups stored securely on MYOB’s servers, designed so you can restore the file in a few clicks if something goes wrong.

    2. Offline/local backups – the traditional .zip backup saved to your PC or USB. You can still use these if you need a file that other tools or plug‑ins can read.

    At the moment, cloud backups are intended for restore inside AccountRight, not for downloading a separate backup file. If your plug‑in reads a local backup file, you’ll need to keep using offline/local backups for that workflow.

    Regards,
    Earl

  • PF_1's avatar
    PF_1
    Experienced Cover User
    23 days ago

    Hi Earl

    The back-up is now taking 30 minutes.  This is not acceptable.

    Also, our third party "Smart Reports" is a problem - it can't authenticate the MYOB file anymore

    In the past, if MYOB had an update, we could use a previous day back-up to run a report

    Now, we are stuck..  We need to order stock and we need to be able to use the MYOB back-up for that.

    What is MYOB going to do to solve this?

    I've been on the phone, received all sorts of links, no remedy for this major problem we have.

  • Genreve_S's avatar
    Genreve_S
    MYOB Moderator
    23 days ago

    Hi PF_1

     

    That 30-minute backup window is very long. A quick thing to try is backing up to your computer first (File > Backup, choose a local folder), then copying the .zip to a USB drive; this is usually much quicker than backing up directly to a thumb drive.

    On Smart Reports not authenticating: Smart Reports can only work with a local/offline backup, not the new online backups. To keep using your “previous day backup” workflow:

    1. Go to Setup > Preferences > Security and tick Enable Offline Backups and Restores.
    2. Go to File > Backup and create an offline .zip backup to your PC.
    3. Restore that backup into an AccountRight library on your PC, then point Smart Reports to that restored file.

    If you’ve already done that and Smart Reports still won’t authenticate, our support team can double-check that your MYOB file and offline backup look OK, but any remaining login/connection errors in Smart Reports itself will need to be reviewed by their support team.

     

    Regards,

    Genreve 

  • Hi everyone

    I looked into the online backups and the notes say that if you restore an online backup it will replace your current file and that the process can't be undone.  Does anyone know if this is right?  If you restore say last year's data file for some reason, would you lose all the data entry you have done over the past year?

  • AmandaMYOB's avatar
    AmandaMYOB
    MYOB Moderator
    9 days ago

    Hey Spicer_accounts​ 

    That's correct, if it's an online backup, your current online company file will be replaced with the backed up version. This can't be undone. 

    If it's an offline backup, you can choose to restore the backup either in your AccountRight library on your computer/network location or online to overwrite your current online company file. More information on restoring backup files can be found on this page. 

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