Learn how to convert a QuickBooks Desktop for Windows file to QuickBooks Desktop for Mac.
If you’re moving from QuickBooks Desktop for Windows to Mac, don’t worry. You don’t need to start over. We’ll show you how to convert your company file to Mac and pick up where you left off. Here’s how.
Note: You can only move company files from QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier or Premier Accountant Editions.
Step 1: On your Windows computer
- Update QuickBooks for Desktop for Windows to the latest release.
- Open the file as the administrator.
- Go to the File menu, then select Utilities. Select Copy Company File for QuickBooks Mac, then follow the onscreen instructions. QuickBooks will create a MAC.qbb (backup) file.
- You’ll see a message that says "It looks like ‘QuickBooks for Windows’ might be a better fit for your company," Make sure to check what data isn’t converted from Windows. If you want to continue, select Yes.
- Go to the folder you want to save the file in. Name the file, and select Save. Make sure to not use special characters in the file name.
- Move the file to your Mac by using any storage device such as USB flash drive, etc.
Step 2: Restore the MAC.qbb backup on your Mac
A MAC.qbb file is a copy of a QuickBooks Desktop company file that you can restore in QuickBooks for Mac. Here’s how:
- Update QuickBooks Desktop for Mac to the latest release.
- Close QuickBooks.
- Copy the backup to the Documents folder on your Mac.
- Reopen QuickBooks Desktop for Mac, then select File, then select Open Company.
- Select the MAC.qbb file, then select Open.
- Select OK when asked if you want to restore a QuickBooks for Windows file.
- Enter a name for the restored file, and then select Save.
Data that's converted to QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
- 1099 categories
- Account list (chart of accounts)
- Admin password
- All list reports
- Audit trail
- Budgets
- Classes
- Contacts data
- Custom field definitions
- Customer list
- Customer message list
- Customer type list
- Employee list (notes will not be converted)
- History of QuickBooks versions used with the data file
- Income and expense tracking by class (available in QuickBooks for Mac using Profit & Loss by Class reports)
- Item list
- Job costing data (available in QuickBooks Desktop Mac using Job Profitability reports)
- Job types list
- Links between pay items and other items
- Memorized transactions
- Multiple estimates per job
- Notes
- Other names list (without notes)
- Payment method list
- Payment terms list
- Vendor list (notes will not be converted)
- Shipping via list
- Vendor type list
- To do list (alerts will not be converted)
- Preferences
- Company name and address
- Which features are enabled
- Reconcile
- Reminders (alerts will not be converted)
- Shipping via list
- Time and activity records
- To do list (alerts will not be converted)
- Transaction statistics
- Transactions and their links:
- Bills
- Deposits
- Invoices
- Payments
- Transfers
- Vehicle list
- Vendor list (notes will not be converted)
- Vendor type list
Data that isn’t converted from Windows to QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Important: QuickBooks for Mac doesn’t support multiple currencies. Because accounts and balances are affected by the multiple and home currency settings, these settings can’t be changed in QuickBooks for Windows once they’ve been set. If you’ve used multiple currencies in your Windows company file, you’re not able to convert your data to QuickBooks for Mac.
Some features and data won’t be converted from Windows to Mac, including (but not limited to) the following:
- Any data if you have used multiple currency in QuickBooks for Windows.
- Intuit integrated payroll and payroll list items
- Online banking transactions that have not been accepted into a register (transactions that have been accepted will appear as payments, deposits, and transfers with associated links)
- Online banking aliases
- Customized settings for forms like invoices, estimates, statements, and purchase orders (forms can be customized in QuickBooks for Mac)
- Multiuser data, such as usernames
- User passwords (QuickBooks for Mac supports administrator password)
- Memorized reports
- Business planning, expert analysis, and business optimization tools
- Customized price levels
- Integration with third party applications, including Microsoft Word, Outlook, and ACT
- Merchant account services (you’ll need to set this up again in QuickBooks for Mac)
- Sales order and back order tracking (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Assembly items (available only in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows) will be converted into non-inventory part items
- Budgets created without an associated account
- Transaction type “EFP payroll” (will convert into a payroll liability check)
- Workers comp list
- Fixed asset item list
- Multiple “ship to” addresses, Preferred Send method, and payment information for Customer:Jobs
- User-added columns to lists
Unsupported reports
The following reports are not supported by QuickBooks Desktop for Mac. If you’d still like to use them, you can create most of these reports using the customization, filtering, and memorization features in QuickBooks for Mac.
- Profit & Loss Unclassified
- Open Purchase Orders by Job
- Sales Tax Revenue Summary
- Pending Builds
- Income Tax Preparation
- Profit & Loss Budget Performance
- Fixed Asset Listing
- Voided/Deleted Transactions (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Voided/Deleted Transactions History (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Closing Date Exception (available only in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Open Sales Orders by Customers (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Open Sales Orders by Item (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Adjusted Trial Balance (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Adjusting Journal Entries (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Forecast Overview (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- Forecast vs. Actual (available in Premier versions of QuickBooks for Windows)
- All payroll and workers comp reports
Unsupported report filters
The following report filters are not supported by QuickBooks for Mac. The balances of memorized reports that were created using these filters won’t match balances in the original data file.
- Name Email
- Paid Thru
- Sales Tax Code
- Template
- Online Status
- Printed Status
- Voided
- Workers Comp Code
- Is Adjustment
