Have you bought a new computer recently? O you simply want to Move QuickBooks to another computer to provide access to other users in your office for to manage bookkeeping? In any case, QuickBooks makes it easy to transfer QuickBooks to another computer and also help you add users with additional licenses to use your application from multiple PC’s.

This feature in QuickBooks is called multi-user which offers business owners the flexibility to share a company file with other employees or bookkeepers through your office internal network.

The newer versions of QuickBooks also includes a built-in special permission setup capability for each user. You can explore this feature once you you have completed moving QuickBooks to a new computer.

Usually it’s not a very complicated process.

All you will have to do is to install the QB software onto the new computer. Then you can proceed to transfer a backup of the company files from your old computer to the new one.

You can Move QuickBooks to another computer manually or with the help of QuickBooks data Migration Tool  to move both QB company files to another computer. Either way most importantly create a backup of all your company data first before proceeding.

This is a complete accountants guide that includes all the necessary steps and information to successfully install QuickBooks on another computer along with your existing data files.

Requirements to move QuickBooks to new computer

• Keep your license and product information on hand.

• Have your QuickBooks installation disk or setup file ready.

• If you have already installed QB on the new computer uninstall the product and begin installing once you have followed the steps below.

• Perform a backup of all your company data files.

• Make sure your new computer is connected to the internet, since you will need to register your QB product after the installation is complete.

• You will need an USB flash drive or external hard drive in order to move QuickBooks company files to another computer.

Steps to transfer QuickBooks license to another computer

• Create a backup of all your data files and licenses.

• Install the correct QuickBooks version on your new computer.
• Enter the License information to activate your QB Desktop.

• Download the backup file on the new PC.

• Restore the backup files from within your new QuickBooks Desktop installation.

• Delete the software from your old computer. Keep the backup files stored safely.

Start with creating a QB backup

Generally said a backup file is only 20-25% the size of the original .QBW company file.

Yet, it contains all the regular data.

This is because the backup excludes the internal indexing in the file.

That not only reduces the size of the file but also makes it easier to migrate and restore on another computer.

Here’s How:

1. Connect your external storage device to the old computer.
2. Start your QB and open the company file(s) you need to transfer.
3. Go to the File menu and select Create Backup.
4. Choose Local Backup and click on Options. Now locate the storage device and choose it as memory location for the backup file. Confirm with Next.
5. Give the file a specific and unique name so you don’t get confused later. Click Ok, and then Next.
6. Select Save It Now, and then Next.
7. Finally, click on Save. Now wait for the backup file to be created. Once the process is completed, you can safely remove the external storage device from your computer.

Now install QuickBooks on second computer

Before you install the software on your other computer, make sure that the device fulfills the minimum system requirements. If those are not met, you most likely won’t be able to proceed with the installation, or experience issues later on.

Next you will need either the CD or download file and your QuickBooks license and product number to register the software on the new computer.

Both options work the same way. It just depends on what you prefer, or what you chose when purchasing your QB version.

Note: If you no longer have your CD, you can always download the installation files by providing the product license number. In case you also forgot the number, you should be able to retrieve it easily.

Just provide your business phone number, or log in to your online QuickBooks account.

Now, insert the CD or open the installation file, and follow the prompts of the installation wizard.

Pay close attention to all the specific settings and updates while running the installation.

If you are trying to use an older version on the new computer, be aware that it may not work. Only QuickBooks 2020 (or newer versions) are supported by Windows 7. So we recommend upgrading your version before running the installation on your computer.

Move QuickBooks company file to another computer

Follow these easy steps to transfer QuickBooks data to new computer

1. Connect the external storage device with your computer.
2. Open your newly installed QuickBooks Desktop.
3. Navigate to the File menu and click on Open or Restore Company.
4. Choose Restore a Backup Copy, and click on Next.
5. Now select Local Backup as the the location for the backup file. Then click Next.
6. In case QuickBooks doesn’t automatically detect your backup file, go ahead and double-click on it from the location of your external device.
7. Click on Open, and then Next. Select Save In and go to the location on your computer where you plan to store the backup file.
8. Finally, select Save to restore the file onto your computer.

Conclusion:

After completing these final steps, you should be good to go.

Once the file is restored on the new computer, everything should be already set up and ready for operations.

We recommend uninstalling the QB software from the old computer and move or rename the backup file to a safe storage.

This will prevent you from accidentally making entries on the old company file.

Important: From this point on, don’t put any QuickBooks information in your old computer, since the new one will not know anything about it.

When you upgrade to a new computer, you can transfer your QuickBooks information so you don’t lose your historical data.

To transfer QuickBooks to a new computer requires several distinct steps. You must create a backup file, install QuickBooks on your new computer and restore the backup on the new computer.

Once you are done with all the steps above, you are ready start using QuickBooks company file from another computer!