For a Tally data backup in TallyPrime 7.0 or later, press Alt+Y › Backup & Restore › Backup, pick the companies and save to a different disk. Then automate it with Schedule Backup (daily, incremental, 7 versions by default) and keep one more copy off-site: TallyDrive, a Google Drive copy of the finished backup, or a cloud server's snapshots.
Sources: Tally Solutions' local and scheduled backup page, backup and restore FAQ and customer hub, checked 6 October 2026.
The 3-2-1 rule for your books
Backup professionals use one simple rule, and it works just as well for a trader's ledgers as for a bank's servers: keep three copies of your data, on two kinds of storage, with one copy off-site. Each part protects you from a different kind of disaster.
The live company plus two backups. If you only have one backup, a single failure can still take everything.
Two folders on the same disk count as one. Use a second disk or USB drive plus online storage.
Somewhere a fire, a theft or ransomware at your office can't reach. Ideally, one copy can't be changed at all.
Why go to this trouble? Because each copy saves you from something different:
| What goes wrong | What you lose | The copy that saves you |
|---|---|---|
| Disk or SSD failure | The live company data | Any backup that isn't on that disk |
| Wrong deletion or bad import, noticed days later | Recent backups already contain the mistake | An older version, so keep several |
| Ransomware | The PC, every attached drive and often any folder that syncs from it | An off-site copy that can't be changed, or a drive kept unplugged |
| Theft, fire or flood at the office | The PC and the pen drive sitting next to it | The off-site copy |
| Damage after a power cut | A company that won't open | The last good backup, proven by a restore drill |
Tally data backup and restore, by hand
A manual backup is the one you take before anything risky: upgrading TallyPrime, splitting a company at year end, importing a big batch of vouchers, or moving to a new computer. The menu depends on your release, so pick yours below. To see your release, press F1 › About.
- Pause data entry. Ask other users to save their work. Tally's FAQ says that while a backup runs you can view reports but can't enter or save vouchers.
- Open the backup screen: Alt+Y (Data) › Backup & Restore › Backup.
- Choose where it goes. Press Backspace on Backup Data Path and pick a folder on a different disk, a USB drive or TallyDrive.
- Pick the companies. Under Company Name, select each company or All Items, then select End of List and press Enter.
- Check the file. One-time backups are named
TDBK1800_followed by the company number. Note the date somewhere you'll see it.
- Pause data entry on every computer that uses the company.
- Open the backup screen: Alt+Y (Data) › Backup.
- Set the destination folder, ideally on another disk.
- Select the companies or All Items and accept.
- Check the file. Backups from these releases are named
TBK1800_and a number. To restore, use Alt+Y › Restore.
Release 6.2 and earlier have no scheduled Auto Backup. That arrived in 7.0, which is a free upgrade while your TSS is active.
- From Gateway of Tally, press Alt+F3 (F3: Company Info) and select Backup.
- Check Source and Destination. Press Backspace to change them. Source is your data folder; Destination is where the backup goes.
- Select the companies or All Items, then End of List, and accept.
- Check the file. Tally.ERP 9 backups are named like
TBK900.001. Restore from the same Company Info menu.
Tally stopped TSS renewals for Tally.ERP 9 on 16 August 2026. Read what that means for ERP 9 users before planning backups around it.
How to restore a Tally backup (7.0 and later)
- Press Alt+Y › Backup & Restore › Restore.
- Under Primary, choose where the backup is: a local folder or drive, or TallyDrive (Cloud Storage).
- Select the company, then the version you want from the List of Versions. Each one shows its date and time.
- Press Ctrl+A. Enter the backup password (TallyDrive) or TallyVault password if the company has one.
- If a company with the same number already exists, choose Skip to cancel or Replace to overwrite it.
Replace can't be undone. When you only want to check a backup, first point the Restore Data Path at an empty folder so the restored copy sits beside your live company instead of on top of it. Tally's restore guide covers each option.
