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QuickBooks Desktop is no longer supported, but for those who still have it installed and would like to convert their books to the cloud-based version, here are seven steps on how you can do so.
Switch to QuickBooks Online if you want access to your accounting software from anywhere. The good news is that switching from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online is simple, and you won’t lose any of your previous data. If you are stuck, you can obtain free help from QuickBooks.
Except for QuickBooks Self-Employed, this article will let you migrate from QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier to any version of QuickBooks Online. If you don’t already have a QuickBooks Online account, you may select between a three-month free trial or a 50 percent discount.
Tip: To convert from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, you have 60 days from the start of your subscription. You may terminate your existing membership and start a new QuickBooks Online business once 60 days have elapsed. Under the same email address, many corporations may be created.
Before you convert QuickBooks Desktop to Online, there are a few things to consider
Many company owners find that switching from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online is beneficial, but there are a few things to consider before doing so. Despite the fact that we ranked QuickBooks Online as the best small company accounting software, QuickBooks Desktop has a few key benefits over QuickBooks Online. For experienced bookkeepers, QuickBooks Desktop is generally speedier, has additional inventory management capabilities, and can provide expected vs. actual work costs. If you’re not sure whether QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop is suitable for your organization, read QuickBooks Online versus Desktop.
Although certain functions in QuickBooks Online are labeled differently and may not perform precisely the same as in QuickBooks Desktop, the majority of information from QuickBooks Desktop will seamlessly migrate to QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks gives a list of Desktop capabilities and an explanation of how they will transition to QuickBooks Online.
The procedures in this article are for converting a QuickBooks Desktop file from QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, or Accountant to QuickBooks Online. You may use Intuit’s conversion instructions for QuickBooks Mac to get started. If you’re using QuickBooks Enterprise, Intuit also has conversion instructions available.
The seven stages of converting QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online are as follows.
1. Review the Minimum File Size Requirements
Open your QuickBooks Desktop file and click F2 to get the entire target count. If your QuickBooks file has more than 350,000 goals, you might attempt condensing it to lower the number of targets. If condensing doesn’t work, you’ll have to settle with transferring lists instead of converting (more on that later).
2. Get Ready to Export Your QuickBooks Desktop Data to QuickBooks Online
It’s advisable to update your QuickBooks file as much as possible before converting so that your accounting doesn’t fall behind as you learn the new QuickBooks Online methods. Before you begin, be sure you balance all bank accounts, execute payroll, and adjust inventory.
Backing up your business paperwork is also a brilliant idea if anything goes wrong. To create a local backup of the data file, go to File, then Back Up Company, and then Create Local Backup, as illustrated below:
To save a backup business file in QuickBooks Desktop, follow these instructions.
Before migrating to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks suggests saving your business file to a local drive. If you regularly access the business file from a network drive, save the backup File you just made to your local disk and utilize it for your QuickBooks Online conversion.
3. Sign up for a free QuickBooks Online account
If you do not already have one, you must establish a QuickBooks Online account. Before you begin the conversion process, you must first go to QuickBooks Online and subscribe to the version of QuickBooks Online that you like. You have the option of signing up for a 30-day free trial or a 50% discount for the first three months.
Provide basic information about your Company.
You’ll need to provide your Company’s name and description when creating your QuickBooks Online account, as illustrated below:
4. Open the company file in QuickBooks Online and export it.
Sign in to the firm you’re converting to QuickBooks Online in your QuickBooks Desktop software. Click Firm in the top menu bar of your QuickBooks Desktop company and choose Export Company File to QuickBooks Online, as illustrated below:
You’ll need to download the most current QuickBooks Desktop update if you don’t see the Export Company File to QuickBooks Online option. From the Help menu, choose Update QuickBooks and follow the on-screen instructions. Export the business file as seen above after the change is complete. You may need to close and reopen QuickBooks Desktop for the update to take effect.
Tip: After three years, QuickBooks stops supporting desktop applications, so you may not be able to upgrade previous versions. Get a free 30-day trial subscription to the newest QuickBooks Desktop Pro as a workaround. After you open your business file in the new application, you should export it to QuickBooks Online.
5. Use the Desktop Program to log in to Your QuickBooks Online Account
Your QuickBooks Desktop application will ask you if you want to migrate your File or trial it once you pick the data to export to QuickBooks Online. Since you’ve previously set up your QuickBooks Online firm, click Move Now:
If you want to import inventory into QuickBooks Online, check the box.
