Excerpt:
This article provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to help you transfer your QuickBooks data seamlessly from an old computer to a new one. It covers methods like creating backups, using the Migrator Tool, and manually restoring files. Whether you’re upgrading your system or solving performance issues, this guide ensures you can transfer your QuickBooks company files without data loss, saving time and effort for your business’s continued operations.
Add As A PreferredLast updated: 23 Oct, 2026. Reviewed by Rajat, eBetterBooks Technical Content Manager.
To transfer a QuickBooks Desktop license to a new computer, install the same QuickBooks version on the new PC and register it with your license and product numbers. Move the company file with the Migrator Tool or by backup and restore. Back up first, and leave the old PC untouched until the new one opens your file.
Old PC already dead, or short on time? Call 1-802-778-9005 or send the details with the no-login form on this page: your QuickBooks version, whether the old PC still starts, one PC or a network, and any message on screen, word for word. Support hours: Monday through Friday, 24 hours a day.
Flowchart to transfer a QuickBooks Desktop license to a new computer: Migrator Tool, manual move, or the dead old PC route
Yes. A QuickBooks Desktop license moves with you: install the same version on the new computer and register it with the same license and product numbers. The company file moves separately, by backup and restore, or together with the program when the Migrator Tool fits your setup. Have both numbers ready before you start.
In this guide, the old PC is the computer you are replacing and the new PC is the one you are moving to. The version is the QuickBooks year and edition shown when you press F2, for example Pro Plus 2024.
| Item | How it reaches the new PC |
|---|---|
| License | You register the new install with the same license and product numbers. |
| QuickBooks program | You download and install the same version, or the Migrator Tool moves it. |
| Company file | Backup and restore, or the Migrator Tool (up to three recently opened files). |
| Payroll, payments, online banking | You sign in to each service again. |
| Intuit Data Protect and multi-user setup | You set them up again on the new PC. |
No. Intuit’s current move steps for Windows have no deactivation step: you register on the new PC and uninstall the old copy once you no longer need it. Deactivating or uninstalling first, as some guides advise, can leave you with no working copy if the move stalls.
On the old PC, open QuickBooks and press F2 (or Ctrl + 1).
Write down the license number, the product number, the version, and the company file location under File Information.
You see: the Product Information window with both numbers.
Product Information window opened with F2, with the product number, license number and file location highlighted
If QuickBooks will not open: check your purchase email (and Spam), your Intuit account under Products and Services, or the QuickBooks license errors guide.
If anything is missing: stop and send the details with the no-login form on this page. Do not start the move without the numbers.
This guide covers Windows. On a Mac, release the license on the old Mac through QuickBooks, Manage My License, Deauthorize This Computer, then register on the new Mac. If a provider hosts QuickBooks on its own server, ask the provider.
This guide gives you one path to a working, registered QuickBooks on the new PC: a method choice in four checks, the Migrator Tool steps with the five things it leaves behind, a manual route for any version, a dead-PC route, and an after-move check. Each section is complete on its own, so start at the one that fits.
Use the Migrator Tool if the old PC works, you run a US QuickBooks Desktop 2018 or newer on one PC, you are the Admin user, and the new PC runs an updated Windows 11 and is online. Use the manual method for every other case. If the old PC is dead, start with the dead-PC route.
On the old PC, open QuickBooks and press F2 (or Ctrl + 1).
You see: the Product Information window with your version, such as Premier Plus 2023.
Note whether other computers open the same company file (a multi-user setup), whether you are the Admin user (the main login that can set up users), and whether the new PC runs an updated Windows 11 or later and is online.
If QuickBooks will not open on the old PC: use the dead-PC route, or send the details with the no-login form on this page.
Rules for the US edition, checked on October 22, 2026. They can change.
| Your situation | Method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Old PC works, US 2018 or newer, one PC, Admin user, new PC on updated Windows 11 and online | Migrator Tool | It moves QuickBooks and up to three recently opened company files in one pass. |
| Version older than 2018 | Manual method | The tool supports 2018 or newer only. |
| Several PCs share the file, or it sits on a server | Use the form before you start | The tool does not copy a multi-user setup. |
| You are not the Admin user | Manual method, or ask the Admin user | The tool needs Admin access. |
| New PC runs Windows 10 | Manual method | The tool asks for Windows 11 or later. |
| 64-bit company file, 32-bit new PC | Stop and use the form | 64-bit files move only between 64-bit systems. |
| The Migrator Tool failed twice | Manual method | Backup and restore fits any version. |
| Old PC dead, or QuickBooks will not open | Dead-PC route | Nothing can run on the old PC. |
Does any other PC open the file? If yes, use the form before you start, or call 1-802-778-9005. If no, the first table row that fits your case names your method.
