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Going live & backups

Restoring a backup on screen

Put a backup back on the store PC or on a replacement PC: see what it holds first, confirm with your password, and hand the branch over in the cloud.

When the store PC's data is damaged, or the store PC is replaced, an owner restores a backup on screen. BooksPOS shows what the backup holds before anything changes, takes a safety copy of the store as it is, and restarts with the backup in place. This guide walks through the steps, what is refused, and what to do when the shop is paired with BooksPOS Cloud.

Before you start

You need:

  • the backup: one of the store's own backups (the store PC keeps the last 14 daily ones), or a backup file on a USB drive or another disk (named like …-daily.bpbak);
  • the backup password it was made with, for an encrypted backup;
  • your own sign-in password (as the owner);
  • if the shop is paired with BooksPOS Cloud: a word with the BooksPOS team (see below).

Restoring works only on the store PC itself, never from a till on another PC.

Restore on the store PC

  1. Sign in as the owner and open Settings › Backups, then choose Restore a backup….
  2. Step 1, choose the backup. Pick one from the list, or Choose a file on this PC…. For an encrypted backup, type its Backup password. Choose Check the backup.
  3. Step 2, check what it holds. BooksPOS shows when the backup was made, the business and branch, how many bills (and the last bill's number), returns, items and customers it holds, and what it replaces: the store as it is now. Nothing has changed yet. Type Your password, tick that you understand the store's data is replaced, and choose Restore this backup.
  4. Step 3, restoring. A safety backup of the store as it is now is taken, the backup is prepared, and the store server restarts to put it in place. Tills on other PCs cannot bill for that minute; their bills in progress stay on them.
  5. Sign in again with the accounts in the backup. Then set the backup password again under Settings › Backups (its key is kept per PC).

The database that was replaced is kept beside the restored one, never deleted.

On a new or repaired store PC

Install BooksPOS as a store PC (see Installing BooksPOS). On the first screen, Set up this store, choose Restore the shop from a backup instead. The same three steps follow, without a sign-in, because no store exists on that PC yet. After the restore, sign in with the backup's accounts and pair the tills on other PCs again: a new store PC has a new certificate.

What BooksPOS refuses, before anything changes

  • A wrong backup password. "The backup password is wrong, or the file was changed."
  • A damaged or changed file, or a file that is not a BooksPOS backup.
  • Another shop's backup. On a store PC that is set up, only its own business and branch can be restored. Another shop's backup would replace this shop's records, so it is refused.
  • A backup made by a newer version of BooksPOS. Update BooksPOS on this PC first.

When the shop is paired with BooksPOS Cloud

A restored store must not send for the branch while the old PC can still send too. The BooksPOS team hands the branch over to the restored PC in the cloud: every PC of the branch is disconnected, and only a PC restored with the new figures can send again.

  1. When the wizard says the shop is paired, contact BooksPOS support. Tell them the business, the branch code, and the date of the backup you are restoring; the wizard shows all three.
  2. They give you three things: an authority epoch, the highest sequence, and a pairing code.
  3. Type the two numbers in step 2 of the wizard, then restore.
  4. After signing in, pair the store PC again under Sync & FBR with the pairing code.

Without the numbers the restore still works, and bill numbers are moved on when the store PC pairs again; bills made before that pairing could repeat a number the old PC used.

What a restore does not bring back

Anything recorded after the backup was made is not in it: bills, payments and stock changes of those hours. If the shop is paired, those records are in the cloud; re-enter them in the store if they matter for stock or khata.

Common questions

Can a manager restore a backup?

No. Restoring replaces all of the store's data, so only an owner can, with their own password.

What if the store server does not come back after the restore?

Wait two minutes, then restart the PC. The restore finishes when the store server starts. If it still does not answer, contact BooksPOS support.

Is the data from before the restore lost?

No. A safety backup is taken first, and the replaced database is kept beside the restored one.

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