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GraceC
QuickBooks Team

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Hello there, @RWAdministrator.

 

You'll want to use our QuickBooks Online (QBO) test drive to get in touch with our support team.

 

Here's how to request a callback:

  1. Click on the Help icon.
  2. Select Contact Us.
  3. Enter a topic and click on Let's talk.
  4. Select Get a callback.

You can also use the Message an agent option (it's like chat support). The last one is by posting the details of your questions in the comment section below. We will gladly help you. 

 

Also, they are available from 6 AM to 3 PM every Saturday and 6 AM to 6 PM, Monday-Friday.

 

In case you want to learn more about navigating your QuickBooks Online (QBO) account, visit our Help articles page for reference.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to comment below. We're always here to help you.

Scorcap consulting
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Obviously this is a huge problem and it looks like QuickBooks refuses to do anything about it.  What’s a true way to get this done?   Microsoft doesn’t even support windows 7 anymore.  It’s time for QuickBooks to update.  This should be an easy transfer since it’s your own product from qbo to desktop.  Your making a lot of proadvisors and business owners mad since this isn’t a streamlined process. 

Angelyn_T
QuickBooks Team

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Hello, @Scorcap consulting.

 

The steps provided above are the ways to transfer QuickBooks Online (QBO) data to QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT). As mentioned by IamjuViel, you have to export and convert the QBO data to QBDT. 

 

For your detailed guide, check out this article: Export and convert your QuickBooks Online data to QuickBooks Desktop.

 

I also encourage reaching out to our Support Team. This way, they'll be able to check the setup or your PC and be able to help you transfer the data successfully.

 

To contact support:

 

  1. Tap on Contact us from the Help menu.
  2. Type in a short description of your concern under the What can we help you with? window, then click on Let's talk.
  3. Choose a way to connect with support.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm always here to help however I can. Have a good day!

BST_VA
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

AnnaS - after all the other comments about this disappearing gear issue, yours was the only solution that actually worked!

 

Thank you so much.  I have spent probably 5 hours trying to get this done.

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Level 15

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

If you hit the wall and no time to self convert your QBO data to QBD, there are 2 options:

1. Utilize the migration tools (i.e exporter for QBO and importer for QBD)

https://transactionpro.grsm.io/qbo

https://partners.saasant.com/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=5051_2

 

2. Purchasing a 3rd party conversion service. I noticed the cost is $450 with 2 working days. 

BDMcGrew
Level 2

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Like everyone else here I am trying to move QBO to QBDT and @Scorcap consulting is correct, the support being offered here in the forums seems worthless at best.  The most irritating being there are multiple instances of support saying Internet Explorer is no longer supported followed by a reference to this page Export and convert your QuickBooks Online data to QuickBooks Desktop which states on the first line in step 1, Internet Explorer in admin mode.  So which is it, use IE or not supported - it can't be both?!?!

 

I have tried with Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge on Windows, Mac and Linux as recently as an hour ago and I get the same "Internet Explorer is required error" on all the platforms.  Yet, running IE 11.592.18362.0 yields the same gear disappearing behavior others are having.  I have tried admin/non-admin, resizing the display and even scaling to ensure it's not a drawing issue, all to no avail. 

 

@qbo Support, it's time to step up and give us a solution.  Clearly this is not an isolated incident of a couple users facing a problem, this is a wide spread bug or perhaps a design flaw.  We are paying a subscription fee plus most of us have already purchased QBDT and I, for one, don't believe that telling the users to call and wait on hold for support, to fix such a wide spread problem is a solution.  Furthermore, I'm sure the support agents on the other end of the phone are quite tired of hearing the same question over and over again.  A solution needs to be provided right here, right now.

 

 

Suzy6
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

I am having the same issue and I am beyond frustrated!

Kristine Mae
Moderator

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

I know it's convenient if we can easily transfer the data files, Suzy6. 

 

Have you tried the steps provided by my colleagues? It helps you convert the file to the Desktop version.

 

Although, if you're able to try them already. I'd suggest reaching out to our customer care support. An agent can help you transfer the data. You can follow GraceC's steps on how you can get in touch with an agent. 

 

If the file is transferred successfully, please pull up the Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet reports on both programs. This way, we'll know if transactions are all imported or not. Then, you'll want to manually enter them in the Desktop version so they'll be balanced. 

 

We're just around if you need our help. Don't hesitate to reach out to us. 

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Level 15

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

@Suzy6 

Consider  2 options as I mentioned earlier.