To use the QuickBooks Migrator Tool, open QuickBooks on the old PC, select File, Utilities, Move QuickBooks to another computer, then I’m Ready, create a one-time password, and choose a USB drive. On the new PC, open the drive, double-click Move_QuickBooks.bat, enter the password, select Let’s go, then register.
This fits US QuickBooks Desktop 2018 or newer on one PC, run by the Admin user (the main login that can set up users), with the new PC online on an updated Windows 11 or later. 64-bit files move only between 64-bit systems. Have your license and product numbers ready.
The tool leaves five things for you to redo by hand: the multi-user setup, payroll and payment sign-in, files not opened recently, manual backups, and Intuit Data Protect.
Two lists: what the Migrator Tool copies and the five things you redo by hand
Do this on the old PC, in QuickBooks, as the Admin user, before you start the tool.
You see: a confirmation message, and a backup file that ends in .qbb. If the backup fails, try once more with a different folder. If it fails again, stop and send the details with the no-login form on this page.
File menu with Back up Company and Create Local Backup highlighted, then the backup windows in order
The tool copies only up to the last three company files opened on this PC. Open the files you need most, one after another.
Open File, hover over Utilities, and select Move QuickBooks to another computer.
If the item is missing: this can mean your version is older than 2018 or you are not signed in as the Admin user. Use the manual method.
Select I’m Ready, then create a one-time password. Write it down. You type it once, on the new PC.
Plug in the USB flash drive, choose it when asked, and wait for the files to copy.
You see: the tool reports the space it needs, then copies the files. If the drive is too small, use a larger one.
Plug the drive into the new PC. Nothing opens by itself, because Windows security settings stop the tool from starting on its own.
Open the drive in File Explorer and double-click Move_QuickBooks.bat.
If it will not open: update Windows on the new PC and double-click it again.
Type the one-time password exactly as you created it, then select Let’s go.
The time depends on the PC, the internet speed, and the size of your files. When it finishes, the tool removes its files from the USB drive.
You see: QuickBooks on the new PC.
New PC steps: open the USB drive, double-click Move_QuickBooks.bat, type the password and select Let’s go, with a note on a misnamed file
QuickBooks must be registered again after a move to another computer, so do this even if nothing prompts you.
Open QuickBooks and your company file, then open Help.
If Activate QuickBooks Desktop, Activate QuickBooks or Register QuickBooks shows, select it (after Activate QuickBooks, select Begin Registration). Sign in to the Intuit account that holds the license, or create one, and follow the prompts. If none of these shows and you have not registered on this PC, stop and use the form.
If registration fails twice: stop and use the form. For an unregistered-users message, see the unregistered users guide.
On the old PC, press F2 and read the file location under File Information, then close QuickBooks. In File Explorer, right-click each company file you moved, select Rename, and add old to the end of the name, so nobody opens the wrong copy later.
You see: the company file opens on the new PC with your latest work, F2 shows the same license and product numbers as the old PC, and Help usually no longer offers to activate or register QuickBooks. Keep the old PC as it is until the after-move checks pass.
If it fails: note the exact message and try once more. If it fails again, stop and move QuickBooks manually: back up, install the same version, register, then File, Open or Restore Company, Restore a backup copy.
When the QuickBooks Migrator Tool is not working, check its conditions, update Windows on the new PC, and run it once more. If it fails a second time, stop and move QuickBooks manually instead. A successful run leaves your files on the old PC, so keep the old PC as it is and check your latest backup before you retry.
