How to Transfer or Move QuickBooks Desktop to Another Computer

How to Transfer or Move QuickBooks Desktop to Another Computer? This question arises when you found yourself stuck doing this procedure. And for this, you have many questions in your mind. Let’s have a look at each to get desired answers to your questions.

Can You Transfer or Move QuickBooks Desktop to Another Computer?

Yes, you can always transfer the QuickBooks license from a desktop to another computer.

When a user is working with QuickBooks software, he will eventually want to transfer the software from one computer to another. This decision could be based on any number of factors. If the user is using a US version of a single-user QB desktop, the migrator tool can easily transfer QuickBooks software from an old computer to a new computer with a maximum of three files.

If a user wishes to do so, he should perform the following steps to reinstall or relocate the QB Desktop installation:

1. Make sure you have the product and license information you need.
2. To reinstall QuickBooks, you must first uninstall it.
3. You can either download QB installation files or use a CD to install QB on your new PC.
4. After that, set up QuickBooks.

Why do you need to Move QuickBooks Desktop to Another Computer?

Experts always advise that businesses avoid using a single set of computer systems for an extended period of time. Additionally, when the system is used for an extended period of time, it can lead to system wear and tear, reducing business efficiency.

As a result, it is essential for a business to migrate its bookkeeping software, QuickBooks, to a new computer so that the business is not harmed.

Requirements for Transferring QuickBooks Data to a New Computer

Understand the fundamentals of transferring QuickBooks to a new computer and what to expect when switching from QuickBooks Desktop to the new one. Here are the few requirements when migrating from QuickBooks to another system.

When transferring QuickBooks to a new computer, you must determine which data does not convert.

An internet connection is required to download the migrator tool and the latest version of QuickBooks Desktop accounting software to your new system.

A USB flash drive with sufficient free space to transfer data from one system to another.

How to Transfer or Move QuickBooks Desktop to Another Computer

QuickBooks allows its users to transfer QuickBooks licenses from one computer to another. Before beginning the transfer process, you should have the license number and the product number ready. If you want to extract your product details from the original computer, follow the steps below:

1. Launch the QuickBooks application on the original computer.
2. Navigate to the ‘Help’ section.
3. Select the ‘About QuickBooks’ tab.
4. Take note of the license and product numbers that appear in the pop-up window.

You now have information about your product and license. Install the QuickBooks application on the other computer, and then complete the license transfer process as described below.

• When prompted to install the application on your desktop, accept the license agreement.
• When prompted, enter your Product and License key.
• Click the ‘Next’ button.
• Launch QuickBooks and navigate to the ‘Help’ section.
• Select ‘Activate QuickBooks Desktop’ from the drop-down menu.
• To complete the activation process, follow the on-screen instructions and provide the required information.

QuickBooks Migration Tool

You can use the QuickBooks Migration Tool if you have a US version of QuickBooks Desktop 2018 or later. The QuickBooks Migration Tool will guide you through the steps of transferring the QuickBooks desktop to another computer and copying up to three company files. You’ll need a USB flash drive and both PCs connected to the Internet to use the QuickBooks Migration Tool.

Intuit provides the following instructions for using the QuickBooks Migration Tool, beginning with the old computer:

1. Go to the File menu in QuickBooks, then Utilities, and then Move QuickBooks to another computer.
2. Choose I’m Ready and then enter a one-time password.
3. Follow the instructions to choose the USB flash drive you’ll use. Then wait for the files to be copied.
4. After that, you can transfer to the new computer and proceed as follows:
5. Put in the USB flash drive. The QuickBooks Migrator Tool will not launch automatically due to Windows security restrictions.
6. To begin the migrator, open the flash drive and double-click the file Move QuickBooks.bat.
7. Enter your password, then press the Let’s Go button.
8. Wait for the Migrator Tool to complete its work. This is dependent on the speed of your computer and internet, as well as the size of your company file/s.

Manually Transfer QuickBooks to Another Computer

To manually transfer QuickBooks to the new system, you must first uninstall QuickBooks from the old system and then install QuickBooks on the new system. To do the same, follow the steps outlined below: 

1. Open the Control Panel on your old system. 
2. Choose Program and Features.
3. Choose to Uninstall a Program. 
4. Choose QuickBooks and then click Uninstall.
5. Get and install QuickBooks on your new system.
6. To activate the product, launch QuickBooks and enter the product and license numbers.
7. Move your company files to the new computer and start the QuickBooks desktop. 

Your preferences will not be transferred to the new system if you use the manual method. This is why we recommend using the migrator tool to move QuickBooks to a new system.

Data which gets copied through migratory tool while moving QuickBooks Desktop to Another Computer

All of the data needed to run QuickBooks Desktop is copied, but the list is as follows:

• Other variations QB Desktop Specifications
• Recent company files- no more than three files with supporting documents
• All other related files, templates, and forms
• Letters and templates for QB
• Attachments made locally
• Reports memorized
• The spell-checker
• Printer configurations
• Financial Report Business Planner Designer Layout designer (.bpw)
• QB Loan Manager Cash Flow Statement Writer (.lmr)
• Reports on advanced topics (for QB Enterprise)

When Transferring Quickbooks from One Computer to Another, what is Not Copied Using the Migratory Tool?

• Configuration for multiple users.
• Payroll or payment services are created in
• QuickBooks will not be copied due to Intuit’s data protection policy.
• Intuit Data Protect must be uninstalled on the desktop and reinstalled on another computer.
• Company files that haven’t been opened in a while will not be copied.
• User-created manual backups will not be copied.

What Should You Do After Transferring QuickBooks to a New Computer?

After transferring QuickBooks to a new computer, you must manually configure various settings on the new computer. You will also need to manually copy a few items from the old computer to the new one.

The following items must be manually configured and moved:

1. Log in to your payroll and payment services because you will need to reconfigure the details.
2. Sign in to your Intuit Data Protect (IDP) account again and configure the backup schedule.
3. Only three recently opened company files are transferred when you transfer QuickBooks to a new computer.
4. If you have any other company files, you should manually transfer them to the new computer.
5. You must create a new backup of your data on the new computer.

After completing the steps described above, you will have successfully transferred all of your company’s data to the new computer.

Sum Up

We explained in detail how to move QuickBooks Desktop to a new computer in this article. Using the steps listed above, you should be able to complete the transfer process with ease.

There is no set time limit on how long the process will take. It is entirely dependent on the internet speed and the size of the company file. If you run into any problems while completing these steps, please contact our QuickBooks enterprise support team or accounting consulting professionals at Accounting Error Solutions Team.