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The 2017 versions of Quickbooks Desktop are coming to an end. By the end of May 2020, Intuit will retire them while focusing its time and resources on the 2020 versions, instead. As a business owner, news of Intuit’s decision to retire the iconic accounting software may come as a surprise. After all, Quickbooks Desktop is by far the most popular accounting software. Therefore, you might be wondering why Intuit is calling it quits.

What Happens Next?

After May 31, 2020, Intuit will no longer support the 2017 versions of its Quickbooks Desktop accounting software. This includes Quickbooks Premier 2017, Quickbooks Desktop Accountant 2017, Quickbooks Pro 2017 and Quickbooks Premier 2017. Depending on your current setup, you may still be able to use these products, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good idea.

By retiring the 2017 versions of Quickbooks Desktop, Intuit will no longer release security updates for them. Like most software providers, Intuit regularly releases security updates to patch vulnerabilities and bugs that could otherwise lead to a data breach. When it retires the aforementioned versions of Quickbooks Desktop, though, it will no longer release these otherwise critical security updates. Therefore, using a retired version of Quickbooks Desktop could result in your business’s data being lost or stolen.

In addition to halting new security updates, Intuit says it will discontinue addon services for the 2017 versions of Quickbooks Desktop. If you currently use an addon service for a 2017 version of Quickbooks Desktop, you won’t be able to access it after May 31, 2020. Quickbooks will stop both security updates as well as addon services for the 2017 versions, meaning it’s probably time to move on to a newer version, such as one of the 2020 versions.

Moving on to the 2020 Versions

With the 2017 versions of Quickbooks Desktop being retired, you should consider moving on to one of the 2020 versions. Intuit offers several 2020 Quickbooks Desktop products, including Quickbooks Pro 2020, Quickbooks Premier 2020 and Quickbooks Enterprise 20.0. All of these products are actively maintained by Intuit, so they receive regular security updates as well as other forms of maintenance.

Thankfully, Intuit makes it easy to upgrade from an old version of Quickbooks Desktop to a new version. Intuit says that most customers can upgrade their company file in just 60 minutes or less. After switching to a 2020 version of Quickbooks Desktop, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that it’s actively maintained by Intuit.

Have anything else that you’d like to add? Let us know in the comments section below!