Question: I have a Mac that I use for my business, but I’d like to use QuickBooks. What are my options?
Answer: There is a Mac desktop version of QuickBooks that is very different from the Windows QuickBooks, and is inadequate for our business. Furthermore, it is being discontinued, and the 2017 version was the last released.
If you ask Intuit what to do, they will direct you to QuickBooks Online, which is not a suitable option for our industry. The best QuickBooks products for our industry are Premier and Enterprise.
I have clients with Mac who have purchased “parallels,” which permits both Mac and Windows to be on your Mac computer. It seems to work well enough, but constantly switching back and forth between the two is confusing.
Another option is to host your QuickBooks Premier or Enterprise in a cloud. There are several services that do this, like Novel Aspect or Right Networks.
Some Mac distributors will buy a laptop with Windows just for their QuickBooks.
And, of course, check with your information technology person to make sure your selection works with your current system.
Please email accounting questions you would like considered for the column to hgatter@accountingsupportllc.com with the subject line of "Ask the Accountant."
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Harriet Gatter, owner of Accounting Support LLC, was an ad specialty distributor for 23 years and an adjunct professor of accounting at Neumann University. She sold her ad specialty business in 2012, became certified as a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and now works exclusively with ad specialty distributors nationwide on their QuickBooks, order management and accounting needs.





