Need to convert QBO to QB desktop

Hi there, TOUN-0C660E37-196E-409E-A4C3-9F5. 

I'm happy to help you start the conversion process from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Desktop. Prior to starting though, they're a few requirements you should note, including:

• You must be the Master Administrator, Company Admin, or invited accountant user of the Online account.
• You'll need to use a PC with Internet Explorer 10 (or higher).
• ActiveX is necessary to complete the export.

It's also essential to observe the differences between the two systems, and any limitation you'll see after converting. You can view these by following this link: Limitations when you convert from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Desktop.

When you've read through that info, this following link will help you start the conversion process. The steps are as follows:

Set up security settings in Internet Explorer:

1. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon and select Run as administrator.
2. Select the Tools ⚙ icon, then Internet Options.
3. Select Security, then Trusted sites.
4. Select Sites.
5. In the Add this website to the zone field, enter: *.intuit.com and *.qbo.intuit.com.
6. Make sure Require server verification (https: ) for all sites in this zone is unchecked.
7. Close the Trusted Sites window.
8. Make sure Enable Protected Mode is unchecked.
9. Select Apply, then Okay.
10.  Leave Internet Explorer open.

Set up QuickBooks Desktop for the export:

1. Right-click the QuickBooks Desktop icon and select Run as administrator. If QuickBooks Desktop isn't installed, you can download a trial to use for this process.
2. Go to File and select Close Company.
3. Leave QuickBooks Desktop open while you complete the rest of the steps.

Prepare to export your QuickBooks Online data:

1. In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings ⚙ and select Export Data.
2. Enter your reason for exporting and select Continue.
3. In the Moving to QuickBooks Desktop section, select Learn more.
   
   
    
4. In the Download company data section, select Learn more.
   
   
    
5. Select Get started.
6. Select Install ActiveX Control Now and follow the steps to install ActiveX. When it's finished, select Continue.
7. Select the data you want to export and then select Continue.
8. Review the limitations and select Continue.
9. Enter your contact info and then Continue.

You'll get an email when your data is ready to export. This usually takes a few minutes, but it may take up to 2 hours for companies with many transactions.

Finish exporting your data:

Start in QuickBooks Online. You'll need to repeat a few steps to get back to the export page.

1. In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings ⚙ and select Export Data.
2. Repeat steps 2 - 5 in "Step 3: Prepare to export your QuickBooks Online data."
3. On the Exporting from QuickBooks Online page, select Continue to download.

Now, switch over to QuickBooks Desktop.

1. In QuickBooks Desktop, make sure you're on the No Company Open screen. If you have a company open, go to File and select Close company.
2. Back in QuickBooks Online, select Download.
3. In the Save your company file window, select a location to save the file. Pick a place other than your Windows Desktop.
4. When the download finishes, select Convert Now.
5. In the Create a new QuickBooks file window, give the file a name and select a location to save it in. Pick a location on your local computer and not a network or external drive.
6. After the export is done, select Finished.

Important: It may take some time for this process to finish. Even if it looks like it's frozen, it doesn't mean the export has failed. Give it a few minutes and the progress bar will move again.

If the status bar doesn't appear to move:

Check QuickBooks Desktop for an Application Certificate.

1. In your Windows Taskbar, select the QuickBooks desktop icon to open it. The Application Certificate will appear.
2. On the Application Certificate, choose Yes, prompt each time.
3. Select Continue.
4. In the confirmation window that follows, select Done.
   
   

Verify your info exported correctly:

After you export your company, use the Profit and Loss report to make sure your books match. Run one in QuickBooks Online and compare it to the same report in QuickBooks Desktop.

Note: When comparing reports, run them in Accrual basis for them to match.

If they don’t match:

Reports often mismatch because of export limitations and the use of unsupported versions of Internet Explorer.

1. In QuickBooks Desktop, go to File and select Close company.
2. Go back to Step 4 and try to convert your file again. Sometimes converting a second time can fix this problem.
3. After it finishes, check the Profit and Loss reports again. If they still don’t match, contact us. We can help you reach out to our Data Services team to fix report discrepancies.

 (Optional) Cancel QuickBooks Online:

If you no longer need QuickBooks Online, find out how to cancel your plan.

Once this is complete you should be all set up in QuickBooks Desktop. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to reach out below. Thank you for your time and have a nice evening. 

Hi @Nick_M  - I'm also trying to convert my entire QBO company to QB Desktop Accountant but ran into an issue in following your directions. After step 3 of "Prepare to export your QuickBooks Online data" section, once I select "Learn More" under the "Moving to QuickBooks Desktop" it automatically redirects me to the following website: Move lists and balances from QuickBooks Online to ... (intuit.com). The screen you have below in step 4 doesn't come up and isn't an option. Can you please direct me to where I can download the entire company file (not just lists)? 

Also, might be relevant to note that I'm using Microsoft Edge as my browser. When I use Internet Explorer, I can login to QBO but it won't load my company QBO site. 

Thank you for joining the thread, kaplan.

You can check out the updated steps in this article: Export and convert your QuickBooks Online data to QuickBooks Desktop.

Since you'll be using the desktop version now, I'll share where you can find quick-references for it. Simply go to the main support page, choose the QuickBooks Desktop production, and click +More topics to see the articles.

If there's anything you need, feel free to reach back out. Have a good one!

Thank you @JessT , your directions worked perfectly!