Businesses often start with QuickBooks Desktop Premier and later need more users, larger data capacity, advanced inventory, and stronger reporting capabilities. When that happens, upgrading to QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise can provide additional room to grow without requiring you to rebuild your accounting records from scratch.
The Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise process allows you to open your existing Premier company file in Enterprise and update it for the new product. However, there is an important consideration: after the company file is updated for Enterprise, it cannot be opened in QuickBooks Pro or Premier.
This guide explains how to prepare your Premier company file, install Enterprise, complete the conversion, and troubleshoot common upgrade problems.
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Why Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise?
QuickBooks Desktop Premier provides useful accounting and industry-specific features, but growing businesses may eventually need more capacity and functionality.
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise offers features such as:
- More users
- Larger company-file capacity
- Higher customer, vendor, and item limits
- Advanced inventory management
- Multi-location inventory capabilities
- Expanded reporting
- Advanced pricing
- Enhanced order management
- More customizable user permissions
Intuit currently describes Enterprise as offering significantly more capacity than Pro and Premier, including up to 1 million vendor, customer, and item lists and support for up to 40 users on eligible plans.
Before You Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise
Before starting the Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise process, take a few precautions to protect your accounting data.
1. Create a Backup
Always create a backup of your Premier company file before converting it.
To create a backup:
- Open QuickBooks Desktop Premier.
- Open your company file.
- Select File.
- Select Create Backup.
- Choose a safe location.
- Save the backup.
Intuit recommends saving the backup to a different computer or server when possible.
Keep this original backup even after the Enterprise conversion is complete.
2. Check Your Company File Location
If your Premier company file is stored on a server, consider moving it to your computer's local hard drive before updating it.
You can press F2 in QuickBooks to open the Product Information window and check the File Information section for the company-file location.
After successfully opening and updating the file in Enterprise, you can move it back to the appropriate network location.
3. Make Sure Users Are Logged Out
All users should close the company file before you begin the conversion.
For a business with multiple employees, perform the upgrade after business hours or over a weekend. Intuit recommends this approach to minimize disruption to normal operations.
How to Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise
Once your backup is complete, you can begin the conversion process.
Step 1: Check Enterprise System Requirements
Make sure your computer and server meet the current requirements for QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.
If you plan to use Enterprise in a multi-user environment, check the requirements for your network and workstations as well.
If you need help configuring the network, Intuit recommends working with an IT professional.
Step 2: Install QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Install the appropriate QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise software on your computer.
If you are setting up a multi-user environment, configure Enterprise on the server and workstations according to your network requirements.
After installation, open QuickBooks Enterprise.
Step 3: Open Your Premier Company File
In QuickBooks Enterprise:
- Select File.
- Select Open or Restore Company.
- Choose Open a company file.
- Select Next.
- Locate your existing Premier company file.
- Select the company file.
- Enter your Admin password.
QuickBooks Enterprise will recognize that the Premier company file needs to be updated.
Step 4: Confirm the Company File Update
Enterprise will display a message explaining that the company file will be updated.
Before continuing, verify that you have a backup of your original Premier file.
Then:
- Check I understand that my company file will be updated to this new version of QuickBooks.
- Select Update Now.
- Select OK when prompted to back up your data.
- Follow the onscreen instructions.
- Select Yes to update the company file.
These are the steps currently provided by Intuit for moving Pro or Premier company files to Enterprise.
Step 5: Wait for QuickBooks to Finish
The conversion time depends on the size of your company file and the performance of your computer.
Do not close QuickBooks, shut down the computer, or interrupt the process while the company file is being updated.
Once the process is complete, Enterprise should open the converted company file.
What Happens to Your QuickBooks Premier Company File?
When you update your Premier company file for Enterprise, the file becomes compatible with Enterprise.
Your lists, including customers, vendors, employees, and items, transfer to Enterprise. Enterprise also provides substantially greater list capacity than Pro and Premier.
However, there is an important compatibility limitation.
An Enterprise company file cannot be opened in QuickBooks Pro or Premier after conversion. Intuit specifically confirms that Pro and Premier files can be upgraded to Enterprise, but Enterprise files cannot be opened in Pro or Premier.
For this reason, keep your original Premier backup in a secure location.
Verify Your Data After the Upgrade
After completing the Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise process, review your company data before allowing employees to resume normal work.
Check:
- Customer records
- Vendor records
- Employee records
- Chart of accounts
- Products and services
- Inventory
- Invoices
- Bills
- Payments
- Bank accounts
- Open transactions
- Financial reports
Compare important reports with your previous Premier records to ensure everything looks correct.
Review User Permissions in Enterprise
QuickBooks Enterprise provides expanded user-permission options.
