Question

how do I setup quickbooks accountant online and migrate a Quickbooks for Windows client?

Forum|Forum|4 months ago
March 12, 2026
9 replies
27 views

I have just purchased an Accountant Online account. I need to set this up. How do I go about this?

QuickBooks Online - International

QuickBooks Team

Hello there, Derek. I can see that you’re already have QuickBooks Online Accountant (QBOA). To make sure the migration go smoothly, could you clarify which specific regions your accounting firm and your client's QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) are registered in? This is a vital first step because QuickBooks Desktop is exclusive to the US, UK, and Canada, and company files can only be migrated to a QuickBooks Online (QBO) account within that same geographic region.

For the data transfer to work, your client will have to ensure their new QBO subscription matches their current QBDT version exactly. The link I've added is dedicated for US since migration isn't available for Global community.

It is also important to keep in mind that QBOA does not support managing clients across different different global regions from a single dashboard. If your firm and the client are not in the same regions, you would need to create a separate QBOA specifically for them.

Alternatively, you can always have them invite you to their company as a company admin. This allows you to access their data without needing a region-specific account.

If you have additional questions, feel free to revisit this thread.

D

Derek-D-CostaAuthor

Hi Louise and SIAB
We are using QB Windows. and have subscribed to QBOA
I am migrating Desktop version to QBOA.
I need to migrate all the data, COA transactions etc.. from QBDesktop to QBOA "Your Practice"
I will then migrate client files once this is complete.
My challenge is migrating all the data. I expect this is using csv export but I need to know what will not be transferred or
is there a migration tool.

SIAB

Level 2

This whole thing is becoming more of a mission than it's worth.
It costs at every turn to set this up.
The Desktop versions ... work.
Another option, as I see, it is maintain the Desktop version just for our own accounting purposes and deploy the client licenses on the QBOA for clients that opt to migrate or start fresh. We can still manage their books and audits.
Clients that invite us to be Accountant can then also be maintained within QBOA with their own licenses.
Is this reasoning valid?

I need to migrate all the data, COA transactions etc.. from QBDesktop to QBOA "Your Practice"

You will need to migrate data manually from QB Desktop to QBOA "Your Practice" or purchase a 3rd party service as I mentioned earlier.

You can help to convert your client's data from QB Desktop to QB Online and you will use QBOA to manage all QBO accounts.

SIAB

Level 2

@Derek-D-Costa

Quickbooks for Windows? Is your client using QB Desktop or QB Online?

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