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WARox
WARox
March 30, 2021
Solved

Open a QB file in a prior year version

  • March 30, 2021
  • 2 replies
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Has anyone successfully opened a QuickBooks file or backup in a prior year version?

 

Long story short, my client has QB 2020 and I used QB 2021. Now we cannot get the file or backup to open in 2020, since I did all the changes in the 2021 version.

Yes, I can re-do all the changes in QB 2020, but that is going to be very time consuming. 

QuickBooks - Please make it possible to tell which version a QuickBooks file is, or make it possible to open a backup file in a prior year version.

 

Not having one or both of these capabilities is just bad business practice when your only solution is to upgrade to the newer version. You can open backup files in newer version, you should at least be able to go back to a version previously used. 

    Best answer by Fiat Lux - ASIA

    @WARox 

    If your client is using QBD 2020, you should have a one time license of QBD Accountant 2020 or 2021. If you are using QBD 2021, it will upgrade your client's file. You may purchase a 3rd party downgrade service if you are mistakenly upgraded the file.

    2 replies

    JoesemM
    JoesemM
    March 30, 2021

    Hello there, @WARox.

     

    I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on this. Allow me to chime in and share some ideas about opening a backup file in a prior year's version.

     

    Once you convert a company file to a newer version of QuickBooks, you can no longer open it in any earlier version. This is because different QuickBooks versions utilize a dissimilar process of compressing backup files.

     

    Just in case you need to use a trial version of QuickBooks for a test run, please check out this article: QuickBooks Desktop trial links.

     

    However, if you need to upgrade your client's company file to a new version, you can follow the steps below:

     

    1. Open your new version of QuickBooks Desktop.
    2. Select Open or Restore Company if you don't have a company file open. You can also go to the File menu and select Open or Restore Company.
    3. Select Open a company file, then Next.
    4. Browse your computer for your company file. Select it and then select Open.
    5. Sign in to your company file as an admin user.
    6. Before you upgrade, QuickBooks automatically creates a backup of your existing company file. You can select Change this default location to save the backup in a specific folder.
    7. Select Update Now to start the upgrade.
    8. Click Done.

     

    For more details, you can check out this article: Upgrade your company files after you switch to a new version of QuickBooks Desktop

     

    Also, it's important to know about the company file compatibility to avoid issues and errors upon the upgrade. For more insights, I'm adding an article for additional reference on this: Company file compatibility with QuickBooks Desktop when upgrading.

     

    Let me know if I can be of additional assistance or should you have follow-up questions. I'll be here to help. Have a good one!

      Fiat Lux - ASIA
      Fiat Lux - ASIAAnswer
      March 31, 2021

      @WARox 

      If your client is using QBD 2020, you should have a one time license of QBD Accountant 2020 or 2021. If you are using QBD 2021, it will upgrade your client's file. You may purchase a 3rd party downgrade service if you are mistakenly upgraded the file.

        WARox
        WARoxAuthor
        March 31, 2021

        I have all the Premier Accountant software 2018-2021. After some miscommunication with my client, I used the 2021 version - when they had 2020.

         

        My end point is that QuickBooks should have this feature available for at least the Accountant versions and I shouldn't have to purchase a 3rd party application. If a 3rd party application can do it, Intuit can do it. 

          A
          accounthink
          September 7, 2021

          This is a real problem and Intuit should understand that there are some clients who do not wish to upgrade. This is very hard on accountants since we need to purchase all the versions. They should allow us to either open it as is as long as you purchase the latest accountant's version. The other fix would be to include a downgrade in software so that the accountant can downgrade the final product before sending it back to the client.

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