Hello LindaLWatersCPA,

I'm glad to see you here in the Community. Allow me to help provide additional information regarding upgrading company files in QuickBooks Desktop.

Before performing the upgrade, I also recommend securing a backup copy of your company file from the older version. Once you convert a file to a later version, you can no longer open it in an earlier version of QuickBooks.

Just in case you need to use a trial version of QuickBooks for a test run, you also check out the support article I'm adding down below:

QuickBooks Desktop trial links.

It's also important to know about the company file compatibility to avoid issues and errors upon the upgrade. For more insights, I'm adding an article for additional reference on this:

Company file compatibility with QuickBooks Desktop when upgrading.

Thanks for dropping in and have a wonderful rest of your week. The Community is always up to lend a hand.