How to Transfer Company File to a New Computer
Looking to transfer your Quickbooks company file to a new computer? Like most electronic devices, a computer will eventually become obsolete due to the vast, ever-changing landscape of hardware and software. So even if Quickbooks runs flawlessly on your computer now, it may not a year or two later down the road. You can overcome these technical constraints, however, by upgrading to a new computer. But whenever you upgrade to a new computer, you’ll need to transfer your Quickbooks company file to pick up where you left off.
Create a Backup of Your Company File
The very first step in restoring your company file is to create a backup of the original file. There are two different ways to create a backup of your company file, one of which is through the software’s built-in Wizard tool, and another is using the Intuit Data Protect tool online. This process is somewhat tedious, although you can find instructions on how do it by accessing Intuit’s help portal here.
Install Quickbooks on New Computer
After creating a backup of your company file, you should go ahead and install Quickbooks on your new computer. It’s important to remember that you should install the exact same version/type of Quickbooks on your new computer as on your old computer. Opting for a different version may cause compatibility problems. But these problems are easily avoided by using the same version of Quickbooks.
Transfer Backup to Your New Computer
The third step is to transfer your backup company file to your new company. This process can be performed with a USB flash drive, CD, DVD, external hard drive, or even through network file sharing (assuming the two computers are connected).
Restore the Backup File on Your New Computer
Next, restore the newly created backup file on your new computer. This is done by accessing the File menu > Open or Restore Company, at which point the wizard should appear. From here, click Restore a backup copy followed by “Next.” You can then proceed with the on-screen instructions, and when you are finished, Quickbooks should have all of the transactions and details from your old computer.
Uninstall Quickbooks from Your Old Computer
the final step is to uninstall Quickbooks from your old computer. This isn’t technically necessary for Quickbooks to work on your new computer, but there’s really no point in leaving it installed on your old computer, as it poses a security risk.