BDMcGrew
Level 2

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Hello everyone,

 
I had a long conversation with support this week and was able to get this issue resolve and successfully transfer my data into QBD from QBO and I’ll share it here.  Although I didn’t document every single word, I do have a good takeaway that should have most people succeed in this transfer.
 
A couple gotchas...
 
1). Basic cosmetic company info (name, address, ein, etc.) does not transfer - I had to go into QBD and fill it in manually.
2). If you download cleared transactions from your bank in QBO they will be in the register in QBD but will not show the bank downloaded icon so once you connect your bank and download, you’ll have a whole lot of transactions to go though and clear again.
3). All of my deposits came in with no name in the from field.  All other transactions in the register seemed to be fine.
4). Previously I did not use invoking, time tracking or inventory so I can’t speak for that data.
 
Here are the basics:
 
1). I don’t care what everyone says here, you absolutely _must_ use Internet Explorer to make this transition.  Nothing else will work.  For me, I’m on Windows 10 and IE11.  You must lower your security preferences, allow ActiveX and, add https://*.intuit.com to the trusted sites list and restart IE.
2). You absolutely _must_ have QDB open, with no company file loaded _before_ you start this process.
3). If you login to QDO and at https://qbo.intuit.com and the Settings icon disappears then remove /homepage from the URL and replace it with /exportdata go to direct.  This will, at some point, install an ActiveX component that does the transfer.
4). Walk though the QBO->QBD export process and at the end you’ll get a notice that your data is being exported and you need to wait for an email.
5). My data file wasn’t too big and this only took ~20 mins before I got the email.  The email instructed me to go back to QBO->Tasks->Download.
6). There was no Tasks menu in my QBO at all so I pointed my browser back to the exportdata page and walked though the wizard again.
7). This time, at the end of the wizard it said a file was already waiting and I could start over or download the file; from here, download the file.
8). Make sure you download the file to whatever directory the ActiveX component chooses (for me it was \Users\brian\Documents) - this file location is prolly one of the most critical steps of the conversion, as there is no means to configure where the data importer looks for the QBXML file.
9). After the download you can start the import, which will prompt to you create a new QBD file.  Again, you must create this file in the default location, don’t move it else the import will fail.
10). It is the ActiveX component in IE11 that does the import. It is very, very slow!  My QBO file is 4 years worth of bank and credit card transactions and the import took just under an hour to complete.  It is slow.  
11). Once the import is done, run a P&L in QBO and QBD and make sure they match.  If they do, you are golden.
 
Afterthoughts…
 
I did this whole thing on a sandbox computer because I just don’t trust IE and ActiveX anymore.  When it was finished the very first thing I did was backup the QBD file, move it to my dedicated desktop and restore the backup of my data into a more suitable file location for my structure.  All went well and all my data is present as far as I can tell.  I should point out that I am by no means and accountant and have no idea how accounting works.  My accountant is coming tomorrow to verify everything, reconcile 2019 and prepare my taxes.  If we find any problems arising from the import/transfer then I will post back here in an effort to make everyone aware of what to expect.
 
Hope these suggest help someone else overcome their problems because it was sure a level 10 frustration for me, and still, I do not understand why QBO/QBD support could not post a complete and thorough writeup here rather than repetitively telling everyone to call support.  It’s crazy!
 
-brian
BDMcGrew
Level 2

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Hello everyone,

I had a long conversation with support this week and was able to get this issue resolve and successfully transfer my data into QBD from QBO and I’ll share it here. Although I didn’t document every single word, I do have a good takeaway that should have most people succeed in this transfer.

A couple gotcha’s...

1). Basic cosmetic company info (name, address, ein, etc.) does not transfer - I had to go into QBD and fill it in manually.
2). If you download cleared transactions from your bank in QBO they will be in the register in QBD but will not show the bank downloaded icon so once you connect your bank and download, you’ll have a whole lot of transactions to go though and clear again.
3). All of my deposits came in with no name in the from field. All other transactions in the register seemed to be fine.
4). Previously I did not use invoking, time tracking or inventory so I can’t speak for that data.

