QuickBooks Desktop in 2026: what's discontinued, what's supported and what to do

What stopped in QuickBooks Desktop 2023 after May 31, 2026

Intuit's discontinuation policy lists these versions as discontinued after May 31, 2026: Pro Plus 2023, Premier Plus 2023 (every industry edition), Premier Accountant Edition Plus 2023, Enterprise Solutions 23.0, Enterprise Accountant 23.0 and Desktop for Mac Plus 2023.

Here is what Intuit says ended for them:

The page does not say whether Desktop 2023 still opens a company file after that date. Even if yours does, it is now an offline ledger with no bank feeds, no payroll updates and no security fixes.

Which QuickBooks Desktop versions are still supported

Desktop 2024, including Enterprise 24.0, is the current version. Intuit's help article on updating company files says: "QuickBooks Desktop 2024 is the latest and last annual release." Intuit has moved to "more-frequent release updates throughout the year," so there is no Desktop 2025 or 2026 to buy.

Intuit's policy page gives no discontinuation date for 2024. Some websites print one; Intuit has not. If you hold an active Plus or Enterprise subscription, the same page says you "receive version 2024 at no extra cost as part of your annual plan." A 2023 user with a current subscription can upgrade today.

Who can still buy Desktop: Intuit stopped selling new subscriptions of Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus and Enhanced Payroll to US customers after Sept 30, 2024. Existing subscribers can keep renewing, and Intuit said it would continue security updates and support for them. Enterprise was not affected and is the Desktop product Intuit's site still sells.

What QuickBooks Desktop renewals cost in 2026

Renewals rose twice this year. Intuit does not post Desktop renewal prices on its website. The table shows the February change, from Intuit's price tables as published by Insightful Accountant. Check your own renewal notice for your price.

The second increase applies to renewals on or after Oct 1, 2026 for Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus, Desktop Accountant (with the ProAdvisor bundles) and most Desktop Payroll, per Intuit's July 14, 2026 notice as reported by Insightful Accountant. Legacy Enhanced Payroll plans change on renewals from Dec 1, 2026. Intuit said it would notify every Desktop customer before the change, so your renewal notice has your new price. Enterprise is priced separately: Intuit's Enterprise pricing page lists Gold from $2,210 a year, Platinum from $2,717 and Diamond from $5,363, with custom quotes on request.

Worked example: a three-user Pro Plus renewal

Say a small contractor runs Pro Plus with three users: one license plus two extra seats.

• Renewing before Feb 1, 2026: $999 + (2 × $200) = $1,399 a year.
• Renewing from Feb 1, 2026: $1,149 + (2 × $230) = $1,609 a year.

That is $210 more a year, a 15% increase, before the October change adds to it. For comparison at list price, QuickBooks Online Essentials (3 users) is 12 × $85 = $1,020 a year and Plus (5 users) is 12 × $140 = $1,680. The products work differently, so price alone does not settle it, but have both numbers in hand. The QuickBooks Online price increase post covers those plans.

Your four options as a QuickBooks Desktop user

1. Stay on Desktop 2024. If you are on 2023 with an active Plus subscription, install 2024 at no extra cost. You keep your file and your routine, you pay the renewal prices above, and you accept that Intuit has not said how long 2024 will be supported.
2. Move to Enterprise. It is the one Desktop product Intuit still sells to new customers: Gold and Platinum for up to 30 users and Diamond for up to 40, from $2,210 a year. You keep the Desktop way of working at a higher price.
3. Move to QuickBooks Online with Intuit's migration tool. The tool moves a Desktop company file into a QuickBooks Online company. Intuit's limits: the file must have fewer than 4,000,000 targets, the Online subscription must be from the past 90 days (180 days for accountants), and the Desktop file "replaces all data" already in that Online company. Intuit's Desktop page now offers three ways up from Desktop: Enterprise, QuickBooks Online Advanced and Intuit Enterprise Suite.
4. Move to other software. Other systems start from exports, because only QuickBooks opens a .QBW file. BooksGPT imports a QuickBooks Desktop General Ledger export and checks that the imported books tie out (how the import works).

How to export QuickBooks Desktop data so nothing is lost

Do this now, while your version still runs, whichever option you pick.

1. Back up the company file. File, Back Up Company, and keep the .QBB copy in two places. Only QuickBooks opens it, but it is the complete record.
2. Export the General Ledger for all dates. Reports, Accountant & Taxes, General Ledger, set Dates to All, add Class columns through Customize Report if you use classes, then Excel, Create New Worksheet. Intuit notes a 65,536 line limit with Excel 2013 and older, so export one year per file for a long history.
3. Export your lists. Customers and vendors from their centers with the Excel button, employees from the Payroll center, items from Lists, Item List, Excel, Export all Items, and the chart of accounts as the Account Listing report.
4. Capture what is open on your cutover date. Run Open Invoices and Unpaid Bills Detail as of your last day in Desktop. Every customer balance and vendor balance has to arrive in the new system.
5. Build the archive. For each year: Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss and Trial Balance at year end, plus payroll summaries, 1099 totals and sales tax reports, saved as PDF and Excel.

If your books are months behind, read catch-up bookkeeping before you pick a cutover date.

The mistake: running payroll on an unsupported version

The costly mistake is running payroll on Desktop 2023 after May 31 because the program still opens. Intuit warns that paychecks "may show inaccuracies" and the payroll subscription is deactivated. The second mistake is letting the subscription lapse before exporting. A Desktop file only opens in QuickBooks, so export the General Ledger and lists while you have a working copy.

What to do next

1. Press F2 in QuickBooks Desktop to see your version and year.
2. If it says 2023 and your subscription is active, install 2024 now, then decide without the clock running.
3. Find your renewal date and price in your renewal notice.
4. Export the General Ledger, lists, open items and year-end reports this month, whatever you decide.
5. If you are moving, import, then compare the Balance Sheet on the cutover date before you let the Desktop subscription lapse.