Thank you so much for this information.  As I said I have QB 2016 and all of its files are in OS C: Users/Public/Public Documents/Intuit/QuickBooks/Company (Windows 10 on a Dell Laptop).  I believe you cannot combine two versions in the same folder.  Can you suggest where I can put the newly created Folder (and what I should name it) for QB 2019 in OS C:?  I really do not want to have the file in My Documents.  I appreciate any time you can give to answer this.  Thank you!

The version I am opening is 2020. But it says 2017, and it will not open.

Hi phyllis111,

This message occurs when you're opening/converting a company file from a lower version of QuickBooks to a higher version. If this is what you want to do, you can do an interim conversion.

First, you'll want to convert the file to a QuickBooks version 2018 or 2019. Then, back it up, and restore the backup in QuickBooks 2020. If you can't find someone with version 2018 or 2019, you can contact our Support team to covert the file. They'll be able to help you using their tools.

If you're not doing a conversion, you can update QuickBooks to fix any damaged components that are causing this behavior. 

1. Go to the Help menu and select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Go to the Update Now tab. Tip: You can select the Reset Update checkbox to clear all previous update downloads.
3. Select Get Updates to start the download.
4. When the download finishes, restart QuickBooks.
5. When prompted, accept the option to install the new release.

Let me know if you have other questions.

I am getting this error since my file was updated with QB2020 and I need to open it with QB2018, creating a portable file gives me the same error. Help please!

@capnomo 

Did you upgrade from QBD 2018 to 2020? You can find the last backup file to restore on QBD 2018 when you upgraded to QBD 2020 last time.

Understand that but the 2018 backup is year old, can't discard a year worth of transactions! Any other ideas?

Hi, @capnomo. Let me share with you some additional information about upgrading QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) and company files.

Once you've upgraded your file from QBDT 2018 to QBDT 2020, you won't be able to open the backup file from QBDT 2020 in the original version of QuickBooks (2018) after the process. However, you can always use the old backup files before the update suggested by Fiat Lux - ASIA. Then, restore it in QBDT 2018.

If you have missing data, you can update them manually or use the WebConnect process for bank entries. 

For more information, while upgrading your QBDT files, you can check out this article: Upgrade your company files after you switch to a new version of QuickBooks Desktop.

Aside from upgrading your file, please ensure to update QuickBooks so you have the latest software release and fixes.

If you have any other questions while restoring or handling your company files, let me know by adding a comment below. I'm more than happy to help. Have a good one!

@capnomo 

Just to clarify, why would you need to open a file on an older version after a year has passed?

@Fiat Lux - ASIA fair question. My answer: last year I updated my long running QB 2018 because certain features stopped working. My company is winding down and the subscription fee is just too much. I need to go back to my QB2018 and revert my file to work with this version.

Thanks @Angelyn_T ! So your solution is to restore the old version from last year and re-enter all one year worth of transactions manually? BTW, webconnect stopped working for me in 2018, the reason I upgraded in the first place.

Thanks for reaching back out, @capnomo. Let me add some information.

Yes, the resolution is to restore the old version from last year and re-enter them manually through WebConnect . It’s the only way so your transactions become available in the program.

You might want to visit this article to learn more about company file compatibility to avoid issues and errors: Company files compatibility with QuickBooks Desktop when upgrading.

Please don’t hesitate to comment below if you have any other concerns or questions about managing your files. The Community is always here to provide you assistance. Take care!

@capnomo 

You may have 2 options:

1. If you prefer to use QBD 2018 Enterprise, you will have to migrate your data with a 3rd party tool.

https://transactionpro.grsm.io/qbd

2. If you are concerned about the subscription license, you can still purchase a one-time license for QBD 2021 Pro/Premier. You can purchase a 3rd party service to downgrade your Enterprise file. Contact us in private for details.

How could you resolve it?