Whether you’re already keeping track of inventory, QuickBooks will ask if you want to import it into QuickBooks Online. If you reply yes, your inventory will be adjusted in QuickBooks Online from the start date supplied, using the first in first out (FIFO) inventory technique. Click no if you’re not sure whether you want to import your inventory. You may import your inventory from an excel spreadsheet at a later time.
Tip: Changing your inventory method from average cost to FIFO requires filing Form 3115 with the IRS. As a result, before transferring your inventory to QuickBooks Online, I suggest contacting a tax consultant.
QuickBooks will inquire whether you have a QuickBooks Online account after determining if you wish to import inventory to QuickBooks Online. Select Yes, sign me in: since you already have a QuickBooks Online account.
After you click Yes, sign me in, your QuickBooks Desktop account will display a login page for your QuickBooks Online account, as illustrated below:
Verify Your Personal Information
When signing into your QuickBooks Online account through QuickBooks Desktop, there will be a prompt to Verify Your Personal Information. Check your phone or email and then enter the code to proceed:
6. In QuickBooks Online, choose your Company.
Select the QuickBooks Online business you want the data to import from the drop-down list after successfully logging in to your QuickBooks Account. If you have numerous businesses, be sure you choose the right one since the conversion will overwrite any existing data.
7. Copy the data file
QuickBooks will function for a few minutes after you pick your business and then show you a confirmation page that looks like this:
When your QuickBooks Online business is ready, QuickBooks will send you an email; however, this might take several hours if you have a big file. Once you get your email, similar to the one below, log in to QuickBooks Online and check your data by clicking the Complete your setup button:
Instead of converting a QuickBooks Desktop file, transfer lists
Tip: If you cannot convert your Desktop file using the seven procedures above, you must export and import lists from Desktop Online. You’re done if your conversion was successful. For example, if you have over 350,000 targets or if your desktop file is faulty, this might happen.
Export critical listings from your QuickBooks Desktop business and import them into your QuickBooks Online company as an alternative to converting your Desktop file to an Online company. Your Accounts ledger, Customers, suppliers, goods, and services will all be transferred. However, you won’t share prior transactions this way, so you’ll have to start from the beginning.
It takes two steps to move lists from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. To begin, save the listings as an Excel file from Desktop. Second, open your QuickBooks Online account and import the Excel file.
What Is the Best Way to Export Lists From QuickBooks Desktop?
You may save hours of data entering in your new QuickBooks Online business by exporting the following lists from QuickBooks Desktop to Excel Spreadsheets:
- Accounts ledger
- Customers
- Vendors
- Services and products
QuickBooks Online only imports the first workbook worksheet when importing Excel workbooks. Make sure your data is in the first worksheet, or tab, at the bottom of the Excel screen after exporting Excel workbooks from QuickBooks Desktop.
Exporting the Accounts ledger From QuickBooks Desktop
1. Navigate to your Accounts ledger by clicking on Company from the top menu bar and then selecting Accounts ledger:
2. Select Account Listing from the Reports menu at the bottom of the page to see a list of your accounts.
3. Save the Account Listing report to your computer as an Excel spreadsheet by choosing Excel then Create New Worksheet and following the prompts:
You’ve now exported your Accounts ledger to an Excel spreadsheet. Please note where you saved the spreadsheet so you can import it into QuickBooks Online later.
Customers from QuickBooks Desktop may be exported.
1. To go to the Customer Center, go to the top menu bar and pick Customers, then Customer Center:
2. Select Excel from the Customer Center’s top toolbar, then click Customer List Export:
3. Save the new spreadsheet to your computer and import it into your QuickBooks Online business later by following the instructions.
Vendors from QuickBooks Desktop may be exported.
1. Go to the Vendor Center by choosing Vendor Center: Vendor Center from the top menu bar.
2. Select Excel and Vendor List Export from the Vendor Center’s top toolbar:
3. Save the worksheet by following the on-screen instructions so you can import it into QuickBooks Online later.
Exporting Products & Services From QuickBooks Desktop
1. To go to the Item List screen, pick Customers from the top menu bar and then Item List:
2. Click Excel at the bottom of the Item Lists page, then All Items Should Be Export:
3. Save the items into an Excel spreadsheet by following the on-screen instructions.
4. Because additional item categories are part of procedures that change somewhat between Desktop and Online, QuickBooks Online will only import the item types Inventory Part, Non-inventory Part, and Service.
Delete all line entries for items other than the three imported into QuickBooks Online from the Excel workbook you produced in the previous step.
To arrange your items by type and make removing lines easier, sort your Excel worksheet by the Type column.
Wrap Up
Congratulations on completing the QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online conversion. To understand the fundamentals of using QuickBooks Online, watch a couple of our video lessons.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to convert QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online?
A: It takes about a week.