Write down any message on screen, word for word. Keep your backup. If you have none, make one on the old PC now: File, Switch to Single-user Mode, then File, Back up Company, Create Local Backup, Local Backup, Next, Browse, OK, Save it now, Next. When you finish, if other people share this file, select File, Switch to Multi-user Mode.
| What happens | Next move |
|---|---|
| Move QuickBooks to another computer is missing from Utilities | This can mean a version older than 2018, or not the Admin user. Move QuickBooks manually. |
| The batch file does nothing, or Windows cannot find it | Update Windows on the new PC, restart, and double-click it once more. |
| The file shows as Move_QuickBooks with no ending, or as an .exe | Create the drive again. This counts as your retry. |
| The password is rejected | Type it once more, with the same capital letters. If it is rejected again, move QuickBooks manually. |
| The download or install stage stalls, or setup fails | Check the internet and run the batch file once more. If it stalls again, move QuickBooks manually. |
| A message users report, such as “migration failed unexpectedly” or “Failed” | See QuickBooks migration failed unexpectedly for the causes, the one retry and the stopping rule. |
| The tool stops on a 32-bit PC | Stop retrying the tool. Move to a 64-bit PC, or send the details with the no-login form on this page if none is available. |
Users report the batch file showing with no ending, or as an .exe. Do not rename it. On the old PC, open File, Utilities, Move QuickBooks to another computer, and select I’m Ready.
Create a new one-time password, write it down, and choose the USB drive.
You see: a file named Move_QuickBooks.bat on the drive.
Move QuickBooks manually instead. In short: back up on the old PC (File, Back up Company, Create Local Backup), download and install the same version from Intuit’s Downloads & Updates page with your license and product numbers, register through Help, then restore with File, Open or Restore Company, Restore a backup copy, under a unique name.
You see: the company file opens on the new PC.
If it fails twice: stop and move QuickBooks manually, or use the form, or call 1-802-778-9005. For every failure message, see QuickBooks migration failed unexpectedly.
To move QuickBooks Desktop manually, back up the company file on the old PC and copy the backup to a USB or external drive. On the new PC, download and install the same version, register it with your license and product numbers, and restore the backup under a new name. Uninstall the old copy last.
This fits any version and any case the Migrator Tool does not fit. If other PCs open the company file or it sits on a server, send the details with the no-login form on this page first. Intuit’s current move steps for Windows have no deactivation step, so nothing is needed on the old PC before the move beyond the backup.
Do this on the old PC, in QuickBooks, as the Admin user (the main login that can set up users).
You see: a confirmation message, and a backup file that ends in .qbb. If the backup fails, try once more with a different folder. If it fails again, stop and use the form.
Copy the .qbb file to a USB flash drive or external drive, or across a shared network. Keep the original on the old PC.
You see: the .qbb file on the drive.
Open Intuit’s Downloads & Updates page. Choose your country, product, and version, then select Search and Download. Pick the version F2 showed on the old PC, not a newer one. No disc is needed.
Run the installer and enter your license and product numbers when asked. If several PCs share one license, use the same numbers as the other PCs.
You see: setup completes and QuickBooks opens.
Download page selectors: country, product and version, then Search and Download
QuickBooks must be registered again after a move to another computer.
Open QuickBooks, then open Help.
If Activate QuickBooks Desktop, Activate QuickBooks or Register QuickBooks shows, select it (after Activate QuickBooks, select Begin Registration). Sign in to the Intuit account that holds the license, or create one, and follow the prompts. If none of these shows and you have not registered on this PC, stop and use the form.
If registration fails twice: stop and use the form. For an unregistered-users message, see the unregistered users guide.
Copy the .qbb file from the drive to a folder on the new PC. Leave the copy on the drive as it is.
Open File, select Open or Restore Company, then Restore a backup copy, then Next.
Select Local Backup, then Next, and pick your .qbb file.
Give the restored file a name no other company file in that folder uses. Never restore over a file with the same name.
You see: your company file opens on the new PC.
Restore path: File, Open or Restore Company, Restore a backup copy, Local Backup, then the .qbb file saved under a new name
You see: the restored file opens on the new PC with your latest work, and Help usually no longer offers to activate or register QuickBooks.
If it fails: try the failing step once more. If it fails again, stop and use the form. For restore problems, see restore a QuickBooks backup. Do not uninstall anything on the old PC.
If the old computer is dead, the license can be recovered without it: find your numbers in your purchase email or Intuit account, then install and register on the new PC. The company file has to come from a backup, a copied file, or Intuit Data Protect. If none exists, stop before anyone touches the old drive.
