How To Convert QuickBooks Accountant Copy To Company File?

If you need to regain full control of your QuickBooks data, converting an Accountant’s Copy to a regular company file can help you work without the restrictions imposed by the Accountant’s Copy format. A successful conversion will provide you with a standard company file that runs normal QuickBooks processes and will let you be more flexible with your accounting processes. But the conversion isn’t always seamless. You could face problems such as a missing Convert Accountant’s Copy to Company File option, damaged or corrupted data, or even common error messages such as 

Unrecoverable Error / Crash Codes (e.g., Error 19062 00238

Network / Database Connection Errors (-6144, -83)

“WARNING: This is an Accountant’s Copy of the company’s data. To prevent conflicts with your client changes, the current action is not allowed.”

“Accountant’s Copy exists.”

In this guide, we’ll discuss what a QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy is, when and why you should convert it, what to do before conversion, how to convert it to a company file, what happens after conversion, and how to resolve common conversion errors.

What Is a QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy?

A QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy is a copy of your QuickBooks Desktop company file that allows your accountant to review and make specific changes while you continue entering transactions in your books. QuickBooks uses a dividing date to separate the accountant’s work from your ongoing transactions. Once the accountant completes the review, you can import their changes into your company file and review the adjustments.

QuickBooks has some restrictions built into an Accountant’s Copy to help avoid conflicts between your work and the changes made by your accountant. This means you cannot edit those transactions and accounts when the Accountant’s Copy is active. The accountant uses a .QBA file, but your regular QuickBooks company file has a .QBW extension. You can also convert the Accountant’s Copy to a normal company file if you no longer need the Accountant’s Copy workflow and make any changes you wish.

When Should You Convert an Accountant’s Copy to a Company File?

Making an Accountant’s Copy into a regular company file deletes the Accountant’s Copy restrictions and allows you to continue unrestricted bookkeeping in QuickBooks Desktop.
Here are the key situations when you should convert an Accountant’s Copy to a company file:

• Accountant’s work is complete

Your accountant has finished reviewing or adjusting the books. 

• You need unrestricted access

You want to record or edit transactions restricted by the Accountant’s Copy. 

• You are switching file types

You want to move from a .QBA or .QBX file back to a standard .QBW company file. 

• You no longer need the dividing date

The Accountant’s Copy workflow is no longer required for your bookkeeping.

What to Do Before Converting an Accountant’s Copy in QuickBooks Desktop?

Before converting an Accountant’s Copy in QuickBooks Desktop, create a complete backup and confirm that you are using a supported Accountant edition. Here are the key checks to complete before converting an Accountant’s Copy to a company file:

Parameters	Details
Create a backup	Create a complete backup of the Accountant’s Copy before starting the conversion
Open the correct file	Open the .QBX or .QBA file you want to convert in QuickBooks Desktop
Check your QuickBooks edition	Use an eligible QuickBooks Desktop Accountant or Enterprise Accountant edition. Standard user editions cannot support this conversion
Confirm the accountant’s work	Make sure your accountant has completed all required reviews, adjustments, and pending changes before converting
Keep the original file	Preserve the original Accountant’s Copy separately instead of overwriting it during conversion
Verify your data	Review key accounts, transactions, and balances so you can compare them with the converted company file afterward

What are the Steps to Convert QuickBooks Accountant Copy to Company File?

To convert a QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy to a company file, open the .QBX or .QBA file in a supported QuickBooks Desktop Accountant edition and use the built-in conversion option. Before you convert, make a backup and ensure that your accountant has done everything. Here are the steps to convert an Accountant’s Copy to a regular .QBW company file:

1. Open the .QBX or .QBA Accountant’s Copy in a supported QuickBooks Desktop Accountant edition. 
2. Create a backup of the Accountant’s Copy before starting the conversion. 
3. Go to File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy. 
4. Select Convert Accountant’s Copy to Company File/QBW. 
5. Click OK to confirm the conversion. 
6. Choose the folder where you want to save the converted company file. 
7. Enter a new file name if needed and click Save. 
8. Click OK after QuickBooks completes the conversion. 
9. Open the new .QBW file and verify your transactions, accounts, balances, and reports. 
10. Keep the original Accountant’s Copy and backup for future reference or recovery.

What Happens When You Convert an Accountant’s Copy in QuickBooks Desktop?

When you convert an Accountant’s Copy in QuickBooks Desktop, you generate a regular .QBW company file, the Accountant’s Copy restrictions are lifted, and the Accountant’s Copy process for that file is terminated. Here are the key changes you should expect after converting an Accountant’s Copy to a company file:

Parameters	Details
File format	QuickBooks converts the Accountant’s Copy into a standard .QBW company file
Accountant’s Copy restrictions	QuickBooks removes the restrictions, allowing you to enter and edit transactions normally
Accountant’s Changes	You can no longer import a .QBY Accountant’s Changes file into the converted company file
Transactions added later	Transactions entered in the original company file after creating the Accountant’s Copy are not included in the converted file. You must re-enter them if needed.
Accountant’s Copy workflow	Conversion ends the Accountant’s Copy workflow for that file, so complete any pending accountant work before converting

QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy Conversion Errors & Their Solutions

QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy conversion errors can occur because of version mismatches, file-location issues, special characters, or damaged company data. Here are the common QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy conversion errors and their solutions:

Error or Issue	Solution
QuickBooks version mismatch	Update QuickBooks Desktop and make sure you use a supported Accountant edition to perform the conversion
Conversion fails or shows a red X	Move the Accountant’s Copy to a local folder and try the conversion again
Special characters in the file name	Rename the file and remove special characters from the file name and folder path
File stored on an external or network drive	Copy the .QBX or .QBA file to your local hard drive before converting it
Company file data damage	Run Verify Data to check for data problems. If QuickBooks detects an issue, use Rebuild Data before trying the conversion again
Conversion option is missing	Confirm that you opened the file in a supported QuickBooks Desktop Accountant edition, such as Premier Accountant or Enterprise Accountant
Insufficient storage space	Free up disk space or choose a local drive with enough available storage to save the new .QBW file

Conclusion

You can convert a QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy to a company file by opening the .QBX or .QBA file in a supported QuickBooks Desktop Accountant edition, creating a backup, selecting File > Send Company File > Accountant’s Copy > Convert Accountant’s Copy to Company File/QBW, and saving the resulting .QBW file.

If the conversion fails, update QuickBooks Desktop, move the file to a local drive, remove special characters from the file name or path, check available storage, and use Verify Data and Rebuild Data to address file damage. Always keep the original Accountant’s Copy and backup, and complete any pending accountant work before converting because the conversion ends the Accountant’s Copy workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions