QuickBooks 2011: The Missing Manual

Registering QuickBooks

The Register QuickBooks dialog box doesn’t appear until the first time you open a company file with the new version of the program. If you’re new to QuickBooks and create a brand-new company file, the EasyStep Interview (About the EasyStep Interview) walks you through the entire process without mentioning registration. But when you open the file you’ve just created or converted from an earlier version, you’ll see the Register QuickBooks dialog box. You don’t have to register QuickBooks immediately, but you’ll have to eventually—the program runs for only 30 days unless you register your copy. In other words, Intuit doesn’t really give you a choice in the matter.

In addition to letting you run the program you’ve already paid for, registration is worthwhile for a couple other reasons: You get 30 days of free callback support from the day you first register, and you’ll receive any updates that Intuit releases. The price you pay is having to sit through online sales pitches for Intuit’s other products.

When you open a company file in the new version of QuickBooks, the “Register QuickBooks <edition> 2011” dialog box appears. Click the Begin Registration button, and a browser window opens to the QuickBooks Registration page and guides you through the steps.

If you want to use some of QuickBooks’ online services, you have to set up a special Intuit account. (The account is free, but some of the services aren’t.) If you don’t have an Intuit ...