Converting file to open in newer version

Thanks for sharing the details of your concern with us, @oldhickory. I'm here to share some information about sending an accountant's copy of your company file.

In QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), you can only send a copy of your company file if your program is in a supported version. That said, you can ask your accountant to look for a third-party app that can access an older version of your file.

You can visit our QuickBooks Desktop app center to check out a supported third-party app. Here's how:

1. Go to https://desktop.apps.com/home.
2. From the QuickBooks Compatibility section, choose the QuickBooks Desktop version you're using.
3. Type in the clue word of the specific app you're looking for.
4. Click the magnifying glass to search. 

In case you want to upgrade your company file after you switch to a new version of QBDT, you can utilize this article to know more about the benefits of the Accountant File Transfer Service (ACFT): Learn about the Accountant's File Transfer Service.

Additionally, you can check out this article to learn more about exporting lists from one company file to another: Export lists from the old company file into a new data file.

Let me know if you have any other questions while sending your company file to your accountant in QBDT. I'll be right here to help. Stay safe!

@oldhickory   Kevin is right if you intend to use the Accountant Copy feature. In that case your files must be near-current/close to what your accountant has.

However, if you just want your accountant to have a copy of your file for review, you can send him the file or a backup (a backup is probably easier) and then he can open it. As he does QuickBooks will automatically update it to his newer QB version.

Note that you won't be able to open that file again with your older version, so this is a one-way trip for the file.