Duplicate QB File and erase financial information

Good day, @sduttonusa.

I'll guide you on the best course of action we can take for your old company file to start the new one.

To retain the QuickBooks framework from the old company file, delete the transactions and profiles manually. Afterward, enter the details and info of the new company.

The other way around, instead of duplicating the QuickBooks File and deleting financial information, you can export the lists from the old file and import them to the new one to exclude the transactions.

Here's how to export via MS Excel:

1. Ensure to log in as the Admin and set up on the Single-user mode.
2. From the Edit menu, pick Preferences.
3. Select Items & Inventory, then move to the Company Preferences section.
4. Click the Inventory and Purchase Orders are Active checkbox, then select OK.

After that, set up accounts in your data file. Check out this article for more info: Import or export MS Excel files.

Additionally, you can read this article if you want to remove unused or inactive list entries in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT): Condense your QuickBooks Desktop file for import to QuickBooks Online.

If you want to learn how to back up your accounting data in QBDT, feel free to read this article: Back up your QuickBooks Desktop company file.

Leave a reply below if you have additional questions about managing your new company file in QBDT. I'll be willing to lend a hand. Keep safe, and have a good one.

@sduttonusa 

how do I delete all the financial data?

Use the Condense Data utility to remove all transactions data but CoA and Lists.

Thanks for the quick replies.  I called QB support and asked them about how to do this . . . they told me that there was no such utility, and that I would need to erase things manually. The Condense Data Utility sounds like an easy solution.

Do you have QB Desktop US version or another country version?

I have the US Desktop Accountant version

For your reference

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/data-utilities/use-condense-data-util...

Thanks.  I'll give it a try first thing next week.  I appreciate all your help.

I've erased all transactions from previous years.  I'm unable to erase current year's transactions because of payroll information.  Is there a straightforward process to purge the current year's payroll / employees (which, I'm assuming, will allow me to erase the transactions from this current year)?

I'll lend you a hand in deleting your remaining transactions for this year in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), sduttonusa.

Beforehand, did you get an error notification while trying to batch-delete your transactions? If so, it's because if you have transactions linked to employee data, those transactions can't be batch deleted. Please know that they can only be manually removed.

To manually erase employee transactions, kindly refer to the steps below:

1. Open the QBDT company file.
2. Go to the Employees menu and select Employee Center.
3. Press the Transactions tab and click each transaction type to access the data under them.
   
4. On the Date dropdown, choose All. Then, double-click each data.
5. Tap on Delete, and then hit OK to confirm the deletion.

I'll be here if you have additional questions about deleting your transactions in QuickBooks. Just leave a reply to this thread, and I'll offer assistance right away.

@sduttonusa 

Have you checked this reference?

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/data-systems/create-new-company-files...

Finally was able to try your method to delete this calendar year's transactions.  I'm still unable to delete anything . . . I'm given the message "You cannot delete a transaction that affects payroll taxes handled by Payroll Services."

I figured out how to completely delete all transactions (including the current year's payroll / taxes / employee transactions using the Condense File Utility.  I changed the date on my computer to the following year (2025).