An Open Dental backup has two halves, and a clinic needs both: the MariaDB (or, on older installs, MySQL) database folder, by default C:mysqldataopendental, and the A to Z folder, by default C:OpenDentImages, which holds scanned documents, imported X-rays, EOBs, forms and the setup files. Copy both every night, keep one encrypted copy outside the practice and offline, and restore it onto a spare computer a few times a year. Everything below follows the official Open Dental manual (pages “Backup Tool”, “Manual Backups”, “Online Backups”, “Supplemental Backups”, “A to Z Folder”, “Paths”, “InnoDB” and “Encryption”) and the official Versions, Computer Requirements and MariaDB pages, read on 2 November 2026. Status: Not tested yet — we have not run a backup and restore of Open Dental on a clinic server ourselves.
Version note: on 2 November 2026 the Versions page lists Version 26.1 (6 August 2026) as the newest release not marked beta, with 26.2 “as beta”. The manual pages carry the label “Manual v24.4”; where the software and the manual differ, we say so. Open Dental is shareware (conditionally free): since version 24.4 the licence is proprietary, and the trial is for evaluation only.
What you must copy
| Part | Default location on the server | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Database | C:mysqldataopendental | Patients, appointments, charts, treatment plans, ledgers, insurance, security log |
| A to Z folder | C:OpenDentImages (older installs: OpenDentalData) | Images and documents in 26 letter folders, email attachments, EOBs, forms, reports, SetupFiles and UpdateFiles |
The actual A to Z path is shown under Setup, Data Paths; the database path is set in my.ini on the server. Some practices use “Store Images directly in database. No AtoZ Folder.”; then the database carries the images too and, as the manual notes, becomes very large. If your CBCT studies live in a separate imaging server rather than in Open Dental, they need their own plan: our DICOM backup guide covers that for a server such as Orthanc.
Four methods from the manual
| Method | Database | A to Z folder | Encrypts | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Backup Tool (Manage, Backup) | Yes | Yes, unless “Exclude image folder” is ticked | No (“This tool does not encrypt data”) | Any practice with a Windows server |
| Manual copy of the two folders | Yes | Yes | Only if the target drive is encrypted | IT-managed clinics; MyISAM databases only |
| Online backup service | Yes (mysqldata) | Yes (OpenDentImages) | Depends on the service | The off-site copy; still needs restore tests |
| Supplemental Backups tab | Encrypted copy at Open Dental | No | Yes | US customers on support; a last resort only |
Step 1: Run the Backup Tool by the manual’s rules
- Run it from the server that hosts the database and with the “Backup” security permission. From a workstation it “will likely result in an error or incorrect data being copied”.
- Never back up into the folder that holds the live database. The manual recommends a network path to another workstation or server in the office.
- Image backups into an existing folder are incremental: files deleted in Open Dental are not removed from the backup. File names over 100 characters are skipped, and the job stops if the destination is full, so read the result.
The storage engine matters. The InnoDB page says almost all installations use MyISAM. On InnoDB the Backup Tool can only create backups, not restore them, “InnoDB users are responsible for their own backups” (a cold copy with the service stopped, Mariabackup, binary logs or a mysqldump export), and InnoDB “does not function with most online backups”.
One difference between manual and website: the Backup Tool overview on opendental.com lists an “Automated Backups” tab for MariaDB, with a scheduled full backup and hourly incrementals, while the manual page labelled v24.4 describes only Backup, Remove Old Data and Supplemental Backups. Check which tabs your version shows before planning around automation.
Step 2: Keep the copy consistent and versioned
For MyISAM the Online Backups page says backups “can safely be done without stopping the MySQL service”, yet the same page records user reports of corrupt files from one consumer backup product and lock-ups from another. That is why the restore test in Step 4 is not optional, and why a stop-copy-start job out of hours is the conservative choice for a scripted copy. Keep dated versions rather than one overwritten folder: the copy taken before a Remove Old Data clean-up is the only place the removed rows survive.
