TallyPrime Backup and Restore: Protect Your Company Data Step by Step

In TallyPrime, press Alt+Y (Data), choose Backup & Restore, and then Backup to save a copy of your company data to a local drive or, from release 7.0 onward, to TallyDrive. To restore, use Alt+Y, Backup & Restore, Restore, pick the source, company and version, and press Ctrl+A. Take backups on a schedule and test the restore path, because a backup you have never restored is an assumption rather than a safeguard.

Who this is for and what you will have

This guide is for accountants, business owners and IT helpers who run TallyPrime and want a reliable backup routine. By the end you will know how to take a manual backup, set up scheduled backups, protect cloud backups with a password, and restore a company without overwriting good data. The menus below follow Tally Solutions' help pages dated to release 7.0 onward; older releases differ and are noted where the help covers them. Check your own release on screen, since labels can change between versions.

Backup options at a glance

Tally's help describes two storage options and two ways to run a backup.

Tally's own recommendation for good data availability and faster recovery is to keep separate schedules for TallyDrive and for a local drive. Its older documentation also advises keeping backups in a location separate from the original data, for example another drive, so that a single hardware fault does not take out both copies.

Before you start

• Make sure you know where your company data lives. The list in the backup screen shows companies under the configured Company Data Path.
• For a local backup, choose a folder on a different drive from the data wherever possible.
• For TallyDrive, the Tally.NET ID must be enabled for TallyDrive services and you must log in. An administrator approves access through the Tally Solutions Customer Portal or within TallyPrime, and standard users can send an approval request while taking or scheduling a backup. Accept the Terms and Conditions on first login (one time per Tally.NET ID).
• Pick a quiet time. While a backup runs, users cannot enter or change data in that company, so avoid peak entry hours for large companies.

Take a manual local backup

1. Press Alt+Y (Data), then go to Backup & Restore, then Backup.
2. Press Backspace and change the Backup Data Path to a folder on your local drive, if needed.
3. Under Company Name, select one or more companies, or choose All Items. You can also use Specify Path, Select from Drive or Select Loaded Company, and Tally Data Server for TPS companies (you are asked for your Tally.NET ID and password).
4. Select End of List and press Enter to save.

The backup file is saved to the Backup Data Path with a name of the form TDBK1800_ followed by the company number. If a file with that name already exists, TallyPrime asks whether to overwrite it. If you decline, later backups for the same company receive numbered suffixes such as _1 and _2, which is a useful way to keep several generations without overwriting.

Companies protected with TallyVault

If a company uses TallyVault, TallyPrime asks for the TallyVault password when you back it up. If you back up several companies and any one of them is encrypted, you must enter the password before the backup starts.

Back up to TallyDrive

1. Press Alt+Y (Data), then Backup & Restore, then Backup. From release 7.0 the Backup Data Path defaults to TallyDrive; press Backspace to set it if needed.
2. Under Company Name, select the companies, or All Items.
3. Select End of List and press Enter.
4. Under Security Details, enable Set Backup Password, then enter and confirm the password.
5. Under E-mail for Recovery Key, enter an address. By default the key goes to the Tally.NET ID you used to log in to TallyDrive.
6. Press Ctrl+A to save.

The password encrypts the backup, and TallyPrime asks for the same password when you restore. The Recovery Key lets you restore if the password is forgotten. Tally's help page does not say what happens if both are lost, so store them somewhere safe and separate from the data. If you suspect the password or key has been compromised, Tally recommends resetting the Backup Password.

Schedule automatic backups

1. Press Alt+Y (Data), then Backup & Restore, then Schedule Backup.
2. Press Alt+A (Add Schedule) from the report.
3. Choose the destination (local drive or TallyDrive), the companies and the frequency.
4. Press Ctrl+A to save.

Points from Tally's help worth planning around:

• Method of Backup. Incremental is the default and is recommended: one full backup, then only the changes since the last backup. Full takes more time and storage. Press F12 and enable Provide Method of Backup to see the option.
• Restorable versions. The default is 7, and you can set a value from 1 to 366.
• Scheduled file names. Scheduled local files use a name like TSDBK1800_100000.001, not the TDBK1800_ pattern of manual backups.
• Keep the system on. Scheduled backups run even when TallyPrime is not running, but the computer must be switched on at that time.
• Stagger schedules. Use slightly different times for different schedules and avoid more than three scheduled tasks at once.
• Install location. For reliable scheduling, install TallyPrime on the same machine as TPS.

