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Going live & backups

Backups and restoring a store PC

Set the backup password, check the daily encrypted backups, keep a copy off the PC, and restore a store PC from a backup on screen.

The store PC holds the shop's records. BooksPOS backs them up by itself every day, encrypted with the owner's backup password, while the tills keep selling. This guide covers setting that up, checking it works, and what happens when a store PC breaks or is replaced.

Set a backup password first

  1. On the store PC, sign in as the owner (or a manager) and open Settings › Backups (the same card is also on Sync & FBR, under Administration).
  2. In the Backups card, choose Set backup password.
  3. Type a password of at least 10 characters, and type it Again.
  4. Choose Set password. "Backup password set: new backups are encrypted. Keep the password written down away from the shop."

"New backups are encrypted with this password. A backup can be restored on another PC only with it: write it down and keep it away from the shop. Older backups keep the password they were made with."

Without the password, an encrypted backup cannot be restored, not even by Innobrains. Without a password set, backups are plain copies and the card says Not encrypted.

What is backed up, and when

  • Every day (every 24 hours), a full backup of the store's database, taken while the shop keeps working. Each backup is checked for integrity before it is kept.
  • Before every database upgrade, when a new BooksPOS version starts for the first time.
  • Whenever you choose Back up now, for example before moving the store PC. "Backup … saved, encrypted."

The last 14 daily backups are kept, in a backups folder next to the database. The Backups card shows the last backup's time and file, how often backups run, where they are kept, and whether they are Encrypted. Under it, Settings › Backups lists the latest backup files with when each was made and whether it is encrypted.

Keep a copy off the PC

A backup on the same disk is lost if the disk fails. BooksPOS can copy every backup to a second folder too, such as another disk or a USB drive. To set that folder up, ask the BooksPOS team. Also copy the newest backup to a USB drive yourself from time to time.

When a store PC breaks or is replaced

An owner restores a backup on screen, on the store PC: Settings › Backups › Restore a backup…, or, on a new PC, Restore the shop from a backup instead on the first screen. BooksPOS shows what the backup holds before anything changes and takes a safety backup first. The steps are in Restoring a backup on screen. The BooksPOS team can also still restore from the command line.

What you need:

  • the newest backup file (named like …-daily.bpbak or …-manual.bpbak);
  • its backup password;
  • access to BooksPOS Cloud, if the shop is paired.

What happens:

  1. In the cloud, the BooksPOS team hands the branch over to the new PC and gives you two numbers and a pairing code. From then on the old PC can no longer send anything, even if it comes back, so there is never a second store PC writing for the branch. The old PC shows in Devices as revoked.
  2. On the new PC, BooksPOS is installed without setting up a new store, and the backup is restored on screen with the two numbers typed in. It is checked before anything replaces the database; a database already there is kept beside it, not deleted.
  3. The new store PC is paired again with a new pairing code. New bill numbers carry on after any the old PC may have used, so no number is used twice.
  4. Set the backup password again on the new PC: its key is kept per PC.
  5. Pair the tills again, because the new store PC has a new certificate.

What a restore does not bring back

Anything recorded on the old PC after the backup was made is not in the restored store: bills, payments and stock changes of those hours. If the shop was paired, those records are in the cloud and the portal's daily sales include them; re-enter them in the store if they matter for stock or khata.

The fresher the backup, the less there is to re-enter. That is why the daily backup and a copy off the PC matter.

Who can do this

Setting the backup password and Back up now need the store-settings permission: owners and managers. Restoring a backup is for owners only, confirmed with their own password.

Common questions

Can I restore a backup myself?

Yes, as the owner, on the store PC: Settings › Backups › Restore a backup… (see Restoring a backup on screen). If the shop is paired with BooksPOS Cloud, the BooksPOS team hands the branch over first and gives you the numbers to type in.

Where are the backups?

In a backups folder next to the store's database on the store PC (by default under C:\ProgramData\BooksPOS\store). The Backups card shows the folder.

What if I forget the backup password?

Set a new one: new backups use it. Backups made with the old password still need the old one.

Can I copy the database file instead of backing up?

Do not copy the live database file while BooksPOS runs, and never put it on a shared or synced folder. Use Back up now: it takes a consistent, checked copy while tills keep working.

Last updated 30 September 2026. Still stuck? Contact us.