How to Transfer QuickBooks from One Computer to Another

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Did you just get yourself a shiny new computer? Or maybe you need to get QuickBooks onto your laptop so you can get caught up on your bookkeeping?

If you need to get QuickBooks from one computer to another, it’s not a big deal. Here’s what you do:

1. Computer #2: Install QuickBooks (you’ll need your original install disk or downloaded install file, plus your installation codes that came with the software.)

2. Computer #2: Update QuickBooks: Run QuickBooks and click on Help / Update QuickBooks. That way, you’ll have the same QuickBooks updates on computer #2 that are on computer #1.

3. Computer #1: Backup your company data. You can back it up to any medium that will be accessible to computer #2. That would normally include CDs, USB/flash drives, external hard drives, or online storage services (like Global DataVault.)

The smallest backup you can make is a Portable file. This kind of backup is only about 20-25% the size of your regular QBW company file, yet it contains all your data. (The backup excludes the internal indexing in the file – that’s why it’s both smaller and takes longer to make and restore.)

4. If you made a backup to a physical backup drive, take it to computer #2 and plug it in or insert it. If your backup is online somewhere, download it to computer #2’s hard drive or desktop.

5. Computer #2: Run QuickBooks, and at the opening dialog box select “Open or restore an existing company”, and then “Restore a portable file” (or “Restore a backup copy” if you are bringing over a regular backup copy from computer #1.)

6. Computer #2: Navigate to the drive and folder where your backup is, and select the backup file.

7. Computer #2: Specify where you want the file to be restored to. You can accept the default that QuickBooks suggests, or point to a particular folder that makes sense to you. My Documents is not a bad choice.

8. Computer #2: Finish the restore.

Once your data is restored, everything should be set up for you to work in QuickBooks on your new computer. If you need to take your company file back to computer #1, simply reverse the process for steps #3-8.

What’s your favorite way to move QuickBooks data between computers?

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480 thoughts on “How to Transfer QuickBooks from One Computer to Another”

  1. I’ve just bought a new pc running Windinws 8.1 and installed QB2008. But, I cannot load the company file as it is a later version. I am unable to update the QB2008 as I get error message #12007. I’ve checked the Intuit help and changed all the firewall settings it suggested to allow QB access to te update, but still get the same error message.

    Can anyone help or offer any insight / suggestions?

    Thank you.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Joe,

      If I understand that you want to open a file with QB 2008 when the file was created with a later version, that won’t work. You can only open the file with a version that is at least as current as the version the file was used in previously. Sorry no magic bullet.

      Thanks for the question.

      Reply ↓

      • Hi,

        Thanks for the reply, but I think you slightly misunderstood my message. The company file was created in QB2008, both PC’s are usung QB2008, but the older pc had automatic updates applied. The QB2008 on the new pc would not allow online update, so the company file could not be opened.

        The issue has now been resolved, as Intuit sent me a manual update, so all is now well.

        Reply ↓

      • Joe, what was your fix? I am having the same trouble with QB2009. My computer crashed. I had all of the autoupdates and last used my data on 12/19. It was working fine. Now I can’t even get to my data after installing the program on my new computer.

        Reply ↓

    • I am running Quickbooks Premier 2002 : Accountant Edition on an old laptop; I want to migrate from the old laptop to a new laptop. However, I do not have the original Quickbooks installation disc. If I purchase the newest version Quickbooks Premier 2016, and install the new version in the new laptop and then backup the data from the old laptop (saved under the old version) and then restore the backed up data to the new laptop. Will this works ? If not, then how could I migrate from the old laptop to new laptop when I lost the installation disc and codes. Appreciate your kind reply please

      Reply ↓

    • How could I migrate from the old laptop (breakdowning soon) to a new laptop when I lost the original version of Quickbooks Premier 2002: Accountant Edition. Appreciate your comments on this. Thank you.

      Reply ↓

      • Hi Adeline,

        You don’t need to install QB 2002. Theoretically, you could copy your QuickBooks company data file (QBW file) from your old laptop to your new computer and open it with QuickBooks 2016 on your new computer. Theoretically, it will upgrade your file and it will be ready to use. But sometimes problems occur when you jump up that many versions. You’d just have to try it and see. Thanks for your question.

