AcboBooks
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System requirements

What AcboBooks needs to run

A Windows 10 or 11 PC you already own is almost certainly enough. Here is exactly what version 0.2.11 needs, what it works without, and what it does not run on yet.

At a glance

Minimum and recommended

Try it on your own PC first: the 15-day trial is the full program.

Operating system

Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit

Home, Pro and business editions. Windows 7, 8.1 and 32-bit Windows are not supported.

Processor

64-bit (x64) Intel or AMD

AcboBooks is built for x64. PCs with ARM processors are not tested.

Memory

4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended

Guidance, not a hard limit. More helps if you keep a browser, email and Excel open alongside a large company file.

Disk space

1 GB free

The program takes about 430 MB once installed. Company files are small to start and grow with your history; leave room for backups too.

Screen

1366 × 768 or larger

1920 × 1080 is comfortable. The window works down to 940 × 600, and Ctrl + and Ctrl − zoom everything in or out.

Internet

To install and to activate

Daily work runs offline. When a connection is there, the app checks the licence about once a day and looks for updates.

Printer

Any printer Windows can use

Invoices, statements, reports, pay stubs and cheques print through the Windows print dialog. Save PDF is built in, no PDF printer needed.

Optional

QuickBooks® Desktop (2019 or later recommended)

Only for the live pull from QuickBooks Desktop, on the same PC; older versions often work too. The IIF and QuickBooks Online imports need nothing extra.

Details

Installing, networks and your files

Microsoft Store or direct download

Same program, same licence

The Microsoft Store installs AcboBooks for your Windows user, signed by Microsoft, and updates it automatically.

If the Store app is blocked on your PC, the download page has the same Microsoft-signed package; Windows App Installer checks the signature and installs it. That copy does not update itself.

Several people on an office network

One host, any number of clients your licence covers

One PC hosts the company file; the others connect to it over the office network, with record locking so two people can't change the same record at once. The host uses TCP port 4599 by default (you can change it), so allow AcboBooks through Windows Firewall on the host if Windows asks.

Nothing goes through the internet or through us. See multi-user accounting and the hosting lesson.

Your company file

An encrypted .acbo file on your computer

Books are kept in one company file per business, encrypted on disk with AES-256 using a password you choose, with a recovery key shown once. You can keep it in any folder; the default is Public Documents › AcboBooks › Company Files.

Turn on automatic backup when the company closes, and copy backups off the PC. See company file and backups.

Printing, PDF and email

Uses what Windows already has

Print to any printer Windows can use. Cheques print on voucher or three-per-page stock. Save PDF is built into every invoice, statement and report.

Email opens a ready-written message in your own email program; there is no separate mail account to set up. Excel and CSV exports open in Excel or any spreadsheet program.

Not supported yet

What AcboBooks does not run on

Mac

Not yet. A Mac version is planned for the future.

Phones, tablets and browsers

There is no mobile app and no web version. AcboBooks is a Windows desktop program.

Older Windows

Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, and 32-bit editions of Windows 10, are not supported.

Over the internet

Multi-user is for an office network. Remote staff connect through a VPN, never an open port.

New to AcboBooks? The install and first launch lesson walks through the first ten minutes, and integrations and imports lists what it reads and writes.

Questions

System requirements FAQ

Does AcboBooks run on a Mac?

Not yet. AcboBooks runs on Windows 10 and 11. A Mac version is planned for the future; there is no phone or tablet app and no browser version.

Can I run it on a Mac with Windows in a virtual machine?

We have not tested it in Parallels or other virtual machines, so we can't promise it works. The 15-day trial is the way to find out before you buy.

Does it work on Windows 11 on ARM?

AcboBooks is built for 64-bit Intel and AMD processors. We have not tested it on ARM-based Windows PCs.

Do I need the internet every day?

No. Daily work runs offline. You need a connection to install from the Microsoft Store and to activate the licence. After that the app checks the licence about once a day when it can; if it can't, it carries on. A licensed computer that stays offline for more than 400 days has to go online once to keep editing, and its files stay readable meanwhile.

Does the trial need an account or a connection?

No account and no card. The trial starts the first time you open the program and runs on the computer itself.

How many computers can use one licence?

Two computers are included. Each additional computer is $149.99, once, on the same key. Every computer that runs AcboBooks, host or client, uses one of them.

Do I need a server for several users?

No. Any Windows 10 or 11 PC on the office network can host the company file. It has to stay on with the company open while others work. Don't open one file from a shared folder on two PCs at once; use hosting instead. See multi-user on your network.

Can people work from home?

Only through a VPN to the office network. Do not open the hosting port to the internet: traffic between the computers is not encrypted, so host only on a network you trust.

Which version should I download?

The Microsoft Store version, which updates itself. If the Store app is blocked on your PC, get the same Microsoft-signed package from the download page; it does not update itself, so come back for new versions.

Where is my company file stored?

Wherever you save it. By default it goes in Public Documents › AcboBooks › Company Files. Each file is encrypted with AES-256 using a password you choose (see security). Updating or uninstalling the app never touches your company files.

Get started

Your books, on your desk, this afternoon.

Download, open the sample company or import your own, and watch the ledger balance.

Try free for 15 daysBuy once — $399.99

No card. No account. Nothing to cancel.