QuickBooks Desktop is not going away. Here is what Intuit actually said.
Firms that have run on QuickBooks Desktop for years are being told the product is ending and the move to QuickBooks Online is a given. Intuit's own announcements say something much narrower. Here they are, quoted and linked, so you can decide with the facts in front of you.
What Intuit announced, step by step.
A stop-sell, not a sunset
Intuit announced it would stop selling new U.S. subscriptions of QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus and Enhanced Payroll.12
This announcement applies only to new purchases, not a discontinuation (sunset) of this QuickBooks Desktop product line.
Existing subscribers keep renewing
Nobody already on Desktop was cut off: renewals continue, with security updates, product updates and support.1
Existing QuickBooks Desktop Plus and Desktop Payroll subscribers can continue to renew their subscriptions after Sept. 30, 2024.
Enterprise is not affected
Enterprise stays on sale to new customers and keeps being updated.15
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise products are also not impacted by this change.
Desktop 2023 reaches its end
Under the old three-year policy, version 2023 is discontinued; subscribers already have 2024 in their plan.3
You can stay on Desktop. Here is why it matters.
If your firm runs Desktop today, you can keep running it: renew the subscription you have, or move to Enterprise, the Desktop line Intuit sells and develops. The company files, the multi-user setup and the way your team works stay exactly as they are.
QuickBooks Online
- A subscription per company
- Every client is another subscription
- Lives in the browser
QuickBooks Desktop
- A licence for the firm
- One installation, as many company files as your practice has
- Your company files, on your own computers
When moving a client to Online does make sense.
A remote team
People who need the books in a browser, from anywhere, without a shared drive.
A client who wants to look
Some clients like seeing their own numbers whenever they want.
An app that only speaks Online
When the client already depends on something that only connects to Online.
These are real reasons, and for some clients they win. The point is that it is a decision per client, made on your terms, not a deadline.
QBuddy works with Desktop and Online, per client.
QBuddy reads bank statements and posts to QuickBooks Online and to every Desktop version. Each client posts where it lives. A client who moves to Online switches with one click and every rule you taught QBuddy comes along; a client who stays on Desktop is served exactly as before.
Where every statement comes from.
Every date and quote on this page links here. Each source opens the original page in a new tab.
- quickbooks.intuit.comIntuit · QuickBooks Desktop to stop selling to new U.S. subscribers (Feb 1, 2024)
“This QuickBooks Desktop announcement applies only to new purchases, not a discontinuation (sunset) of this QuickBooks Desktop product line.” “QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise products are also not impacted by this change and customers can continue to purchase Enterprise subscriptions after Sept. 30, 2024.”
- quickbooks.intuit.comIntuit · QuickBooks help: Can't buy QuickBooks Desktop as a new US subscriber
The same announcement in Intuit's help center: new Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus and Enhanced Payroll subscriptions are no longer sold to new U.S. customers.
- quickbooks.intuit.comIntuit · QuickBooks Desktop 2023 service discontinuation policy
“After May 31, 2026, QuickBooks Desktop 2023 software will be discontinued.” Existing Desktop Plus and Enterprise subscribers receive version 2024 as part of their plan.
- accountabilityadvisor.comAccountability Advisor · Intuit announces departure from 3-year software lifecycle for QuickBooks Desktop 2024
Quoting Intuit: “We're moving away from our historical 3-year software lifecycle. Moving forward, version 24.0 will get continuous support and product maintenance.”
- method.meMethod · QuickBooks Desktop discontinued: next steps for Desktop users
“Desktop 2024 won't lose support in 2027 as planned.” “QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise continues to be sold, supported, and updated.”
Keep your Desktop. Lose the typing.
Book a 15-minute demo and see a statement posted to your own QuickBooks Desktop, or to Online. Your call.