        Reply ↓

  2. I bought a new laptop and installed QB Pro 2015 on both my pc and laptop. Now I want a new laptop and want to delete the file from the old laptop – not enough features
    Any hints on the procedure?
    Thank you
    Al

    Reply ↓

  3. Hi, I am a general IT company and a business nearby had a system crash, but the hard drive reads just fine. Is there any way I can back up from just the hard drive itself or does it have to be a running system?

    Reply ↓

  5. Hi…searching for help to transfer my quickbookpro 2016 to my mac from my window…. is the possible? I went to utilities copied “quickbooks for Mac’ saved it (or it saved the location automatically) then ejected hardrive, plugged into mac and found file then all I saw was a black screen icon with ‘exec’ on it. did I do something wrong?…

    Reply ↓

  6. HI … again…;->… also… it is saying I don’t have an application to open this. (QB)… this is a business and I lost everything two weeks ago when my hard drive quit… switching to Mac for everything trying to transfer off windows….thank you…again ;-/

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Debra,

      I don’t know anything specific about QB for Mac (sorry), but I’m assuming that you installed QB for Mac on your Mac, right? And you can open the program just fine on your Mac? But that you can’t then open your company that was saved for Mac? Just trying to make sure I understand your situation.

      Reply ↓

  7. Dear Shannon Tucker,

    We have purchased quickbook pro 2015 canadian version from the local reseller. it works perfect. lately we purchase another set of Quickbooks pro 2016 canadian version via internet on line download mainly for viewing purpose. we have install it to my laptop. Now my question is how to restore data from quickbooks pro 2015 to Quickbooks pro 2016.

    Please advice.

    Thanks
    Chua kuyjow

    Reply ↓

    • Hello Chua,

      You can follow the steps in this blog post to backup your QB 2015 data to a USB drive, and then restore it on your laptop under QB 2016. QB 2016 on your laptop will automatically upgrade the data when you restore it, and you will be able to use the data there. Hope that helps. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  8. Pingback: Our Top 10 QuickBooks Articles for 2015 « QuickBooks and Your Business

  9. Got a new computer. I use Quickbooks Online. How do I get my new computer to access my program without waiting to receive a code through email?

    Reply ↓

  10. I transfer quickbooks point of sale 8 to a lenovo laptop, backup all data files and restore on the laptop. A message always pops up when I open Quickboks on the laptop to register and enter a validation code. Do I really need to do this?

    Thanks.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Dani,

      So do you mean that you register it, but then when you run it the next time, it asks you to registered it all over again? If so, you probably need to check with Intuit support. Thanks for the question.

      Reply ↓

  11. Hi,

    Is it possible to transfer QB from my older laptop to new laptop without purchasing new license by installing QB in my new laptop then use my old laptop product key? As my current license is already fully used.

    Reply ↓

        • Hello HSau,

          So you install QuickBooks on your new computer, and use your original install codes. Then when you run the program, it will ask you to register it, and you’ll need to put in your registration info. In US versions, that is the phone number and zip code associated with your account at Intuit. If you have further trouble, you’ll probably need to get in touch with Intuit directly for assistance. Thanks for your question.

          Reply ↓

  13. We are trying to open a QBW file e-mailed to us from a company we bough. Our Quick Books intuit won’t open it. What needs to be done? We advised the other company they needed to back up their original and email it to us in QBB. Is this correct?

    Reply ↓

  15. I have a desk unit, Windows 7 Professional, and a laptop, Windows 7 Ultimate, both have QB Premier 2014 installed on each. When I backup my desk unit the backup file is sync to an online service but I am unable to restore it to my laptop – I get an error (-8000, -83).

    Reply ↓

  16. I am running 2014 Pro on two computers, one running payroll and check writing only and the other running the customer invoices, bills, etc. Is there a way we can merge these two files onto one computer?

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Jason,

      If you mean, can you merge the two files into one file, then nope, not really. There are some 3rd party tools out there to export/import information, but they tools are not cheap, and the process is not easy. Sorry.