Tally backup shortcut keys
There's no single key that takes a backup. These are the keys you'll actually use:
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Alt+Y | Opens the Data menu: Backup & Restore, Schedule Backup, Configuration (paths), Migrate |
| Ctrl+A | Accepts the screen, for example to start a restore or save a schedule |
| Backspace | Lets you change a path field such as Backup Data Path |
| Alt+A | Creates another schedule when one already exists (7.0 and later) |
| F12 | In Schedule Backup, sets the method (Incremental or Full) and how many versions to keep |
| F1 › About | Shows where your company data lives and whether the TallyScheduler service is running |
| Alt+F3 | Company Info menu with Backup and Restore in Tally.ERP 9 |
On a Mac keyboard through Windows App, press Option+Y for Alt+Y. Our Tally cloud shortcut keys guide has the full Mac and iPad mapping.
Auto Backup in TallyPrime 7.0+: TallyDrive or a local drive
Release 7.0, out on 19 December 2025, added scheduled Auto Backup. According to Tally's release notes, schedules run even when TallyPrime is closed. You can send them to a local folder or to TallyDrive, Tally's own online backup storage. This is the closest TallyPrime gets to a built-in Tally online backup.
- Press Alt+Y › Backup & Restore › Schedule Backup. If a schedule already exists, press Alt+A to create another.
- On Backup Data Path, press Backspace. TallyDrive is the default; change it to a local folder for a local schedule.
- Select the companies or All Items, then End of List, and press Enter.
- In Schedule Details, set Backup Frequency (Once, Daily, Weekly or Monthly) and the Time. Take a Backup now is on by default.
- Press F12 to set Method of Backup, Incremental (the default and Tally's recommendation) or Full, and No. of Restorable Versions, from 1 to 366 with 7 as the default.
- Press Ctrl+A to save, then check the Schedule Backup report the next day.
Tally's own best-practice list recommends two schedules, one to TallyDrive and one to a local drive, staggered so they don't run at the same moment, with incremental backups for daily use. That gives you the 3-2-1 rule from inside TallyPrime. Here's how the two destinations differ:
| Local drive | TallyDrive | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | A second disk or USB drive | Active TSS, and TallyDrive's terms accepted with your Tally.NET ID |
| Storage | Whatever your disk holds | 1 GB on Silver, 3 GB on Gold; 10 GB more for ₹100 a month (₹1,200 a year) plus GST |
| Off-site? | No | Yes |
| Protection | TallyVault, if the company uses it | Optional backup password; a Recovery Key is e-mailed to your Tally.NET ID |
| When storage fills up | Watch free disk space yourself | New backups fail; old ones aren't deleted automatically |
| If TSS lapses | Keeps working | New backups stop; restore within 90 days, after which backups are deleted |
| PC must be on at backup time | Yes | Yes |
From Tally's backup and restore overview, FAQ and customer hub. TSS renewal prices are in our TallyPrime price guide.
Your PC has to be awake. Tally's FAQ says scheduled backups don't run if the computer is shut down, asleep or hibernating, and its troubleshooting page adds a stopped TallyScheduler service as the other common cause. Pick a time the PC is reliably on but quiet, such as lunch or just before closing, and stop Windows from sleeping then. Check F1 › About now and then to confirm the scheduler shows as running.
That's the honest catch with desktop Auto Backup. Many office PCs are switched off at night, and the backup that was due at 2 a.m. never happens. A server that never sleeps doesn't have this problem, which is one reason people move their books to a Tally cloud server.
Tally data backup on Google Drive or OneDrive
Google Drive and OneDrive are good places for an extra copy of your finished backup files. They're a poor place for the live company data folder that TallyPrime is working on. The difference matters more than most guides admit.
TallyPrime keeps each company as a numbered folder of data files that change as you work. A sync app uploads files as they change, so it can catch some files from before a save and some from after it, giving you an online copy that doesn't match itself. Sync also runs both ways: Google's own help for Drive for desktop says edits sync automatically to your computer and to Drive. A damaged or deleted company on one side quickly becomes a damaged or deleted company on the other. Tally's data corruption FAQ makes a related point when it tells you to switch off Windows Offline Files (Sync Center) to prevent corruption.
Don't
- Set TallyPrime's company data path inside a Google Drive or OneDrive folder.
- Open the same synced data folder from two computers.
- Keep company data on the Desktop or in Documents if OneDrive backs those folders up.
- Treat a synced folder as your only backup. It mirrors mistakes as faithfully as it mirrors data.
Do
- Let TallyPrime write backups to a dedicated folder first.
- Sync only that backup folder to Drive or OneDrive.
- Keep a local schedule with several versions as well.
- Protect the account with 2-step verification. Whoever has the login has your books.
