Move licenses to new machines

Hello, yoder.161.

That's a good question. 

All you have to do is install QuickBooks on the new computer and enter the registration and product numbers. Moving or copying your data file from one computer to another requires several steps to ensure that you won't lose any company information. You can check these links that will help you with the process:

• Move your company data file from your old computer to your new computer
• Reinstall or move an installation of QuickBooks to another computer

If you need further assistance with any of the steps in the article, you can also contact our QuickBooks support. Here's where you can get our phone number: How and when can I contact Support? (USA only).

Thanks for visiting and have a nice day!

The links don't work. Can I do this for 2016 version?

The links are dead. How do I migrate licenses to new computer for Quickbooks 2016.

We are running QB 2018 with 3 stations from a server. We are changing out a computer. How do we move the license?

Good evening, @amoffice1. 

Thanks for reaching out to the Community. 

Changing out computers can be a hassle, but I'm here to make sure we get through this every step of the way with ease. 

The first thing you'll need to do is install QuickBooks 2018 on your new computer that will be replacing the old one. Once you're installing, it will require you to type in the license and product number (this will be the same as the other computers, you can retrieve the license and product number by hitting the F2 key on your keyboard). 

However, if you've already got the 2018 version installed on the new computer, but you need to update the license and product number, you can do this by following the steps below.

(Please note: If you have troubles with the next set of steps, you can contact our technical support team as they can remote into your PC and complete this for you.)

1. Hit the F2 key then F3 key on your keyboard. 

2. Click the Open File tab, then scroll to find QBREGISTRATION.DAT file and select Open File. 

3. Click File and Save as. Save the file on your desktop.

4. You'll need to scroll through the qbregistration.dat file and locate and change the license and product numbers to the correct ones. Be sure to include the dash (-) signs between the numbers with no spaces. (For security purposes I have * the numbers on my test account) 

5. Click File and Save.

6. Exit the qbregistration.dat file, also close QuickBooks. 

7. Reopen QuickBooks and hit the F2 key to see if your license and product number have changed to the correct numbers. 

For more details, check out Change a QuickBooks Desktop license number or product code. Also, if you need some help locating the company file, you can check out Open a company file located on a remote computer for steps to do this. 

That's all there is to it. Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns. I'm here to get you back to business. You can always reach out to the Community or me anytime you need assistance. Take care and enjoy your weekend! 

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Accept as solution"

This is not working

Hi there, @Aharding27.

To verify why it's not working on your end, I would recommend contacting our Support team. They have access to your accounts, and they can double-check why you can proceed with the process. You can follow the steps below on how to reach them:

1. From your QuickBooks Desktop account, click the Help menu at the top.  
2. Click the QuickBooks Desktop help 
3. Provide some information about this concern on the search box.
4. Click the Contact Us link at the bottom of the window. 
5. You'll now be provided a few support options.  
6. Select Get a call to arrange a callback from a support agent. Or Start a chat to chat with them directly.  

Here's the contact the QuickBooks Desktop Customer Support Team article for more information about this.

You can always post here if you have more questions.

@Aharding27 

Which QB Desktop year version do you have? An outdated QBD Enterprise license or else?