QuickBooks for Mac 2014 review: Full of small updates, still no Windows file compatibility

If this is your first look at the new QuickBooks for Mac 2014 you’re likely to think it represents little more than a change of paint on an app that is substantially the same as its predecessor. While that’s not entirely true, it’s also not too far from wrong. But QuickBooks’ new paint job isn’t the only thing that’s changed about the app. QuickBooks for Mac offers a number of small new improvements that should help enhance the application’s value and give you a better clue as to how your business is doing.

QuickBooks Mac 2014

QuickBooks for Mac’s new income tracker provides an excellent overview of your business’ financial health.

I know the question you’re going to ask first and the answer is, “no.” There is no file level compatibility between the Mac and Windows versions of QuickBooks and, after asking this question of Intuit for more years than I care to count, I’ll be surprised if the answer will ever be, “yes.” That said, Intuit has made it easier to send data to and update data from your accountant.

Earlier versions of the app required that you use QuickBooks’ Roundtrip feature to create a backup of your Mac data file that could be restored in the Windows version of QuickBooks. Unfortunately, while your accountant worked on your file you couldn’t make any changes to the data on your Mac. Now QuickBooks for Mac allows you to import journal entries, which is essentially the debit and credit information for every transaction you create. This lets your accountant make changes to your data while you continue using QuickBooks. When your accountant is done updating your data you simply import the journal information.

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