How to send Tally backups to Google Drive safely
- Find your data folder under F1 › About and make sure it isn't inside a synced folder.
- Create a backup folder outside the data folder, for example
D:\Tally-Backups. - Point TallyPrime at it. Use Alt+Y › Configuration to set the Backup Data Path, or set it as the destination of a local Auto Backup schedule.
- Add only that folder to Google Drive for desktop or OneDrive as a folder to sync.
- Check the next day in Drive on the web that a backup file with today's date has arrived. To restore, download it to a local folder and use Alt+Y › Backup & Restore › Restore › Primary.
If your business is a company, read the companies section below before you count a Drive copy as your India backup.
How to take Tally backup in cloud: snapshots and restore drills
"Tally cloud backup" can mean two things. If TallyPrime runs on your own PC, it means sending backups somewhere online, which is what TallyDrive and the Drive method above do. If TallyPrime itself runs on a cloud server, the host should be backing up the whole server for you, and that's a different and stronger setup. Here's what that looks like on a TallyoCloud server, using the same four layers described on our Tally on Cloud security page:
| Layer | Protects you against | Where it lives | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. TallyPrime Auto Backup | A wrong deletion, a bad import, one damaged company | A separate disk on your server | Daily, incremental; Tally's default keeps 7 versions |
| 2. Server snapshot | A failed update, a broken server, a mistake across many companies | Backup storage in India, off the server | Daily automated backups, 30-day retention |
| 3. Locked copy | Ransomware or a misused admin account | A separate Indian location; can't be altered or deleted early | Depends on your plan (see pricing) |
| 4. Your own copy | Any problem with your provider, including us | Your computer or drive | As long as you like |
A snapshot and a Tally backup are not the same thing
A server snapshot is a point-in-time copy of the entire disk: Windows, TallyPrime, your TDLs and settings, and every company. Restoring one puts the whole server back to that moment, which is perfect after a failed update and heavy-handed for one wrong voucher, because everything entered since is rolled back too. A TallyPrime backup covers one company at a time, so you can bring back a single company, or an earlier version of it, without touching the rest. A snapshot can also catch a company mid-save, which is why we run TallyPrime's own Auto Backup on the server as well. On a server, that schedule never misses a night, because the machine is never switched off.
You still keep layer 4 yourself. On any TallyoCloud server you can press Alt+Y › Backup & Restore › Backup and save to your own computer's drive, which appears inside the Remote Desktop session, on Windows or from a Mac. No ticket, no fee. Moving existing books across is covered step by step in our guide to moving Tally data to the cloud.
Run a restore drill every month
A backup you've never restored is a guess. A drill takes about as long as a cup of tea:
- Pick a version from last week, not today's, so you also prove that older versions work.
- Restore it into an empty folder by changing the Restore Data Path. Never use Replace for a drill.
- Open the restored company and check that it loads without errors.
- Compare the Trial Balance and the last voucher date with what you expect for that day.
- Write down the date and the result, then delete the test copy. That log is useful evidence for your auditor.
On a hosted server, ask your provider when your backups were last test-restored, and how long a full restore takes. A good host answers both without hesitation. Our 12-point provider checklist lists the other questions worth asking, and the comparison of TallyPrime Cloud Access vs Tally on Cloud shows how Tally's own hosted service handles backups and exits.
Companies: daily backups on servers in India
If your business is a company, backups aren't only good practice. The Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, as amended on 5 August 2022 by G.S.R. 624(E) (summary, text reproduced by ICAI), set three requirements for books kept electronically:
- Rule 3(1): the books must stay accessible in India at all times.
- Rule 3(5): the backup must be "kept in servers physically located in India on a daily basis", even when the books themselves are kept outside India.
- Rule 3(6): every year, with its financial statements, the company tells the Registrar its service provider's name, IP address and location, and the cloud address where the books are kept.
In practice, that means a company needs at least one backup every day on a server physically in India, and a provider who will put the details in writing. Personal Google Drive and OneDrive accounts don't let you choose or prove the country your files are stored in, and the TallyDrive pages we read don't state a storage location either. If you want to rely on any of them as your India copy, ask the provider in writing first. TallyoCloud keeps servers and every backup copy in India and gives company customers a signed provider-details letter and a daily backup log for the annual filing. Our Tally on Cloud features page lists what's included.