      If, however, you mean that you want to have both files reside on one computer, then sure. Just move the one company to the other computer using the steps in this blog post.

      Thanks for the question.

      Reply ↓

  17. Is there a way to move/copy my version of QuickBooks to my new computer without the CD and product code? (I cannot locate them) Such as backing it up perhaps? If so, I would need instructions as I tried and failed. Or from originally registering online? Thank you.
    Cheryl

    Reply ↓

  18. HI Shannon, my company has 3 QB Pro 2015. I accidentally bought QB Pro 2016. Can I use the license key and product number of QB Pro 2016 to install QB Pro 2015?

    Reply ↓

  19. Hi Shannon-

    I have a question. I am on a Mac and have QB 2010 for Mac. If I buy a new computer, would I be able to install the program on my new computer if I have the disc? Thanks!

    Reply ↓

  20. Hi Shannon.
    I had a crash where I had to reinstall Windows. I was unable to make a backup using Quickbooks before the crash, but I have all of the data files. How would I restore these files to my newly rebuilt system? Can I just copy them to the data folder?

    Hardware is the same, software is the same, but it is a clean install. I am a developer, so I know the ins and outs of services, permissions, and such. Thanks for the help!

    Josh

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Josh,

      Ah, bummer. Well, you install QuickBooks on your system. That should create a folder called Intuit/QuickBooks/Company Files. You can then copy your QBW data file(s) to that folder. Run QuickBooks, open existing company, navigate to that folder. You should see your company data there. Open and use.

      Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  21. Hello Mr. Tucker,

    Can you use two computers on the same QuickBooks, once backed up on a flash drive? If someone else was working on the first computer, will the work merge or will it override the work that was done on the first computer? We have a computer that QuickBooks was installed on where someone else also does works. I used a flash drive to import the work done and put on a second computer and installed QuickBooks, we do not work at the same time, but we do need each others information in one place, if I use my flash drive to update the other computer will work be lost?

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Dori,

      You can’t merge data in QuickBooks, whether it’s on a flash drive or other kind of drive. You can only replace existing data, if it’s the same books. Sorry no real solution there. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

      • There is a solution because I do it all the time. I wirk at the office, but occasionally need to work from home. All you do is back up to flash drive or cloud, the use Restore (as shown above ) and follow the steps above. When it gets to the part where is asks Do you want to replace the company file? Type in yes. Now you have replaced it with the newest version of your company’s file which will include whatever was done in the other location. Hope that makes sense!

        Reply ↓

        • Vicky..if someone has done work on the office computer and it isn’t on your flash drive what happens when you upload the work you have done. Does this only work if no one has made any changes to the office copy?

          Reply ↓

  22. Hi Alex
    I have quick book 2011 and I need transfer the item list and customer list by importing and exporting on cd from one laptop to another laptop so can you tell me the steps please Thank you

    Reply ↓

  24. Sir , I had quick books premier 2006 i took the backup and restored it in 2009 but data is not fully transferred.only upto 2010 data is there the rest is not available in 2009

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Foorqan,

      It should convert everything in the file. If it is only retaining data to 2010, then probably you restored an old backup. I think you should make a new backup in your 2006 version and restore it in the newer version, and everything should come over. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  25. Hi Shannon, do I need to uninstall QB on an old laptop before I can use it on a new device assuming I have just 1 user license or is there a way to make the new device the primary install / ready to use without uninstalling on the old computer?

    Reply ↓

  26. Trying to install our Quickbooks 2012 sm. bus. MAC edition on a new computer. Old one crashed yesterday. Everything goes well until it asks for a validation number. Called quickbooks, they said that we need to know original person who registered it. We are the 3rd owner of this company. Told them that there was a lady named Lucy from what we hear, but that will not accept that. They want name and email address which we have no way of finding out. Are we screwed? Any advise would be appreciated.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Wendy,