Here are the basics:

1). I don’t care what everyone says here, you absolutely _must_ use Internet Explorer to make this transition. Nothing else will work. For me, I’m on Windows 10 and IE11. You must lower your security preferences, allow ActiveX and, add https://*.intuit.com to the trusted sites list and restart IE.
2). You absolutely _must_ have QDB open, with no company file loaded _before_ you start this process.
3). If you login to QDO and at https://qbo.intuit.com and the Settings icon disappears then remove /homepage from the URL and replace it with exportdata go to direct. This will, at some point, install an ActiveX component that does the transfer.
4). Walk though the QBO->QBD export process and at the end you’ll get a notice that your data is being exported and you need to wait for an email.
5). My data file wasn’t too big and this only took ~20 mins before I got the email. The email instructed me to go back to QBO->Tasks->Download.
6). There was no Tasks menu in my QBO at all so I pointed my browser back to the exportdata page and walked though the wizard again.
7). This time, at the end of the wizard it said a file was already waiting and I could start over or download the file; from here, download the file.
8). Make sure you download the file to whatever directory the ActiveX component chooses (for me it was \Users\brian\Documents) - this file location is prolly one of the most critical steps of the conversion, as there is no means to configure where the data importer looks for the QBXML file.
9). After the download you can start the import, which will prompt to you create a new QBD file. Again, you must create this file in the default location, don’t move it else the import will fail.
10). It is the ActiveX component in IE11 that does the import. It is very, very slow! My QBO file is 4 years worth of bank and credit card transactions and the import took just under an hour to complete. It is slow.
11). Once the import is done, run a P&L in QBO and QBD and make sure they match. If they do, you are golden.

Afterthoughts…

I did this whole thing on a sandbox computer because I just don’t trust IE and ActiveX anymore. When it was finished the very first thing I did was backup the QBD file, move it to my dedicated desktop and restore the backup of my data into a more suitable file location for my structure. All went well and all my data is present as far as I can tell. I should point out that I am by no means and accountant and have no idea how accounting works. My accountant is coming tomorrow to verify everything, reconcile 2019 and prepare my taxes. If we find any problems arising from the import/transfer then I will post back here in an effort to make everyone aware of what to expect.

Hope these suggest help someone else overcome their problems because it was sure a level 10 frustration for me, and still, I do not understand why QBO/QBD support could not post a complete and thorough writeup here rather than repetitively telling everyone to call support. It’s crazy!

-brian

agcheck
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

BDMcGrew - You are a lifesaver. I cannot thank you enough for the steps detailed here. After hours of frustration, I managed to move stuff over from QBO to Desktop after I followed your instructions. I'm appalled at the poor product and just how bad the whole experience was. Wonder what kind of testing protocols are used? It is terrible that QB does not have good competition - they are able to get away with such a terrible product and customer service! 

Credence
Level 2

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

BDMcGrew,  I can't thank you enough for detailing your process to do this.  I am switching back to QB for Mac 2020 and your instructions worked perfectly!  I don't have a Windows machine so I used Parallels Desktop on Mac to do this and that worked too.  Thank you!
Randy

colmjtoland
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Can you post what anna S's fix was for the dissappearing gear  i cant seem to find it Thanks in advance 

 

colmjtoland
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

any chance you can post what Anna S solution was 

frustratedX1000
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

THANK YOU! You've been much more help than QB customer service (phone and chat)! 

One thing I had to do different was remove "homepage" from the URL and replace it with "exportquickbooksdesktop".  The replacement of "exportdatagotodirect" gave me an incorrect page error.  So many customers will be grateful for this!!

frustratedX1000
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

THANK YOU!!!  I did have to make one change to get my export to work.  I replaced "homepage" in the URL with "exportquickbooksdesktop".  I received a page error message with I replaced "homepage" with "exportdatagotodirect".  This post is way more than I got after spending 4 hours on the phone and chat with QB customer service.   Lots of customers will be relieved to see this post!

MC Tax Consultant
Level 2

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

You are a legend. Intuit needs to fire all of their tech support specialists and hire you at double the pay. Thank you for finally providing the correct steps that worked for me. 

BDMcGrew
Level 2

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Thank you all for the kudos...  I am persistent and cantankerous if nothing else :)

 

For those having to replace the homepage URL with something else; yes, I noted that.  For me, I replaced "/homepage" with "/exportdata" and it worked.  I suspect that "/exportquickbooksdesktop" is a bit more direct path though.  Keep in mind, these are relative paths and could change at anytime as well.  Intuit could decide they don't want this information out in the wild and either take it down or just revamp the whole QBO interface in the interest of "upgrades and improvements" and render these steps useless, who knows! 