Manage and monitor schedules

The Schedule Backup report shows each schedule's company, backup path, frequency, last and next backup, and status. Use F12 (Configure) and Show Schedule Details to see frequency and time, press Enter on a schedule to open its backup log, and use Ctrl+Enter to alter a schedule or pause it. To run a backup immediately, select the company with the Spacebar, press F6 (Backup Now) and confirm with Y. Deleting a schedule with Alt+D removes the task and its log only; the backups themselves are kept.

The report is also where failures appear. Filter by Last Backup Status to find failed, on-hold or yet-to-start schedules, and look at the Action Required section, which lists schedules that cannot run and why, such as an inaccessible source path or a TallyVault company that needs its password. Make checking this report a weekly habit, and monitor free space on both TallyDrive and the local destination.

Restore company data

Restoring is more dangerous than backing up because it can overwrite a working company. Work through these steps carefully.

Restore from a local drive

1. Press Alt+Y (Data), then Backup & Restore, then Restore. Check the Restore Data Path and change it if needed.
2. Under Primary, select the folder or drive in the List of Companies.
3. Select the company and, if a version list appears, the version by Date and Time of Backup.
4. Press Ctrl+A.

Restore from TallyDrive

1. Press Alt+Y, then Backup & Restore, then Restore, and choose TallyDrive (Cloud Storage). Log in.
2. Select the company. If your Tally.NET ID is linked to multiple licences, choose the backup under the right Account ID and serial number.
3. If several versions exist, choose one from the List of Versions, which shows the latest first.
4. Press Ctrl+A to start the restore.

If the backup is password protected, enter the Backup Password or the Recovery Key. If you enable Auto-restore companies with the same Backup Password, the remaining companies sharing that password are restored as well. Vaulted companies require the TallyVault password.

You can also restore a downloaded TallyDrive backup: under Primary, select the folder holding the downloaded file, which by default is the Downloads sub-folder created under the company data folder.

Avoid overwriting existing data

Before restoring, check the Restore Data Path. If a folder with the same company name already exists, TallyPrime offers two choices. Skip cancels the restore for that company. Replace overwrites the existing folder, and Tally warns that this permanently deletes the existing data and cannot be undone. If you are unsure, choose Skip and restore into a new, empty folder, then compare the results before touching the live company.

On older releases (6.2 and earlier) the path is Alt+Y, Restore, which opens the Restore Companies screen, and the backup path is set under Alt+Y, Data Path Configuration, Company Backup Path.

Verify your backups

• Open the Schedule Backup report and confirm that the last backup status is success and the next backup is set.
• To view backups taken on TallyDrive, open the TallyDrive Management report.
• Periodically restore a recent backup into an empty folder on a test machine and open the company. Check that the latest vouchers and reports are present.

Troubleshooting

• Schedule shows failed or never runs. Confirm the computer was on, the backup path is reachable, and the company is not a vaulted one waiting for a password. Look in the Action Required section for the reason.
• Cannot restore a TallyDrive backup. You need the Backup Password or Recovery Key. Use the Recovery Key if the password is forgotten.
• TallyDrive storage is full. Tally alerts you by email and notification at 80 percent capacity. You can extend storage through the Customer Portal, download backups to your system, or delete unwanted backups. Only users with delete rights can delete backups, and deleted backups cannot be recovered.
• New TallyDrive backups stopped. According to Tally's help, if TSS expires, new TallyDrive backups stop, and existing backups remain accessible for 90 days before permanent deletion. Renew in time or download what you need.
• Backup errors or low space on the path. Tally's older help links separate pages for these; free space on the destination or choose another path.

Checklist

• One schedule to TallyDrive and one to a local drive on a different disk.
• Incremental method for daily runs, with a sensible number of restorable versions.
• Backup Password and Recovery Key recorded securely.
• Schedule Backup report reviewed weekly, with failures acted on.
• A restore test into an empty folder each quarter or after any change to the setup.
• Skip, not Replace, when unsure during a restore.

For related setup, see /blog/tally-prime-edit-log-audit-trail-setup for tracking changes to vouchers and /blog/tally-prime-gst-setup-and-filing-guide for GST configuration.

References

• Backup and Restore Company Data (TallyPrime help)
• Backup to a local drive
• Backup data to TallyDrive
• Manage backup schedules
• Restore company backup data
• Backup and Restore Company Data, Release 6.2 and earlier