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Delete your data and start over in QuickBooks Online

by Intuit•221• Updated 3 months ago

Learn how to delete your data in QuickBooks Online and start over with new books.

Sometimes you need to start fresh with a new QuickBooks Online company. If you're a new customer, you can purge your data and start over. If you've used QuickBooks for a while, you need to create a new company.

For a better experience, open this article in QuickBooks Online. Launch side-by-side view Open this link in a new window

Start over in QuickBooks Online

Before you get started:

  • Make sure you're signed in to QuickBooks Online as an admin.
  • These steps help you delete the data for one QuickBooks Online company. If you need to delete all or some of your Intuit data, find out more about managing data or check out our privacy center.
  • Data imported from QuickBooks Time will also be purged during this process.
  • To reuse your current lists after starting over, find out more about moving your lists to a new company.
  • If you have QuickBooks Online Accountant, don't use these steps. Instead, import a blank QuickBooks Desktop file to start over.

Your next steps depend on your subscription level, and whether you've been using QuickBooks for longer than 60 days.

Tip: If you’re not sure how old your company is, sign in to QuickBooks Online. Then, refresh this page for personalized steps.

You'll need to cancel your current QuickBooks Online company and start a new one.

Step 1: Cancel your current company

Follow these steps to cancel your account. If you have payroll, cancel your payroll subscription too.

Note: When you cancel QuickBooks, it doesn't delete your data. You'll have read-only access to your company data for one year. To permanently delete your canceled company, find out more about how to manage your personal data from your Intuit Account.

Step 2: Start a new company

  1. Sign up for QuickBooks Online.
  2. Enter your user ID and password. You can use the same user ID and password as before.
  3. Optional: If your previous company had payroll, make sure to add Payroll in Step 2 of the sign-up process.

Step 1: Make sure your company is ready

Be careful: Before you start, be absolutely sure you want to delete everything. Watch out for the following:

  • If you have banks or third-party apps connected, purging your company can permanently damage these connections.
  • This process doesn't cancel your QuickBooks or Payroll subscriptions. However, it completely clears out your books. You'll need to re-enter any employee or historical info you want to keep.
  • These next steps are only for QuickBooks Essentials, Plus, and Advanced. If you have QuickBooks Simple Start, follow the steps for companies over 60 days old.

Step 2: Delete your company data

  1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account.
  2. Important: You'll need to sign in as an admin. If you're already signed in, make sure it's the company you want to purge.
  3. Once you're signed in, open this link. Alternatively, you can go to the following web address:
    • https://app.qbo.intuit.com/app/purgecompany
  4. To confirm you want to delete your company data, enter Yes, then select OK.
  5. Select your industry from the ▼ dropdown.
  6. Select Create accounts based on my industry. This helps QuickBooks set up your chart of accounts after your data is wiped. Don't select Create an empty chart of accounts unless you've checked with your accountant first.
  7. Select Wipe data.

Once the process is finished, you can start your books from scratch.

QuickBooks Online AdvancedQuickBooks Online EssentialsQuickBooks Online PlusQuickBooks Online Simple Start

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