If there is a need or preference for manual backup(s) instead of an automatic backup(s) (see Drake Tax – Automatic Backups), you can choose to do a manual back up of all your Drake Tax files, including the Archive cabinet of Drake Documents, on an "as needed" basis. You can choose to back up to a local device, network drive, removable drive, or Drake Portals (if you have an active subscription - see Drake Portals - Making, Storing, Restoring, and Deleting Backups).

Watch the video Backup & Restore for a demonstration.

Full Backup

1. Go to Tools> File Maintenance> Backup.

2. Mark the Backup to a local or network location box and, if necessary, click Browse to select a location.

   • If you want to use off-site storage, and you have a Drake Portals account, you can choose Backup to Cloud Storage.

3. Select the Perform Full Backup option.

4. Select Include DDM (Archive Cabinet) if you wish to include the Drake Documents files in your backup.

5. Click the Backup button to start the manual backup.

6. While backup is running the message box shows "Backup in progress..." and then "Backup complete!" when it is done.

7. When the backup is complete, click Close to return to the Backup and Restore dialog.

8. When you are done with backup and restore, click the Close button to return to the Drake Tax Home window.

Custom or Partial Backup

1. Go to Tools> File Maintenance> Backup.

2. Mark the Backup to a local or network location box, and, if necessary, click Browse to select a location.

   • If you wish to use off-site storage, and you have a Drake Portals account, you can choose Backup to Cloud Storage.

3. Choose the Selective Backup option and click the Backup button.

4. This opens the Create Selective Backup dialog, defaulted to Backup Everything.

5. To customize, change to the Customize Backup option and all options will be enabled and available to you.

6. Click the buttons on the left side of the dialog box to list the Drake Tax files on your computer. The button that you click determines the check boxes that appear in the grid list on the right side of the screen.

7. All Drake Files - Is a non-filtered grid view of all Drake Tax files available for backup. These will include Tax Returns, Setup Files, and System Files found in the current year of Drake Tax.

8. At the bottom right of the dialog, enter a custom name for the backup in the Backup Description field provided.

9. To include Drake Documents files, mark the Include Full DDM Archive Cabinet check box.

10. When you are done with your selections, click Backup.

11. While backup is running the message box shows "Backup in progress..." and then "Backup complete!" when it is done.

12. When the backup is complete, click Close to return to the Backup and Restore dialog.

13. Click Exit to return to the main Backup and Restore dialog.

Storing Backups on an External Data Storage Device

Backing up your Drake Tax files to an external drive is good disaster insurance. A USB drive can be removed and stored away from your computer, so that a local accident that disables your computer (such as surge, fire or water damage) will not damage your backup files. If you alternate daily backups between two USB drives, you can keep a current backup off-site at all times.

The backup/restore process can also be used to move your client files to a computer that is not on your network. On the receiving computer, open the same year of Drake Tax in which you created the backup, and restore it from the storage device.

Drake Tax can directly back up to and restore from a USB Mass Storage Device (“USB Drive,” “thumb drive,” “flash drive,” “memory stick,” etc.). Flash drives are normally slower than your hard drive.

• To prevent lost data and possible damage, be sure to safely remove a the USB drive by clicking on the USB icon in your system tray and selecting "Safely Remove Hardware."

• If your USB/Flash drive is write protected or full, you may receive an error - use a different backup device.

• Drake Tax's client file structure contains PDF files as well as archives and the data file. Backups may take longer to finish. You may want to back up clients and setup files separately.

Restoring a Backup

See Drake Tax – Restore Files from a Backup for detailed steps on restoring a backup.