Step 3: Encrypt and take one copy off-site
The Backup Tool writes plain copies. The Encryption page says HIPAA does not require encryption but recommends it, and that “Copies of both the database and OpenDentImages folder should be encrypted.” Open Dental does not support encryption itself and names BitLocker (recommended), EFS and MariaDB data-at-rest encryption. For the off-site copy the Online Backups page names Central Data Storage (Unison BDR) as its recommended provider; we have not evaluated it or any other service. Store the recovery key separately from the drive. A rotating pair of encrypted drives, one always away from the building and never left plugged into the server, is the simplest offline copy and the one our ransomware checklist assumes.
Step 4: Test the restore on a separate machine
Three manual pages say the same thing: test backups regularly on a machine not connected to the office network, such as the doctor’s laptop. The Restore tab warns: “Do not restore a backup over a live production database. Data loss can occur and is irreversible.”
- On the test machine install the trial version of Open Dental and the database server. The MariaDB page says the current installer supports only MariaDB 10.11 and that 10.6 or higher needs Open Dental 24.3 or later. Match the program version to the backup; if the installed version is newer, uninstall it first.
- Stop the MySQL service.
- Rename the existing database folder and copy the backed-up
opendentalfolder intoC:mysqldatawithout an extra nested folder. - Copy the A to Z folder back, or use the Restore tab, which renames the existing database with the current date.
- Start the service, open Open Dental, confirm the backup date it shows, open recent patients and their images.
- Write down how long it took. That is your real recovery time.
Step 5: Supplemental Backups are insurance, not a plan
The Supplemental Backups tab sends an encrypted copy of the database to Open Dental nightly. It needs the eConnector, is for US customers on support, is not available on Open Dental Cloud, and does not include the OpenDentImages folders. The manual states it is “not designed to replace an existing backup method”, the backups “are not verified and may not include all data”, and recovery “may or may not be possible”. Decryption needs the password of the last admin user who logged in before the backup.
A routine checklist
| When | Task |
|---|---|
| Every night | Backup Tool or scheduled copy of both folders to a different device; someone reads the result |
| Weekly | Check free space and the latest dated copy; swap the off-site encrypted drive |
| Before every update | Manual backup first; keep it until the new version has run for a while |
| Quarterly | Full restore onto a disconnected machine |
| Yearly | Review who holds the “Backup” permission, where the keys are kept, and whether the server OS is still supported |
For other practice systems and where they keep their data, see free dental practice management software.
Who this suits, and who it does not
It suits a single-location practice on a Windows server with a MyISAM database and someone who reads a backup log. It does not suit Open Dental Cloud users, InnoDB installations, which need database-level tools, or multi-location groups, whose design should be checked by whoever runs their database.
Limitations
- Not tested yet: we have not run a backup or restore of Open Dental on a clinic server. Every step follows the official manual read on 2 November 2026.
- The manual is labelled v24.4 while the software is 26.1; the Automated Backups tab is one known difference.
- Default paths come from the manual; your installer may have chosen others. Check Setup, Data Paths and
my.ini. - HIPAA and other legal duties depend on your jurisdiction. This article is not legal advice.
FAQ
Is Open Dental cloud based, and does the cloud version need backups?
Open Dental is a Windows program with a local database server; Open Dental Cloud is a separate US-only hosted option on which the Backup tab is unavailable. Ask Open Dental in writing how cloud data is backed up and how you would get a copy.
What are the Open Dental server requirements for backups?
The Computer Requirements page lists Windows 11 and Windows Server 2016 to 2025 (Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025), the database on the server’s own disk rather than a NAS, “1 – 2GB + database size + A to Z folder” of space, SSD or NVMe recommended, and a UPS as “optional but recommended”. The backup target must be a different device. For the imaging side of the same server see CBCT computer requirements.
Can I run Open Dental on a Mac and still use this plan?
The server can run on Linux or macOS, but the Backup Tool is a Windows program. On a non-Windows server copy the database folder and the A to Z folder with the system’s own tools and follow the same encrypt, off-site and restore-test steps.
Can I use the Open Dental free trial to test a restore?
Yes. The Manual Backups page says to install the trial version on the test machine and restore the backed-up database folder and images into it, matching the version to the backup.
How do I set up Open Dental again after a server failure?
Follow the restore steps above on the new server, then point the workstations to it and verify the paths under Setup, Data Paths before anyone works in it.
Last updated: 2 November 2026 · DentIIT editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation; none of the tools listed here should be treated as a certified medical device unless its vendor says so.
