QuickBooks 2011: The Missing Manual

Sending Company Files to Others

In the past, QuickBooks company files were unwieldy. To give a copy to your accountant, you needed a lightning-fast Internet connection, a CD or DVD—or a forklift. But QuickBooks now has portable company files, a slim format that flies through the email ether and slips effortlessly into removable media like USB thumb drives and CDs. You can email a portable company file to your accountant or transfer the file to a colleague before you head out on vacation.

Tip

If you intend to work on the company file at the same time as your accountant and want to merge her changes into your copy, create an Accountant’s Copy (Sharing a Company File with Your Accountant) instead of a portable copy. But, before you transmit your file electronically, be sure you’ve added a password to it so nobody else can intercept it and access your financial data.

For example, a company file that’s more than 10 MB in size turns into a portable company file of less than 1 MB. Portable company files have a .qbm file extension, but QuickBooks converts them to regular company files with a .qbw file extension when you open them.

Note

If the person you send the file to is going to make any changes and send the file back, she needs a login or the administrator password. Remember that this password lets her use any and every QuickBooks feature on your file, so don’t give it out to just anybody.

Creating a Portable Company File

Creating a portable company file is just a wee bit more complicated ...