When moving from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, you may encounter various errors and issues. There can be several reasons for such errors, like “QuickBooks is unable to replace the data that is linked with payroll”, “Company file is too big to move”, or “Corruption in the QBW file”. In this post, we will discuss some common errors that you may encounter when moving from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, along with their causes and solutions to fix them.
Errors when moving from QuickBooks Desktop to Online and their Solutions
When moving from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks online, you may experience different types of errors, leading to the process failure. Some common errors, along with their causes and solutions, are discussed below:
Error: Please delete all Employees already entered in QuickBooks Online
Cause
This error message pops up when QuickBooks is linked to payroll setup items and the application refuses to replace employees when you move from QuickBooks Desktop to Online.
Solution
You can create a new QuickBooks Online Company file without payroll to move the data from QuickBooks Desktop to Online. QuickBooks then lets you delete employees with pay history or paychecks.
Error: Your file is too big to export
Cause
If the QuickBooks Desktop Company file is larger than the prescribed limit, you may get the error “your file is too big to export” while moving it from QB Desktop to QB Online.
Solution
You need to check the number of targets in QuickBooks Desktop Company file when moving the file to QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Desktop UK, QuickBooks MAC, and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise CA versions have a limit of 350,000 targets. On the other hand, QuickBooks Desktop Pro/Enterprise 2020 (latest release and newer) CA and QuickBooks Desktop Pro/Premier 2018 (latest release and newer) US support 750,000 targets. If the number of targets is more than the limit, then try condensing the QuickBooks Desktop file by following these steps:
- Open QuickBooks and click on File > Utilities > Condense Data.
- In the wizard, choose the required option and then select Begin Condense.
Error: There was a problem checking this Company for import eligibility
Causes
You may encounter this error due to the following reasons:
- If you are not a company or primary admin in the QuickBooks Online company.
- If there is an error with the QuickBooks Online Payroll Account services.
- If you have not signed in to your Online account before moving the company file from QuickBooks Desktop to Online
- If you still need to complete the QuickBooks Online setup.
- If you are trying to move the data after 60 days of the subscription start date.
Solution
To resolve this,
- Sign in to the QuickBooks Online company and then complete the setup interview questions.
- Re-save the company address.
- Sign in as the Primary or Company admin to move the data from QuickBooks Desktop.
Error: We can’t export your data. It may be on a network drive
Cause
This error occurs when the Desktop Company file is not located on the local drive or if the multi-user mode is enabled.
Solution
To resolve the issue, you can follow these steps:
- Locate your QuickBooks Company data file.
- Close the QuickBooks Desktop application.
- Next, copy the company file to the local drive.
- Use the new location to open the company file in QuickBooks Desktop.
- Click File > Switch to Single-user mode.
- Choose Company and then click Export your Company File to QuickBooks Online.
Error: Export QBDT data to QBO: ERROR
Cause
This issue occurs if the QuickBooks Company file path is lengthy, i.e., more than four folders deep.
Solution
You can fix the error using the below steps:
- Locate the QuickBooks Company data file.
- Close the QuickBooks Desktop and then copy the company file to a new folder on the local drive.
- Open the QuickBooks Desktop Company file using the new location.
- Choose Company and then click Export your Company File to QuickBooks Online.
What if you’re still not able to move to QuickBooks Online?
If you are not getting any of the above-stated errors and still not able to move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, it may be due to corruption in the Company file. In this case, you can use the Verify and Rebuild Data tool in QuickBooks. Here are the steps to rebuild the data file and restart the export process:
- First, verify the company file data by clicking on File > Utilities > Verify Data, and then click OK to close all windows.
- Next, go to File > Utilities > Rebuild data to rebuild the data. Click OK to close all windows.
- When asked to create backup, click OK.
- Verify your company file data and then start moving from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.
If QuickBooks in-built tool does not work, then use a powerful QuickBooks repair software, such as Stellar Repair for QuickBooks. It is an advanced tool to repair corrupted QuickBooks file (QBW) and to recover all the QBW file components. It can fix almost all errors in QuickBooks, related to file corruption.
Conclusion
This post outlined some common errors that you may encounter while moving data from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. It also explained the reasons behind such errors and the workarounds to resolve the errors. If there is corruption in the QuickBooks Company file, you can use Verify and Rebuild utility in QuickBooks. In case it doesn’t work, use Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® to fix the corrupt QuickBooks company file and recover all its objects.
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