Do not experiment on the only copy of anything. At any step that fails twice, stop and send the details with the no-login form on this page.
Search for the QuickBooks purchase confirmation. Look in Spam too.
Sign in to your Intuit account and open Products and Services.
On a retail box, the numbers sit on a label next to the UPC code. If the product was registered before, the License Look Up Tool can find them.
You see: a license number and a product number. If none of these works, stop and use the form.
On Intuit’s Downloads & Updates page, choose your country, product, and version, then select Search and Download. Install with your numbers.
Open Help. If Activate QuickBooks Desktop, Activate QuickBooks or Register QuickBooks shows, select it (after Activate QuickBooks, select Begin Registration), sign in to your Intuit account, and follow the prompts. If none of these shows and you have not registered on this PC, stop and use the form.
If the product code is rejected, or QuickBooks says it is in use on another computer: contact Intuit Desktop Support for a validation code. In QuickBooks, open Help, select QuickBooks Desktop Help, then Contact Us.
If your version is discontinued: it can be registered again only if it was registered before; Intuit can give a validation code.
Check USB drives, external drives, and cloud folders for a backup ending in .qbb, or a copied company file ending in .qbw.
If you used Intuit Data Protect, sign in to it on the new PC and restore from there.
If the old drive works when connected to another PC, copy the whole company file folder from it. If it does not read, stop and use the form.
Work from a copy, never from your only original.
.qbb backup: copy it to the new PC, then select File, Open or Restore Company, Restore a backup copy, Next, Local Backup, Next, pick the .qbb file, and save it under a unique name..qbw file or folder: copy the whole folder to the new PC, then select File, Open or Restore Company, Open a company file, Next, and pick the .qbw file in that folder. If the wizard shows different options, stop and use the form.You see: your company file opens on the new PC, and Help usually no longer offers to activate or register QuickBooks.
If it fails, or nothing was found: call 1-802-778-9005 or use the form, and say whether a backup or Intuit Data Protect exists.
After moving QuickBooks Desktop to a new computer, confirm the company file is the latest one, sign in again to payroll, online banking and payments, set up Intuit Data Protect, make a fresh backup, install updates, and move any files left behind. Retire the old copy only after all of that works.
Six after-move checks: file, service sign-ins, Data Protect, backup, updates, old files
Open the company file on the new PC, press F2, and read the location under File Information.
Open your most recent transactions and confirm the last entries made on the old PC are there.
If entries are missing: you may have opened an older copy. If you cannot tell which file is current, send the details with the no-login form on this page.
On the new PC, as the Admin user (the main login that can set up users): File, Switch to Single-user Mode, then File, Back up Company, Create Local Backup, Local Backup, Next, Browse, OK, Save it now, Next. You see a file ending in .qbb. See the backup guide for schedules. When you finish, if other people share this file, select File, Switch to Multi-user Mode.
You see: all six checks pass. If one fails twice: stop and use the form.
Transferring a QuickBooks Desktop license to a new owner is an ownership change, not a computer move, and it goes through Intuit. Users report a request through the Intuit account, an email reply, and for a business sale, signed paperwork and a bill of sale. Some requests were slow or refused, so confirm current rules with Intuit first.
If the same business keeps the license and only the PC changes, use the Migrator Tool or the manual method instead.
In QuickBooks, open Help, select QuickBooks Desktop Help, then Contact Us. Ask what Intuit needs for your case: a business sale, a donation, or a registration in the wrong name.
Keep the current install and company file as they are until Intuit confirms the transfer.
If Intuit’s answer is unclear: send the details with the no-login form on this page.
Ask an expert when any item in the list below is true, or after two failed attempts at any step. These are the cases where a retry can cost data, time, or a payroll run, so stop there and hand over the facts instead of trying a third time on your own.
Note your QuickBooks version (F2), whether the old PC starts, how many PCs open the file, whether a backup exists, whether payroll is live, and any message, word for word.
Get help moving QuickBooks Desktop. Call 1-802-778-9005 or send the details with the no-login form on this page. Do not send passwords or license numbers in the first message. Support hours: Monday through Friday, 24 hours a day. Specialists use a secure, industry-standard remote desktop application to diagnose and work on the problem directly on your computer. Never share passwords during a remote session, and close the remote tool when the work is done.
