Move files to QuickBooks Online with the Accountant Batch Migration Tool

Learn how to move your clients’ QuickBooks Desktop company file to QuickBooks Online using the Accountant Batch Migration tool. 

The Accountant Batch Migration tool has step-by-step instructions to help you move up to 50 of your clients’ company files to QuickBooks Online. 

You can use this tool if:

• You have QuickBooks Desktop Accountant versions 2021-2024.
• Your clients’ files are QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, or QuickBooks Desktop for Mac company files. QuickBooks Enterprise company files aren't supported.
• Your client has up to 50 employees on QuickBooks Payroll. If they have more, you'll need to contact support for additional help.
• Your clients’ files have no more than 750,000 targets and are 5 GB or smaller. You can press F2 (or Ctrl+1) on your keyboard to check.
• The Desktop company files you want to move are locally stored and not in hosted environments. Migrating companies with existing QuickBooks Payroll data must be completed with a locally installed version of QuickBooks Desktop Accountant.
  • Migrations for companies with existing QuickBooks Payroll data that are completed with a QuickBooks Desktop Accountant version installed in a hosted environment may not be successful in all cases. Note: You may see notifications indicating otherwise.
• The QuickBooks Online companies you'll move client files into don't have existing payroll data (paychecks and tax data). If they do, you’ll need to contact support for additional help.

If you need help from an expert with the move, visit the How to Migrate page to contact our accountant experts or contact support for additional help.

Step 1: Make sure your client's files are ready to move to QuickBooks Online

• Make sure your QuickBooks is up-to-date.
• Make sure you can sign in as the Primary admin (All access) to your client’s file. 
• Review the pre-migration checklist to confirm the company file is ready to be moved to QuickBooks Online.   
• If the company file has attached services, such as payments, make sure your QuickBooks Online account admin has admin access on the QuickBooks Desktop Intuit Account. Check out Move your QuickBooks Desktop Payments to QuickBooks Online to learn more.

Step 2: Convert your Desktop Company file to a QuickBooks Migration (.QM) file

Note: You have 60 days from the time you create your QuickBooks Online account to move your data. 

1. Sign into your client’s file as the company file admin (all access).
2. Go to Company.
3. Select Migrate multiple company files to QuickBooks Online.
   1. If the company file is missing owner email address, you’ll be prompted to enter it.
4. Go through the instructions in  Migrate multiple company files 
5. Select Save as QM file then select the desktop location where you want to save the file
6. Select Save.
   1. Once the file is saved, you can select to save another company file as a .QM file. You’ll need to sign in as the company file admin for each file you select.
7. After you save all the .QM files, select Open Batch Migration Tool. The tool will open up in an external browser to start the migration process

Step 3: Move your QuickBooks Desktop file to QuickBooks Online

Note: Each of your Desktop files must be matched to an online company file to move forward. If your QM file can't be matched to an online company file, you can map it to one manually. If your QuickBooks Online company has existing account data, you'll need to give consent to replace it.

1. Open the Accountant Batch Migration Tool, and make sure all of the prerequisite criteria are met
2. You can view the demo or contact us in case you need any assistance 
3. Sign in as an admin to the QuickBooks Online Accountant account.
   • Note: You must be able to sign in to QuickBooks Online as the Admin to your QuickBooks Online Accountant account to move your QuickBooks desktop files. If you don’t have Admin access, you’ll be prompted to sign in as the admin or sign up for a new QuickBooks Online Accountant account.
4. Upload your saved .QM file to the tool in the upload screen. You can upload one or multiple files at the same time. Files that aren’t QM files (.QBW, .QBB) will fail to upload.
5. Once all the QM files are uploaded successfully, you can continue to move the files to QuickBooks Online.
6. In the map file screen, all your uploaded QM files will be automatically matched to QuickBooks Online companies based on the company name. The mapped company file will show the name & last 4 digits of the company ID.
7. Select Migrate to start the migration process for all the mapped company files. A migration status email will be sent to you and the primary admin of each company file.

Step 4: Get ready to use QuickBooks Online

Check out What to do after converting from QuickBooks Desktop for Windows or Mac to QuickBooks Online.

1. Check for migration status emails for each migrated company file.
2. Verify and ensure all applicable data has been migrated correctly. You can use the post-migration checklist for your reference.

If migration fails, go through the resources provided in the email or contact QuickBooks Desktop support for further assistance.