      Yes, sounds like you might be out of luck. The info. they want is how they keep a handle on their licenses, to keep them from being pirated everywhere. So if you don’t know the info., they can’t legitimize your copy. And since you are using an old version that is no longer supported, that’s another strike against the situation. Sorry no magic bullet. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  27. Hi Shannon. I’m trying to restore a qb2006 backup file, but after clicking the restore button I get an error message that says the destination filename you specified is not valid. I didn’t specify a file, I just used what qb had there by default which was *. QBW. Did I miss a step? Do I need to create a new QBW file before restoring the backup? this is a fresh install on a different computer.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Jan,

      Are you trying to restore the backup file with QB 2006? If that’s the case, then I don’t think QB 2006 is going to work under a modern version of Windows, like Windows 10. You’d have to install version 2015 or 2016, and then try restoring your backup (which should upgrade your data too).

      Otherwise, if you are getting that problem under with a new version of QuickBooks, then try changing the default and giving it a full filename, like “my-company.qbw” or something. Maybe that would work. You don’t need to create a company or anything before doing the restore.

      Hope that helps. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  28. I have QB Pro 2016 on my desktop and use it as Administrator. Our new owner now wants to see QB on his laptop, we have QB downloaded on the laptop and have it all set up to go. The QB company file is located on my computer. How do i give him access to this file and still be able to have him see all the current information I put into it? I have a backup stored on the network, if he opens this will he be able to see only what I had complete at the time I saved the backup?

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Deborah,

      If he has access to your network from his laptop, he can run QuickBooks on his laptop, Open Existing Company, navigate to the folder on your network drive where you keep you company, and open the company. He would see current information, because he is opening the current, live data. You can set him up with his own username and he can log in with that username. That would be good because then you can restrict his user privileges if you don’t want him going in and making changes to the data. Hope that helps. Thanks for you question.

      Reply ↓

      • Thanks for your quick response. The QB Company File is on my c:drive. If I move it to the network will I have to change the path for both machines to find this new file?

        Reply ↓

  29. hi i bought a new computer with windows 10. the quickbooks installation file cannot even run on it. error message is “could not write run key”. is there a patch for the setup.exe file to run in windows 10 pc?

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Acemundo,

      You don’t say what version of QuickBooks you are trying to install. Only QuickBooks 2015 and higher are certified to run under Windows 10. I’m guessing you are using a version far older. No luck likely there. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

    • You just enter the codes when you install it on the new computer, and then register it on the new computer. That will effectively license it to the new computer. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  31. I lost my old system and have been trying to restore QuickBooks on the new system, all I see is the QuickBooks registration is not complete. It’s like the Software is still seeing the old system, how do I resolve this?

    Reply ↓

  35. Hi

    Will quickbooks pro 2009 operate on windows ten? Just bought a new computer and want to transfer to it. Or if I get the newest version 2017 can I transfer my 2009 info to it on the new computer?

    Reply ↓

  36. Hi,

    I have a QB2015 for MAC but now I want to use in a Windows PC. I downloaded a 2015 version in my pc but, using the license and product number, I was not able to iniciate the software. Is there a way to do it or should I buy a new package for windows?

    Thanks for your time!

    Reply ↓

  37. Greetings support team;
    I have quickbooks pro 5 installed on one xp machine but i no longer have keys and installation cds.

    Now the last time i checked we upgraded our system to quickbooks pro 9. But this was in the other branch. Now we need also to upgrade the branch from quickbooks pro 5 to pro 9. But during the restore, quickbooks pro 9 is refusing to get files from pro 5.

    What should i do. am really very desperate.

    Rob

    Reply ↓

        • On the other hand we combed our offices, and we managed to get the diskettes for pro 5. However, our challenge is that Diskette 2 and Diskette 6 are damaged. Now the program will install properly but will somewhere, ask for disk 2 files which are damaged.

          Is there a link where we can get Pro 5 or pro 6 because pro 6 will restore pro 5 without any problem.

          Kindly if possible see how i can be helped on those 3 options.