These rules apply to companies under the Companies Act. Proprietorships, partnerships and LLPs aren't bound by them, but a daily backup in India is still the sensible habit. Check your own obligations with your CA.
What about Income-tax Rule 46(8)? From 1 April 2026, Rule 46(8) of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 198(E), 20 March 2026) requires books kept electronically to remain accessible in India, with a backup kept daily on servers physically located in India. Tax auditors report the server details in Form No. 26. A daily backup to a server in India meets that requirement; confirm the details for your business with your CA. Read our Rule 46(8) guide for the exact text.
Every Tally backup method compared
Here's the whole picture in one table. None of these methods is enough alone; the right answer is a combination.
| Method | Automatic | Off-site | Needs your PC on | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual backup (Alt+Y) | No | If you move it | Yes | Free | Before upgrades, imports and year-end work |
| Auto Backup to a local disk | Yes | No | Yes, awake | Free | Daily versions you can roll back to |
| Auto Backup to TallyDrive | Yes | Yes | Yes, awake | Included with TSS; ₹100/month per extra 10 GB + GST | Off-site copy for desktop users with TSS |
| Drive or OneDrive copy of backup files | Once set up | Yes | Yes | Your storage plan | Off-site copy without TSS |
| External drive, kept unplugged | No | If taken home | Yes | A one-time drive | A weekly offline copy ransomware can't reach |
| Cloud server snapshots | Yes | Yes | No, server is always on | Part of hosting | Whole-server recovery with no PC to remember |
| Syncing the live data folder | Not recommended | Nothing. It can spread damage to every copy | |||
Which Tally backup setup fits you?
Answer four questions and the chooser builds a combination of the methods above, with how often to run each one. It's a starting point for your own routine, not legal advice.
Build your backup plan
Based on Tally's documented backup features and the 3-2-1 rule. TallyDrive figures are Tally's published storage and prices, before GST.
- 3 or more copies
- 2 kinds of storage
- 1 copy off-site
- Offline or locked copy
- Manual backup before risky jobsAs neededAlt+Y › Backup & Restore › Backup before an upgrade, a year-end split or a bulk import.
- Auto Backup to a second diskDailySchedule Backup › Daily › Incremental, to a disk other than the data disk, at a time the PC is always on.
- Second schedule to TallyDriveDailyOff-site and included with TSS: 1 GB on Silver, 3 GB on Gold. Set a backup password; the Recovery Key goes to your Tally.NET ID.
- External drive, if you already own oneWeeklyCopy the latest backup, unplug the drive and take it home. It costs nothing extra and gives you an offline copy.
- Restore drillMonthlyRestore last week's version into an empty folder, open it and check the Trial Balance. Log the date.
Companies must keep a daily backup on servers physically located in India. Personal Drive accounts and the TallyDrive pages we read don't state a storage country, so get the location in writing, or ask your CA whether your setup qualifies.
Want backups that don't depend on anyone leaving a PC on? See Tally on Cloud plans, with a private server from ₹799 a month plus GST, or try it free for 7 days with a copy of your own data.
Tally data backup kaise le? Hindi quick steps
For readers who prefer Hindi, here are the same steps in simple Hinglish.
TallyPrime mein backup, 5 steps mein
- Sab users se kahiye ki entry band karke kaam save kar lein.
- Alt+Y dabaiye, phir Backup & Restore › Backup chuniye. (Release 6.2 ya pehle: Alt+Y › Backup.)
- Backspace se Backup Data Path badaliye: doosri drive, pen drive ya TallyDrive.
- Company ya All Items chuniye, End of List par Enter dabaiye.
- Backup ki ek copy ghar ya cloud par rakhiye, aur mahine mein ek baar restore karke check kijiye.
Roz automatic backup: Alt+Y › Backup & Restore › Schedule Backup › Daily. Dhyan rahe, us samay PC on hona chahiye, sleep mode mein nahi. Restore ke liye: Alt+Y › Backup & Restore › Restore.
Tally cloud ke baare mein aasaan bhasha mein padhiye: Tally cloud kya hai?
Starting new books at Diwali? Take a fresh manual backup the evening before, and run a restore drill on it. Our Chopda Pujan 2026 guide has a full checklist for traders.