 

I never did find any solution or workaround for the disappearing gear in IE11.  And, of course it only happens in IE - the gear does not disappear in any other browsers.  I suspect this has to do with some incompatibility in their rendering of the page but really, who knows (and who cares).  Still yet, all the aforementioned statements about incompatibilities with IE are just plain wrong!  The conversion tool is an ActiveX component and _only_ runs in IE therefore no other browser (on any other platform) will work, period.  As of this writing (02/11/2020) there are just no options outside IE11 on Windows 10 which is where the need for handcranking the /homepage to /exportdata URL comes in since the gear disappears soon as you click on it.

 

For those switching from QBO to QB:Mac ... Keep in mind that the Mac version of QB is a totally different product and it is documented in a couple places throughout the KB articles that file format compatibility it not necessarily guaranteed.   I'm a Mac user by nature, run Windows 10 in VMware and looked at QB:Mac and sadly, it just didn't make the cut...  QBD for Windows or bust :(

 

All none the less, I'm happy to hear others having success!

 

-brian

agcheck
Level 1

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

I have a related question. I had painstakingly saved attachments for every single expense line in QBO over the last couple of years. I noticed after the export to QB Desktop Pro, all the attachments are missing. What?! Can anyone provide guidelines on how to export transactions with all the related attachments?

GlinetteC
Moderator

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Hi there, agcheck.

 

I'd be happy to share with you ideas about why attachments are missing after exporting them to QuickBooks Desktop.

 

There are certain limitations you may need to consider when converting data to Desktop. Attachments are part of that said limitations.

 

I know it's ideal to be able to export all the information at once including attachments. I'll definitely share this feedback to our product development team so they might consider adding this in any future updates. Please note that our goal here is to help save time and keep things simple when doing a task in QuickBooks.

 

If you have any other QuickBooks related concerns, you can always post them here.

japeeler
Level 3

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

This is MADDENING!!!!  I've exported QBO data to QB desktop a thousand times, no real issues.  Now I try to export and I receive "Only Internet Explorer supports exporting data from QuickBooks."  Ok, no problem...I go to IE, and Intuit no longer supports it?!?!?!?!  I am on a tight time line, I've been GOOGLING how to get around this insanity for over an HOUR.  Why doesn't Intuit just admit they're trying to force everyone to use QBO only and push out QB desktop users.  Moments like these I'm ashamed to be an Intuit ProAdvisor.

japeeler
Level 3

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Still pouring over blogs, message boards, Google, etc. to fix this DANG problem...I'm jealous that many of you have found a solution via BDMcgrew (awesome posts by the way!).  Unfortunately, I cannot get to the point of replacing "homepage" with other text.  I'm a proadvisor, and I cannot get to that step (hold on...can't get to that stop in IE, I easily can in Chrome) unless I sign in to one of my client's books, and of course IE won't bring up my client list.

 

Tried calling ProAdvisor support, of course they're closed.  I'm desperate, so I tried to call "Bob" or "Susan" in India via the good 'ole normal QB support phone number, and even they're closed?  Stated they're only open Monday - Friday?  I'm desperate...I don't have time to figure out Intuit's flaws, bugs, and downright INCOMPETENCE.

FritzF
Moderator

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Thanks for joining this conversation, @japeeler.

 

This has been reported as an ongoing issue and a ticket (INV-40990) was created and forwarded to our Product Engineers. They're now investigating the root cause of the issue and working to fix this as soon as possible.

 

In the meantime, I highly suggest contacting our Phone Support team again so they can your details to our notification list. This will help our Engineers the number of users affected by the issue. An email notification will be sent to you once this has been resolved. I'll also inform you here when we get the update as well.

 

Here's how to reach them:

 

  1. In QuickBooks Online (QBO), go to the Help (question mark) icon at the top right.
  2. Select Contact Us at the bottom to connect with our live support.

 

Please note that our support hours vary by department. For the full list, check out: Support hours and types

 

Just in case, I'll add this article for future reference: Export and convert your QuickBooks Online data to QuickBooks Desktop.

 

I want to make sure everything is taken care of for you, so please let me know if you have any other issues or concerns. I'll be more than willing to help. Have a wonderful weekend!

member1000
Level 3

How do I transfer online client to desktop?

Thank you BDMcGrew! It's a life saver!

 

BDMcGrew writes "to allow ActiveX". I had a hard time finding it at first, and my internet explorer conversion didn't work. Then I found an easy way to do it.

What worked for me was to go to Internet Options --->Security ---> Custom Level -----> Reset to: Low & click on OK. That set all my ActiveX options correctly.

Then I restarted IE as administrator. After that the ActiveX in IE started working and I was able to start the conversion.

 

Thank you!

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