Starting a new QuickBooks Online file instead of porting over the existing Desktop file?

pallc · ‎March 14, 2021

Hello,

Current client has QB Desktop 2018 and wants to switch to QBO. Initially we were going to just port over the information from existing desktop file to QBO, but their books are a mess from prior years. I would like to link the bank account and at least get this year onto a brand new QBO file to start fresh and accurate. (slim down their Chart of Accounts since they have lessened all of their liabilities and no longer have payroll to deal with just subcontractors.)

In this case, is it worth it to just start a new file if we have the most recent backup of the desktop file to go off of for any tax Feb purposes? Jan, 2021 are fully reconciled and up to date. I have a few more things to fix in the desktop file from last year, but we'd like to switch by end of April.

Does the thought still stand that when we manually enter in our desktop customer and vendors, we should keep the opening balances at zero, then once we begin matching bank feed transactions add invoices as necessary to go off of?
With desktop, since the client already owns the file, will the always be able to access the information?

ChristieAnn · ‎March 14, 2021

Hi there, pallc.

Thank you for posting your concern here in QuickBooks Community. I also appreciate you for providing detailed information about your concern.

Manually entering information from Desktop to QuickBooks Online is not necessary or you don't need to start over again. This is because you can just convert your desktop file to a QuickBooks Online company directly. To see the detailed information and steps, you can refer to this article: Move your QuickBooks Desktop file to QuickBooks Online.

Then, when the QBDT file already converted to QuickBooks Online, the customer and vendors balances will include when switching the file. However, if you want that the customer and vendors balances are zero in QBO, you can only just import the list so you can start their transactions from the scratch.

On the other hand, since the client already owns the file, he can always have the option to access the information as long as the client's QuickBooks Desktop is existing.

Please refer to this article to see different information of what data don't convert when you migrate from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online: What to expect when you switch from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to tag my name in the comment section below if you have other concerns or questions. Take care.

View solution in original post

ChristieAnn · ‎March 14, 2021

Hi there, pallc.

Thank you for posting your concern here in QuickBooks Community. I also appreciate you for providing detailed information about your concern.

Manually entering information from Desktop to QuickBooks Online is not necessary or you don't need to start over again. This is because you can just convert your desktop file to a QuickBooks Online company directly. To see the detailed information and steps, you can refer to this article: Move your QuickBooks Desktop file to QuickBooks Online.

Then, when the QBDT file already converted to QuickBooks Online, the customer and vendors balances will include when switching the file. However, if you want that the customer and vendors balances are zero in QBO, you can only just import the list so you can start their transactions from the scratch.

On the other hand, since the client already owns the file, he can always have the option to access the information as long as the client's QuickBooks Desktop is existing.

Please refer to this article to see different information of what data don't convert when you migrate from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online: What to expect when you switch from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to tag my name in the comment section below if you have other concerns or questions. Take care.

pallc · ‎March 15, 2021

Hello,

Thank you for the quick reply! Thank you as well for telling me that I can zero out the balances and start over again; will I need to reenter in those Invoices/Sales Receipts/Bill Payments? I suppose my next question about using the existing QBDT file is:

When I convert the existing file, will I be able to choose how far back all of the data gets imported from? Like I stated, the books prior to Jan 2021 are a complete mess to deal with due to so many people in and out of them.
Also, can I turn on the "customer transaction numbers on temporarily so I can appropriately match our QBDT invoice numbers to QBO invoice numbers, then turn that setting off once I've imported all of the necessary Invoices?

KlentB · ‎March 15, 2021

Hi there, pallc.

Yes, you're correct. The balances of your customer and vendors are zero if you import the lists only. That said, you'll need to manually reenter all the transactions. Feel free to visit these articles to be guided in doing the process:

Moreover, if you choose to convert the existing file, the option to select how far back you can import the data is unavailable. Please keep in mind that your entire company file will be converted.

With regard to your second question, you can turn on the Custom Transaction Numbers setting in QuickBooks Online by following the steps below:

Click the Gear icon.
Select Account and settings.
Choose Sales, then select the Edit icon for Sales form content.
Tick the checkbox for Custom Transaction Numbers to turn on this setting. (If you need to turn it off, just uncheck the checkbox.)
Click Save to complete the process.

Additionally, I recommend reading these guides to learn more about the things that need to consider when QBDT file to QBO:

For more resources, check out our Getting Started and Help Articles page.

Should you have any follow-up questions or require further clarification, don't hesitate to post again here in the Community. Take care and have a rest of the day.

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Starting a new QuickBooks Online file instead of porting over the existing Desktop file?