Sources
Menus and limits on this page come from Tally Solutions' help pages for release 7.0 and later (the current release is 7.1), checked on 6 October 2026:
- Backup and restore in TallyPrime, TallyHelp, updated 2 March 2026
- Back up to a local drive and schedule backups, TallyHelp, updated 22 May 2026
- Restore backup data, TallyHelp, updated 22 May 2026
- Set up backup and restore paths, TallyHelp, updated 25 March 2026
- Backup and restore FAQ, TallyHelp, updated 26 June 2026
- Backup did not run as per scheduled date and time, TallyHelp, updated 19 January 2026
- Backup and restore in release 6.2 and earlier, TallyHelp, updated 23 March 2026
- Taking a backup in Tally.ERP 9, TallyHelp
- Data migration and data corruption FAQ, TallyHelp, updated 4 February 2026
- TallyPrime 7.0 release notes and the Tally customer hub for TallyDrive storage prices
- Use Google Drive for desktop, Google Drive Help
- Companies (Accounts) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2022 (G.S.R. 624(E)), via SCC Online and the ICAI Navi Mumbai branch
TallyPrime, TallyDrive, Tally.ERP 9 and Tally.NET are trademarks of Tally Solutions Pvt. Ltd. TallyoCloud is an independent hosting provider and is not affiliated with Tally Solutions. Google Drive is a trademark of Google LLC; OneDrive is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I take a backup in TallyPrime?
In TallyPrime 7.0 or later, press Alt+Y (Data), choose Backup & Restore, then Backup. Press Backspace to set the destination folder, pick the companies or All Items, select End of List and press Enter. In release 6.2 or earlier the path is Alt+Y, then Backup. Ask other users to stop entering vouchers first, keep the copy off the data disk and test a restore now and then.
What is the shortcut key for backup in Tally?
There is no single backup key. Alt+Y opens TallyPrime's Data menu, which holds Backup & Restore in release 7.0 and later, and separate Backup and Restore options in 6.2 and earlier. Ctrl+A accepts a screen. In Tally.ERP 9, backup sits under Alt+F3 (Company Info). If you use TallyPrime from a Mac keyboard through Windows App, press Option+Y instead of Alt+Y.
Is it safe to keep Tally backups on Google Drive?
Yes, as an extra off-site copy of finished backup files. Don't sync the live company data folder: a sync app can upload files while TallyPrime is writing them, and it carries any damage or deletion to every synced copy. Point TallyPrime's backup path at a dedicated folder, sync only that folder, turn on 2-step verification and keep a local copy as well.
Is TallyDrive free?
Storage comes with an active TSS subscription: 1 GB for a Silver licence and 3 GB for Gold, according to Tally's backup FAQ. Extra space costs ₹100 a month, or ₹1,200 a year, per 10 GB plus GST. When the storage is full, new backups fail until you delete old ones or buy more. If TSS lapses, you have 90 days to restore before TallyDrive backups are deleted.
Why didn't my scheduled Tally backup run?
Usually the computer was off, asleep or hibernating at the scheduled time, or the TallyScheduler service wasn't running. Schedules run even when TallyPrime is closed, but not when Windows isn't awake. Check the scheduler's status under F1 › About, start it from Notifications (Ctrl+Alt+N), and stop the PC sleeping at backup time. A cloud server stays on, so this problem goes away.
How do I restore a Tally backup?
In TallyPrime 7.0 or later, press Alt+Y, choose Backup & Restore, then Restore. Under Primary, pick the folder or TallyDrive, select the company and the version you need, and press Ctrl+A. Enter the backup or TallyVault password if asked. If the company already exists, Replace overwrites it, so restore into a separate folder first when you only want to check a backup.
Do companies need daily backups in India?
Yes. Under the Companies (Accounts) Rules, as amended in August 2022, a company that keeps its books electronically must keep a backup on servers physically located in India every day. Each year it also tells the Registrar its service provider's name, IP address and location. Proprietorships, partnerships and LLPs aren't covered by these rules but should still back up daily; check your own obligations with your CA.
Tally data backup kaise le?
TallyPrime 7.0 ya naye release mein Alt+Y dabaiye, Backup & Restore aur phir Backup chuniye. Backspace se folder badaliye, company ya All Items chuniye aur End of List par Enter dabaiye. Purane release mein Alt+Y ke baad Backup chuniye. Copy ko doosri drive, TallyDrive ya cloud par rakhiye aur mahine mein ek baar restore karke check kijiye.