QuickBooks 2019 Desktop - Easy Product Upgrade for 'Plus' Users

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This feature was first introduced during 2018 to assist 'Plus' subscribers who were still using 2017 versions of QuickBooks in upgrading to 2018 versions. QuickBooks 2019 will be the first wide-spread use of this feature which will be available for all Plus subscribers (including Enterprise subscription plans) running 2018 products who are eligible to convert to 2019 versions.

This functionality significantly reduces the issues users may encounter when attempting to upgrade on their own. Many times, users are uncertain how to correctly answer questions encountered during the upgrade process. For example, they may not know which installation configuration to follow, or where the product should be installed within their Windows directory structure. They also may not know the location of the Company files they actually use as contrasted with other Company files that have been archived or stored for backup purposes.

With this functionality it just takes a couple of clicks to transition your current QuickBooks 2018 product to the 2019 version of the same QuickBooks product. In other words, to go from QuickBooks Pro Plus 2018 to QuickBooks Pro Plus 2019, or to go from QuickBooks Enterprise (v18) to QuickBooks Enterprise (v19).

As soon as Plus subscribers are eligible for a product upgrade QuickBooks will display an information message like the one shown below. If you choose not to take this path to upgrade you have the option to 'Don't show this again,' which will prevent the pop-up from re-appearing each time you open QuickBooks until you do upgrade. There is also a 'link' to Intuit's preview of 'What's new in QuickBooks 2019'.

By selecting the blue ‘Upgrade Now’ button the user is provided with more information within the 'Let's get going' window, which also asks the user to make what I view as an ‘essential’ choice. The key selection here is the option to ‘Keep old version on my computer’ (along with a version of your Company files matching that version). As far as I am concerned, you definitely want to keep your old version on your computer rather lose it as part of this upgrade process.

Once you click the blue ‘Let’s go’ button this new process downloads the latest version (and release) of QuickBooks and installs it on your computer.

The new installer then proceeds with activating the new version and registering your QuickBooks license…

and finally, this new process replicates your Company files for use by the new version. This new installer is fast too, in one test of this functionality the entire process was completed in barely over 3 minutes. Another trial completed in just over 3-1/2 minutes.

Streamlining the process of upgrade of QuickBooks Desktop will hopefully eliminate some of the issues that many users encounter during the process. Only time will tell if this new functionality catches on, or if users elect to continue with doing things ‘the old way.’

By the way, don’t get this process confused with the feature to ‘migrate your QuickBooks’ (which is available to all QuickBooks 2019 users). This new product upgrade installer is currently only available for ‘Plus subscribers’ of QuickBooks Desktop products.

Notes & Disclosures:

Graphics or other illustrations used in this article have either been prepared using a pre-release version of QuickBooks 2019 software, or were furnished and/or adapted from Intuit source content. Be aware that certain aspects of features described or illustrated herein may have changed between the pre-release software version we used and the release of QuickBooks 2019 desktop products scheduled for September 4, 2018.

This article is intended to serve as a summary of one specific QuickBooks 2019 product feature, it is not an in-depth review nor has it been written to provide instruction in the proper use of the software (or feature).

While the writer or editor may express a personal opinion within this article regarding this feature and/or the software as a whole, such personal opinion does not constitute a formal endorsement by Insightful Accountant or the publisher.