If you haven’t heard by now, you soon will (officially) about Intuit's new Migration Tool for QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.
The need for such a tool may never be truer than with the upcoming 2023 Desktop Release because some customers may realize the Desktop options may no longer fit their requirements.
Intuit has indicated in some of its early posts about 2023 that some desktop customers may find QBO offers more advantages at a better price point than desktop.
If the migration continues at the rate it has been growing from desktop to online, a better tool that provides a more successful outcome for conversions certainly will be welcome.
Please take note that there may be one or more versions of this or a similar Migration Tool available for QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online (non-US versions) outside the United States. This article only describes the version intended for US products (Desktop and Online).
You also need to know there are two versions of the new US Migration Tool. The first is designed for users of QuickBooks Pro, Premier or QuickBooks for Mac, and will likely migrate anyone who is using a product-year version that is 2015 or newer.
Intuit personnel have indicated that this new Migration Tool has far better success at migration than the earlier built-in process. However, there are still some limitations—even with the new tool.
The second version is designed for users of QuickBooks Enterprise. Once again, this tool successfully migrates even complex Enterprise files better than prior migration methods.
As with all migrations from Desktop to Online, there are fundamental differences in how features, lists, accounts, items, transactions and preferences migrate. You will find more information about those differences in the official Intuit knowledge base article, "Learn how features and data move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online."
While QuickBooks Desktop programs recently have been updated (via release updates) with links that use the tool to provide access to the same methodology for migration for those with current software, Intuit recognized a need to provide migration for persons without Desktop software access.
The new Migration Tool is accessible via your browser, as a link from Intuit’s Knowledge base article, "Move your books to QuickBooks online with an online tool." This means you don’t need a copy of QuickBooks Desktop (Pro, Premier, Enterprise or Mac) on your computer to migrate a QuickBooks Desktop Data file (.qbw, .qbb, .qbm).
Even individuals with older (than 2015) QuickBooks Desktop versions reportedly have successfully migrated using the new tool. One Intuit official recently suggested that users of older versions could attempt to migrate a backup of their files with the new tool.
He went on to say that if they didn’t succeed with the new tool, Intuit support could assist them with a step-migration through newer desktop versions until they reached a point where the tool would take them successfully to QBO.
And because all the migration via this new tool is essentially is taking place in the cloud, even computers with limited resources (RAM and Processors) can accomplish the migration just as long as they have a browser and adequate internet access (connectivity).
Using the New Migration Tool
- Whether you are using the Migration Tool (version) for Pro/Premier/Mac or the Migration Tool (version) for Enterprise, the steps are very similar. Again, they begin by accessing the appropriate version of the tool from the "Move your books to QuickBooks online with an online tool" webpage (shown below).
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
- Then click the Green Get Started button.
- Upload your company file (based on the five steps shown on the right side of the image above), and sequenced below:
(1) When the tool opens, select the file icon from the menu bar in the upper left corner; next, either login to your Intuit Account or create one
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
(2) Select Temporary Files
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
(3) Select Upload Files to browse and choose your Desktop (.qbw or .qbb) file to migrate
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
(4) Close the pop-up once your Company file is uploaded
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
(5) Select Refresh to see your uploaded Company file
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
- Log in to the uploaded company file as the Company Admin
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
- The Desktop Company file is first updated to the most current version of Desktop
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
- You now will be asked if you have an existing QBO Account or if you need to create one
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
- Connect to your QBO Account (existing or new) as appropriate
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
- Migration of your QuickBooks Desktop data to QBO begins immediately
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
- When the migration is completed, the session will end
Image: Adapted from Intuit Source Content
You should be ready to login to your QuickBooks Online Company and begin checking your accounting data. Remember, the differences you can expect to see based on how features and data move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.
If your QuickBooks Desktop data fails to update or migrate to QuickBooks Online or you see unexplained data irregularities (not associated with the differences contained in the guide in the prior reference) contact Intuit QuickBooks Online Customer Support and ask for Desktop Migration Tool assistance.
For purposes of clarity — At the present time, this new migration tool will not properly convert US multi-currency files (from Desktop to QBO). Right now, this new migration tool will not properly cross-convert US Desktop files to non-US QBO files (aka: a US Desktop Pro file to a Canadian QBO file).
Footnotes and Disclosures:
Portions of this feature have been adapted from Intuit QuickBooks related content, including educational/training materials and knowledge base articles. All such source materials were adapted by Insightful Accountant solely for educational purposes.
As used herein, QuickBooks, QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online and other QuickBooks (products) refer to one or more registered trademarks of Intuit Inc., a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Any other trade names used herein may refer to products that may be registered, trademarked or otherwise held by their respective owners. They are referenced for informational and educational purposes only.
This is an editorial feature, not sponsored content. Vendors discussed herein have not paid Insightful Accountant or the author any form of remuneration to be included within this feature. The article is provided solely for informational and educational purposes.
The publication of this article in no manner represents an endorsement by either the author or Insightful Accountant.
Note: Registered Trademark ® symbols have been eliminated from the articles within this publication for purposes of brevity due to the frequency or abundance with which they would otherwise appear or be repeated. Every attempt is made to credit such trademarked products within our respective article footnotes and disclosures.
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