How to back up your Sage 50 file before sending it to us
Step-by-step on making a proper Sage 50 backup -- .PTB for US (Peachtree) and .CAB for Canadian (Simply Accounting) -- so your conversion or downgrade starts clean.
Every conversion or downgrade starts from a backup, not your live working file. A backup is a single, self-contained file that’s safe to upload and that we can open without touching your day-to-day system. How you make one depends on which Sage 50 you run.
Sage 50 US (Peachtree lineage)
- Open your company in Sage 50.
- Go to File > Back Up.
- Tick Include company name in the backup file name, leave attachments included if prompted, and choose a location you’ll remember.
- Sage writes a single
.PTBfile. That’s the file to send us.
If you’d rather, you can also zip the entire company folder (the directory holding the Btrieve data files) and send that – but the .PTB backup is cleaner.
One thing to check first: if SmartPosting is enabled, turn it off before you back up for a downgrade. It runs as a background service and can leave the file mid-post.
Sage 50 Canadian (Simply Accounting lineage)
- Open your company.
- Go to File > Back Up.
- Sage writes a
.CABbackup file – send that.
If you’re sending the raw data instead of a backup, the Canadian product stores a company as a .SAI file plus a matching .SAJ folder; zip the two together so nothing is missing.
Always verify the backup
Before you upload, confirm the backup actually restores or opens on your side. A backup that won’t restore is the most common cause of a stalled conversion – catching it now saves a round trip.
Then send it over
Start a free evaluation and we’ll send you a secure upload link. If you’re not sure which Sage lineage you have, our guide on US vs Canadian Sage 50 clears it up.