          Rob

          Reply ↓

  39. Shannon I just restored .qbb2008 version up to qb2017. I have a backup made from qb2017 premier accountant with my company license. I am needing to know when I restore this backup to another computer that he has purchased qb2017 pro wlll it change to the new license and product number. Also will I be able to restore from Premiere to Pro

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Sandy,

      No, QuickBooks licenses and sets of company data are not connected together at all. And you can restore it to either Pro or Premier, no data difference there. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  40. Hi

    i have got quickbboks on my laptop and need to give someone else access to load invoices etc and pay invoices, but I still what the same access on my laptop, so we can see the same info on both computers can this be done?

    thank you

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Dav,

      So you want to use your file in multi-user mode, with you and this other person accessing the data simultaneously? Then you need to have QB installed on the other computer, network them together, and have your data file in a public folder. You might want to get some help from your local IT pro to set that up for you. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  41. Hi I copied a file from old version of quickboooks which is installed in a different computer to a USB and when I try opening it to my laptop which has a quickbooks 2012 installed it won’t open saying that it was not updated. what can I possibly do? Are there any ways to open this? Thank you

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Rovilyn,

      Try copying the file from the USB stick to your Windows Desktop. Then open the file in QuickBooks from your Windows Desktop and see if that solves the problem. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  42. I have QuickBooks 2010 for MAC. I provided MAC to PC back up for my accountant to load onto her Quick Books 2013 PC to work on my books. She backed up changes for me to load back onto my computer but she realized I would be unable to load her 2013 PC version to my 2010 MAC. She suggested I upgrade to 2015 MAC but I was wondering if I should just upgrade to a more current version of Quick Bools for MAC instead?

    Reply ↓

  43. I’m sure you’re tired of answering questions on this old post, but in case you’re still willing to do so…I have used my product codes to download QB2016 twice, once with original desktop computer, and then with recently new/replacement desktop computer. Original desktop computer is no longer in service. Question is: can I still use my product info to download on my laptop, since technically I will only have 2 computers using software (which follows my user agreement) but will have downloaded 3 times. Does that make sense? Thanks!

    Reply ↓

  44. I am manual copying .BPW
    .lgb .ND .QBW .QBW.DSN QBW.ND QBW.TLG .rid
    company files is that equal to taking backup,is that work when moved to another computer

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Penta,

      Really all you need to move is the .QBW file. QuickBooks will recreate all the others. If you have logos or graphics or attached documents, you’ll want to copy the related folder for that too. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  45. If I have a Windows 10 laptop and Windows 7 desktop, using QB Pro 2016, can I backup/restore between the 2? Sometimes I go to the office and use the laptop; other times I like to sit at the desktop at home. I wasn’t sure if the different windows versions would mess anything up.

    Reply ↓

  46. I have client try to restore his quickbook account into his new laptop. However, the problem is his laptop died recently *hint new laptop* which I asked him if he got a chance to back up the files but he said he had no clue! He ran Quickbook between 2010 or 2014. The hard drive from his died laptop is still working so my question is can I plug the hard drive to another computer and attend to pull the files from there?! If so where would the files be by default? Also, Does Quickbook do auto backup as well?! I can’t remember. Thank you! P/s: his died laptop was running on Win 10, and he recently bought QB2017

    Reply ↓

  47. I have a thumb drive with a back up that had some entries that my accountant made that I did not realize did not get uploaded. Since I have been working on the file I want to just view the information on the thumb drive so I can see what changes she made and make them myself to get my file up to date. Is it possible to just view the information that is on a thumb drive without overwriting my file?

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Laura,

      QuickBooks files aren’t meant to be opened on thumb drives. So what I’d do would be to copy the file from the thumb drive to a temporary location — say your Windows Desktop — and maybe rename it something else just to be sure there is no confusion. Then open the file on your Desktop, get what you need from it, then delete the file from your Desktop. Thanks for your question.

      Reply ↓

  48. I currently run Quickbooks for contractors premium 2013 for windows I just purchased a mac, is it possible to download my quickbooks software to my new mac?

    thank you

    Reply ↓

  49. Can not transfer tax form history from qb pro 2016 to pro 2017

    I have bot qb pro with enhanced payroll

    All else worked

    Reply ↓

  50. Can not transfer tax form history from qb pro 2016 to pro 2017

    I have bot qb pro with enhanced payroll

    Reply ↓

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