Allow remote access only to a provider you contacted yourself. A caller who phones you first to offer a QuickBooks move is not part of this process. More install help is on the QuickBooks Desktop installation support page.
Users most often ask about keeping the old PC, canceling, old installers, Windows 10, file counts, add-on files, payroll, upgrades, servers and the USB drive. Each answer ends with a question that narrows your case. If yours does not fit, send the details with the no-login form on this page and include your version.
Yes, until the new PC opens your company file and is registered. That copy is your fallback if the move stalls. Do not keep working in both, because each PC would then hold different entries. Once the new PC checks out, rename the old file and uninstall later.
To narrow it down: do several PCs share one license? If yes, the new PC uses the same numbers, and each PC that opens the file needs its own user license, so use the form if you are adding a PC. If no, retire the old copy after the checks.
No. Canceling a subscription is a billing change, not a step in moving QuickBooks. On Windows, you register the new PC with the same numbers and uninstall the old copy when you no longer need it. Canceling first can leave you without an active plan when the new PC asks you to register.
Your answer decides the next step: do you want to stop using QuickBooks Desktop? If yes, treat that as a separate job and back up first. If no, leave the subscription alone and register on the new PC.
A fresh download is the simplest route, so the installer is current. On Intuit’s Downloads & Updates page, choose your country, product, and the same version year, then run the new installer and enter your license and product numbers. No disc is needed for the move.
Before you download: does the page list your exact version? If yes, download that version, not a newer one. If no, use the form first, because a discontinued version may need a validation code from Intuit.
Not with the Migrator Tool, which asks for an updated Windows 11 or later. The manual method can still work. QuickBooks Desktop 2024 installs on Windows 10 but does not list it as supported, and Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025.
To narrow it down: can the new PC run 64-bit Windows 11? If yes, update it first and the Migrator Tool becomes an option. If no, plan the manual method and check that your version supports that PC.
Not with the Migrator Tool alone. It copies QuickBooks plus up to the last three company files opened on the old PC, and sample files count toward that limit. Files not opened recently stay behind. Move the rest by backup and restore, or from Intuit Data Protect.
Before you start the tool: do you keep more than three company files? If yes, open the three you need most just before you run the tool, and move the rest by backup and restore. If no, open each one once.
With the Migrator Tool, yes: it copies add-on data such as Loan Manager and Cash Flow Projector, plus letters and printer settings. A manual restore does not put these add-on files back in place, so you copy them by hand from the Restored_ folder that the restore creates for your company.
To narrow it down: are you moving manually? If yes, copy the add-on files from that folder after the restore, and use the form if you cannot tell where one belongs. If no, check them on the new PC after the Migrator Tool finishes.
Partly. The Migrator Tool does not copy the payroll and payment service setup, and after any move you sign in to those services again on the new PC. Payroll users also download the latest payroll tax table after the restore. Have the payroll sign-in ready before you start.
Your answer decides the next step: is a payroll run due before the new PC is checked? If yes, use the form before you start, so the move does not hold up pay. If no, move now and finish the payroll sign-in before the next run.
Keep the two jobs apart. Move the version you own first, because your license and product numbers match that version and both methods expect the same version on both PCs. Once the new PC opens your file and is registered, upgrading is a separate job with its own backup and company file update.
To narrow it down: does QuickBooks on the old PC already offer an upgrade? If yes, finish the move first, then follow the QuickBooks Desktop upgrade guide. If no, finish the move; no upgrade step is needed, so install updates on the new PC.
Only in part. Each PC that runs QuickBooks still registers with the license and product numbers, but the Migrator Tool does not copy a multi-user setup, so the network setup is done again, and each PC that opens the file needs its own user license. Use the form before any server move.
Before you plan it: will the new server also run QuickBooks for users? If yes, list each PC and the server, and send that list with the form. If no, make a backup of the company file first, then use the form for the network setup.
The USB drive holds a copy of your company data while the move runs. When the Migrator Tool finishes, it removes its files from the drive, and your data stays on the old PC. A drive that holds a manual backup still has that copy, so treat the drive as private.
Before you reuse the drive: does the new PC open your file? If yes, keep the backup until the after-move checks pass, then store the drive somewhere locked. If no, keep the drive and its files untouched and use the form.