A potential client wants me to look at his bookkeeping with QuickBooks online. Is there a way to download the information to use with my QuickBooks desktop?

Which QB Desktop year version do you have? You can convert data to QB Desktop. Then you convert it again to a new (trial) QBO account.

Thank you for posting to the Community and letting us know about your concern in managing clients' books in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), @DreamaM3. 

Since QBDT and QuickBooks Online (QBO) are two different accounting systems, there are differences in managing each client's books. Therefore, we're unable to download your client's bookkeeping records from QBO to review and make changes. 

Moreover, you can opt to create a QuickBooks Online Accountant file to connect to your client's accounts, review their books, edit transactions, and fix issues. You can head over to this website to sign up for free: QuickBooks Online Accountant.

After that, you can ask your client to invite you as their company accountant. Please refer to this article for complete guidelines: Add accountant users in QuickBooks Online.

Let me know if you have more questions about QuickBooks-related concerns. I'm always here to help, take care!

Does this mean I can make an account online for Accountants and then somehow back up the clients file to mine and make changes without the changes showing in his books?

Does this mean I can make an Accountants file and then download or load up the customers file into it and make any changes and it won't affect their books?  I am just trying to find a way to look and make changes and show them what it looks like when they are done by an Accountant.

Thanks for coming back to this thread, DreamaM3. Let me provide some information on opening a client's books with QuickBooks Online Accountant.

Yes, you can create a free account for QuickBooks Online Accountant and access your client's books once they invite you. Once you have access, you can review and make edits to their QuickBooks Online file. However, please keep in mind that any changes you make will automatically reflect on the client's end.

Furthermore, it's not possible to download an accountant's file from a QuickBooks Online company, so the option to download your client's bookkeeping records from QuickBooks Online is unavailable.

I'll share these helpful resources on managing a client's books with QuickBooks Online Accountant:

• Open and review clients' QuickBooks Online
• Use accountant tools and features

For future use, here's an article on reviewing your client's account to get ready for tax season: Use Prep for taxes to map and export your clients’ tax info.

Keep me in the loop if you have further inquiries about managing a client's books, DreamaM3. I'm always around at any time to help you. Have a good one.