After upgrading, review each user's access.
You may need to configure permissions for:
- Accounting
- Sales
- Purchasing
- Inventory
- Customers
- Vendors
- Payroll
- Reports
- Company administration
Give each employee only the access required for their job.
Intuit's current Enterprise guidance states that user permissions can be customized and that eligible Enterprise plans can support up to 40 users.
Review Inventory After Upgrading
If you use QuickBooks Premier for inventory, carefully review your inventory after conversion.
Check:
- Item names
- Quantities
- Inventory accounts
- Purchase information
- Sales information
- Open purchase orders
- Open sales orders
- Inventory locations
Enterprise provides more advanced inventory capabilities than Premier, although feature availability varies by subscription.
Review Reports After Moving to Enterprise
Your reports should also be checked after the conversion.
Review important reports such as:
- Profit and Loss
- Balance Sheet
- Accounts Receivable
- Accounts Payable
- Sales by Customer
- Inventory Valuation
- Customer Balances
- Vendor Balances
Enterprise offers more than 200 customizable built-in reports, including industry-specific and job-costing reports.
QuickBooks Premier to Enterprise Upgrade Failed
Sometimes the company-file update may fail because of data issues, file-access problems, or other errors.
If the upgrade fails, do not delete your original backup.
Intuit provides a process for restoring the backup created during the update and rebuilding the company file if necessary.
Try These Troubleshooting Steps
- Close QuickBooks Enterprise.
- Reopen Enterprise.
- Select File.
- Select Utilities.
- Choose Restore Backup For Earlier QuickBooks Version.
- Locate the backup created during the update.
- Restore it using a unique filename.
- Open the restored company file in your previous QuickBooks version.
- Select File → Utilities → Rebuild Data.
- Follow the onscreen instructions.
- Allow the rebuild process to finish.
- Open the rebuilt company file in QuickBooks Enterprise.
The rebuild can take a significant amount of time depending on the size of the company file.
QuickBooks Enterprise Cannot Open My Premier File
If Enterprise cannot open your Premier company file, check the following:
- Make sure you selected the correct company file.
- Verify the Admin password.
- Confirm the file is accessible.
- Make sure nobody else is using the file.
- Check the company-file location.
- Confirm that Enterprise installed correctly.
- Check the company file for possible data damage.
If the file is stored on a server, temporarily moving it to the local hard drive can help during the conversion process.
Tips for a Smooth Premier to Enterprise Upgrade
Follow these recommendations before converting your company file:
- Create a complete backup.
- Keep the original Premier backup.
- Check Enterprise system requirements.
- Confirm the company-file location.
- Make sure all users are logged out.
- Verify your Admin password.
- Install Enterprise correctly.
- Perform the conversion after business hours.
- Test the converted company file.
- Review important financial reports.
- Verify inventory.
- Review user permissions.
- Test your network before allowing multiple users to reconnect.
Also, avoid overwriting your original backup. Intuit recommends creating a separate folder for a pre-conversion backup to prevent accidental file replacement.
QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise FAQs
Can I upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise?
Yes. QuickBooks Desktop Premier company files can be upgraded to QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise by opening the Premier file in Enterprise and completing the company-file update process.
Do I need to back up QuickBooks Premier before upgrading?
Yes. Create a backup before updating your company file. Keep the backup in a safe location in case you need to restore the original data.
Will my Premier data transfer to Enterprise?
Yes. Your lists, including customers, vendors, employees, and items, transfer when the company file is updated for Enterprise.
Can I open the Enterprise file in QuickBooks Premier?
No. Once the Premier company file is updated for Enterprise, it cannot be opened in QuickBooks Pro or Premier.
How long does the Premier to Enterprise upgrade take?
There is no fixed time because the conversion depends on the company-file size and computer performance. Larger company files can take longer to update.
Can I upgrade during business hours?
It is better to perform the conversion after business hours or during a weekend. This minimizes disruption while the company file is being updated.
What should I do if the Premier company file won't upgrade?
Keep your original backup, restore the backup created during the update if necessary, and use the Rebuild Data utility on the previous version before attempting the Enterprise conversion again.
Final Thoughts
The Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise process is a practical way for growing businesses to move their existing accounting data into Enterprise while gaining greater capacity, more users, advanced inventory, and expanded reporting.
The process is straightforward: back up your Premier company file, install Enterprise, open the existing company file, confirm the update, and verify your data after conversion.
The most important precaution is to keep your original Premier backup secure. Once the company file has been updated for Enterprise, it cannot be opened again in QuickBooks Pro or Premier.
For additional assistance with your QuickBooks Desktop Premier to Enterprise upgrade, call 1-866-513-4656.
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