QuickBooks Desktop in 2026
QuickBooks Desktop is no longer sold to new customers. Now what?
What has actually changed, what still works, and your options if you want to keep a desktop program and a file on your own PC. Checked against Intuit's own help pages, October 2026.
The short version
Three things to know
You can't buy Pro or Premier any more.
New US customers can't subscribe to Desktop Pro Plus or Premier Plus since September 30, 2024; Canadian sales stopped in April 2025. Existing subscribers can renew, at prices Intuit has raised several times.
Old versions lose their services.
When a version is discontinued, payroll updates, bank feeds, support and security updates stop. The 2023 versions reached that point on May 31, 2026.
A lapsed subscription locks your file to view-only.
Intuit says inactive Desktop Plus subscriptions get 12 months of view-only access with export. After that, plan as if the file will not open.
Keep the desktop. Lose the subscription.
AcboBooks is a Windows accounting program for US and Canadian small businesses, sold today to anyone, for $399.99 once. It imports your QuickBooks Desktop lists and transactions, and keeps your books in a file you own.
Timeline
The dates that matter
June 30, 2023
UK: all QuickBooks Desktop services, including support, ended.
September 30, 2024
US: last day to buy new Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus and Enhanced Payroll subscriptions. Existing subscribers can keep renewing; Enterprise is still sold.
April 2025
Canada: Desktop Pro, Premier and Payroll stopped being sold to new subscribers.
May 31, 2025
The 2022 versions lost support, payroll, online banking and other services.
May 31, 2026
The 2023 versions (Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Enterprise 23.0, Accountant, Mac Plus) lost those services and security updates.
October 1, 2026
Intuit's latest price increase for Desktop Plus subscriptions and Desktop payroll.
Desktop 2024
No sunset date: Intuit says it will not be discontinued in May 2027 and improvements arrive as updates.
Sources: Intuit help articles on the US sale changes, the Desktop service discontinuation policy, What's new in Desktop 2024, the Canadian sale discontinuation FAQ and the UK move-to-Online page, as of October 17, 2026.
What still works, and what stops
When Intuit discontinues a Desktop version, the program itself is not switched off, but these services end: live support; payroll tax table updates, forms and e-filing; Desktop Payments; online banking and bank feeds; Accountant's Copy file transfer; exchange rate updates; emailing forms from inside QuickBooks; and critical security updates.
Subscription editions add a second limit. If your Desktop Plus subscription (2023 R3 or newer) is not renewed, Intuit says you get view-only access to your data for 12 months: you can export, but not edit. Read more in what happens to your file when the subscription ends.
Your four options
- Renew QuickBooks Desktop Plus, if you are an existing US subscriber. Simplest, if you accept the yearly price rises.
- Move to QuickBooks Online, Intuit's recommended path: $38 to $340 a month at 2026 list prices, in a browser. See the five-year cost.
- Move to Enterprise, the Desktop edition still sold to new customers, priced by quote on an annual subscription.
- Move to another desktop program that keeps a file on your PC. AcboBooks is built for this move: menus, registers and centres you recognise, payroll included, bought once.
Before you move, save your history
Whatever you choose, back up the company file and export your reports while QuickBooks still opens it. Our checklist covers every list and report to keep: how to export everything from QuickBooks Desktop.
How the move to AcboBooks works
- Lists and opening balances from QuickBooks' IIF export, from any edition and year.
- Lists and transactions read live through Intuit's own SDK on the same PC, from QuickBooks Desktop 2019 or later.
- Check it: compare the trial balance, ageing and bank balances in both programs at the same date. Re-running the import updates rather than duplicates.
Details on the Move from QuickBooks page and the QuickBooks Desktop comparison.
Questions
Is QuickBooks Desktop discontinued?
Not entirely. In the US, Pro Plus, Premier Plus and Mac Plus have not been sold to new customers since September 30, 2024, but existing subscribers can renew and Enterprise is still sold. In Canada, Pro and Premier stopped being sold to new subscribers from April 2025. In the UK, Desktop ended in 2023.
Will my QuickBooks Desktop stop working?
It depends on the version and licence. Discontinued versions lose payroll, bank feeds, support and security updates. A subscription edition that is not renewed becomes view-only for 12 months, according to Intuit, with export still possible.
When does QuickBooks Desktop 2024 stop working?
Intuit says Desktop 2024 has no sunset deadline and will not be discontinued in May 2027, as older versions were. You need an active subscription to keep editing.
Can I still buy QuickBooks Desktop Pro?
Not as a new US or Canadian customer. The only Desktop edition sold to new US customers is Enterprise, by annual subscription.
What is the best replacement for QuickBooks Desktop?
It depends on what you valued. If you want the same desktop way of working with a file on your PC and no subscription, a desktop program such as AcboBooks fits. If you want to work in a browser, QuickBooks Online. If you need Enterprise features, Enterprise.
QuickBooks® and QuickBooks Desktop® are registered trademarks of Intuit Inc. AcboBooks is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Intuit. Dates and services are quoted from Intuit's published help pages as of October 17, 2026 and may change.
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