![Get Organized!, LLC [GO!]](https://gogetorganized.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logowithnamev2-2-225x63.png)
Why are we leaving the cloud?
Some industries are realizing QuickBooks Online (QBO) is not providing the services they need to effectively run their business. Low bandwidth reducing the efficiency of your bookkeeper, annual price increases with no real upgrades to the product and the inability to do real job costing are leading to a migration back to the desktop. The marketing push of cloud based apps is so intense that people are stigmatized for proposing the use of desktop apps.
Don’t be embarrassed; you are not a technophobe or clinging to outdated tech. We business owners need to make the right decision for our business and we will not be swayed by social pressures. Out of the cloud and down to earth; it’s time to move back to QuickBooks Desktop (QBD).
Weird things to watch for when you convert QuickBooks online to desktop
You will need to do strategic planning before you migrate.
The easy answer to how to convert your data to QBD is log into your QBO file using Internet Explorer and use the export data wizard at Gear > Tools > Export Data.
Things that can interfere when you convert QuickBooks online to desktop:
- Internet Explorer (IE) settings and add-ons may block QBO pop ups so you cannot complete the export/import process.
- Your computer is set up to use Microsoft Edge and not IE so the export process cannot be completed.
- The QBD app does not run in computer administrator mode by default causing issues with import.
- The current steps in QBO to actually get to the ‘Export to QBD’ options in QBO require you to select Learn More which for most users means read about the process not Continue/OK/Next.
- The Intuit-provided link to download the export file may fail.
- The data from QBO may not import correctly into QBD.
- New releases of QBO may negate step-by-step instructions for the conversion you find online.
Rolling releases from Intuit are changing the landscape of QBO frequently and the moving target of cloud technology means the person doing the conversion needs to be prepared for and understand tech issues and have easy access to Intuit tech support.
When reading articles about tech, it is so vital to look at the date published. Some tech is changing as fast as we techie folks can write about it. With that in mind, at the time this article was written on the train from Seattle to Albany on a lovely July 5th day in 2019.
Execute change thoughtfully. If you want to create a company culture that vehemently opposes change, throw a few apps at employees without a good project implementation plan and then abandon the idea a few months later. After going through that a few times, most employees and contractors will begin opposing your ‘latest and greatest idea’.