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Eugene Pieterse
July 4, 2022
Question

How to upgrade and import 'old' Quickbooks Desktop Company files to QBO?

  • July 4, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 0 views

Hi Community

 

I have a client who needs to move from Quickbooks Pro 2016 to online and the process I used to follow with this was I would use a trial version of QB Desktop UK/Canada (2019/20) to upgrade and restore a backup of an old QB file and then export that data for QBO however I'm now unable to do this as the only trial version of Quickbooks I can find is US and when I restore a company file I get an error stating "The company file was not created in US Quickbooks" which means I am unable to proceed.

I have also tried following Step 2 from the following guide: Move your QuickBooks Desktop file to QuickBooks Online But the link to the QuickBooks Desktop file restoration tool is also dead.  It would be highly appreciated if there's a solution to this since many entities in SA still use QB versions that came out prior 2018 and they still need to be able to access old information and writing it off is not an option.  

3 replies

J
JonpriL
July 4, 2022

Hi @Eugene Pieterse, I wanted to make sure you're able to get back up and running.

 

I'll share how you're able to convert your client's company data from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online seamlessly.

 

You're on the right track, a working trial version of QBDT is needed when converting company data from an unsupported year version. Yes, the link included in the article showing the restoration tool is not yet available. For now, we'll have to move your data manually by creating a CSV file.

 

Kindly read and use this article to learn more about the conversion and for the instruction: Why Can’t I Move Data from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online?

 

Now that you're about to start working on the online version, here's a reference to learn more about the features and functions of QuickBooks Online. You can log in to any of our supported browser versions and use this reference for guidance: Help Articles in QuickBooks Online. 

 

It'll always be my pleasure to help if you have any other concerns besides converting company data in QuickBooks. Please let me know by clicking the Reply button and leaving a comment below. Don't forget to include my name, @JonpriL, and take care always, @Eugene Pieterse!

E
Eugene PieterseAuthor
July 5, 2022

Hi @JonpriL 

 

Thank you for the timely response.  I just need to verify a few things please.  The client's existing company file is almost 700MB so obviously moving this over through CSV files would take a while, the main reason for the large file is mostly because the information on QB goes very far back, with that being said will I at least be able to eventually move all of their information to QBO through importing CSV's?

Do you have any idea when Quickbooks' new migration tools/process will be available?

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Fiat Lux - ASIA
July 4, 2022

@Eugene Pieterse 

You have previously used the trial license on your machine. Unless you reinstall Windows or clean registry settings, you won't be able to use the same trial license again. Consider purchasing a one-time license for QBD 2020 UK or QBD 2021 CA to upgrade your client data file and migrate it to QBO UK or CA.

 

However, if your client prefers to use QBO South Africa version, consider purchasing a third-party conversion service. Contact us in private for details.

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Eugene PieterseAuthor
July 5, 2022

@Fiat Lux - ASIA 

I've only used client's computers to install trial versions of QB, how would you know that I've installed a trial product on this system exactly?

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Fiat Lux - ASIA
July 5, 2022
@Eugene Pieterse wrote:

I used to follow with this was I would use a trial version of QB Desktop UK/Canada (2019/20) to upgrade and restore a backup of an old QB file and then export that data for QBO however I'm now unable to do this as the only trial version of Quickbooks

 

@Eugene Pieterse 

My reply is to respond to your words that you can't use the trial version anymore on your machine. If you can't install the trial version on your client machine, it's possible that your client is running an unsupported Windows OS. cmiiw

C
ChristieAnn 11
July 5, 2022

I appreciate you for coming back to tread to add some clarification about your concern, Eugene Pieterse. I'll be providing extra details on how the migration method from QuickBooks Desktop to Online works. Then, to ensure you can move your data smoothly.

 

Since we have to temporarily hit the pause button on all QBDT to QBO migrations last June 16, yes, you can eventually move your QBDT data to QBO using the Excel CSV files.

 

Then, we are unable to provide a specific time frame as to when the option or tools for the migration process will be available. Rest assured that the updated migration process will allow you to move larger files with no size limitations.

 

On the other hand, when you migrate data from one QuickBooks to another, you'll have to ensure that you use the same International version. With this, installing and utilizing a trial version of QuickBooks for South Africa isn't currently possible. This is because we are currently discontinuing our Desktop offering in the said place. 

 

You can open this article to view additional details about the migration process from QBDT to QBO: Why can’t I move my data from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online?.

 

Lastly, I'm adding this article to further guide you in effectively managing your business using QBO: Help guide for QuickBooks Online. It contains topics about different accounting strategies, banking, and payments.

 

Get back to me here if you have further questions about managing your QuickBooks data. I'd be more than happy to answer it for you, Eugene Pieterse. Have a nice day!

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Eugene PieterseAuthor
July 5, 2022

@ChristieAnn 11 
Thanks for the assistance.  Do you by any chance have more detailed information available on exporting certain things from Quickbooks DT to CSV? Such as the invoices that have been made out to customers?  I've already followed the links provided in your post but it doesn't really explain how exactly I export the invoices themselves. I can only find an option to export the transactions of a customer

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