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As you know that the QuickBooks Desktop 2021 has recently arrived in the accounting world. Like every year, Intuit has introduced so many new and interesting features to the software. It comes with a new user interface that allows you to easily access your reports and other data. However, to use the QuickBooks 2021 version, there are several requirements that need to be full-filled by your system. The system requrements for QuickBooks Desktop are a bit different from what the QuickBooks 2020 version required. If you are not sure whether your system has required system configuration or not, this article can be really helpful for you. If you are planning to switch to the QuickBooks Desktop 2021 version, we recommend you reading this article before the purchase. This article will provide you all the required details about system requirements for QuickBooks Desktop 2021. You can also connect with the QuickBooks Support department to get help with updating your QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release.
Operating Systems
- Windows 10, all editions including 64-bit, natively installed
- Windows 8.1, all editions including 64-bit, natively installed
- Windows Server 2019, Standard and Essentials
- Windows Server 2016, Standard and Essentials
- Windows Server 2012 R2, Standard and Essentials
- Windows Server 2012, Standard and Essentials
Note: You are supposed to use Windows natively and avoid using it through an emulator or virtual environment.
Database Servers
| Windows (natively installed) | ● Windows Server 2019, Standard and Essentials
● Windows Server 2016, Standard and Essentials ● Windows Server 2012 R2, Standard and Essentials ● Windows Server 2012, Standard and Essentials ● Windows 10 ● Windows 8.1 |
| Linux (when using QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Database Server-only installation) | ● OpenSuse Leap 15.1, 15.2
● Fedora 31, 32 ● Red Hat Enterprise 8 (RHEL 8) |
Browser Requirements
Internet access is required for the QuickBooks Desktop 2021 version and it is best compatible with the Internet Explorer 11 and later versions.
Hardware And Operating System Requirements
| Processor | 2.4 GHz minimum |
| RAM | 4GB minimum, 8GB Recommended |
| Server RAM requirements | ● 1-5 Users: 8GB RAM
● 10 Users: 12GB RAM ● 15 Users: 16GB RAM ● 20 Users: 20+GB RAM |
| Disk space | ● 2.5GB of disk space (additional required for data files).
● Additional software: 60MB for Microsoft .NET 4.7 Runtime, provided on the QuickBooks CD. ● Additional requirements for Intuit Data Protect in QuickBooks Connected Services offerings: ○ 4 GB RAM minimum. ○ Double the size of the largest file assigned for back up + 100 MB or double the size to restore. The space is only required from the work folder LocalApplicationData+”Intuit\Intuit Data Protect”. Note: Use a Solid State Drive (SSD) to get the best performance. |
| Windows | ● US version of Windows.
● Regional settings are supported when set to English. ● To access the multi-user access, the admin access for the server is required. ● Locally installed and shouldn’t be used on remote or virtual environments. |
| Optical drive | A 4X DVD-ROM drive is required for physical CD installations. |
| Screen resolution | ● Best display resolution is 1280 x 124 or higher and up to 2 extended monitors can be added.
● Best optimized for Default DPI setting for a given computer. |
Other Hardware Devices
- Zebra TC20/TC25/TC51 Mobile Computer is recommended (Android 4.4 & above)
- Zebra MC40 Mobile Computer (Android 4.4 & above)
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise 21.0 also supports:
- Honeywell Voyager 1602g Pocket Barcode Scanner
- Socket Mobile CHK 7CI
- Symbol CS3070
Software Compatibility
QuickBooks can be integrated with thousands of third-party applications with ease. This section covers the most common and most important apps that you can integrate with the QuickBooks Desktop:
- Microsoft Office:
- Office 2019.
- Office 2016 (including Outlook 2016) both on 32 and 64-bit.
- Office 2013 and 365 (including Outlook 2013) both on 32 and 64-bit. Note: Microsoft 365 is only supported when it’s locally installed, not the web version.
- Email estimates, invoices, and other forms with Microsoft Outlook 2016-2019, Microsoft Outlook with Microsoft 365, Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Outlook.com, other SMTP-supporting email clients.
- Preparing letters requires Microsoft Word 2019, 2016, 2013, or Microsoft 365 (includes 64-bit).
- Exporting reports requires Microsoft Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, or Microsoft 365 (includes 64-bit).
- Contact Synchronization with Microsoft Outlook requires Outlook 2019 (32-bit), 2016, or 2013.
- Syncing with Outlook requires QuickBooks Contact Sync for Outlook. Note: Contact Sync doesn’t work with the Microsoft Business Contact Manager Outlook plug-in, so syncing could cause duplicate records.
- QuickBooks Point of Sale V19.0, V18.0, and V12.0.
- TurboTax 2020, 2019, and 2018 (Personal and Business).
- Lacerte 2020, 2019, and 2018.
- Pro-Series tax years 2020, 2019, and 2018.
- Quicken 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016.
- QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2016.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: Business Planner, Payroll, and viewing forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 or later.
- Payroll and other online features and services require Internet access with at least a 56 Kbps connection speed (1 Mbps recommended). DSL or cable modem is recommended.
- Gmail, Yahoo Email, Windows Mail, Hotmail and AOL (i.e Mozilla Thunderbird Email Client which supports the plain text version).
- Internet Explorer 11.
Antimalware And Antivirus Software Compatibility
The QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier 2021, and Enterprise 21.0 is successfully tested with the following antivirus and antimalware programs. For further information, you may contact your antivirus manufacturer.
Antivirus software
- McAfee
- Avast
- Bitdefender
- Norton
- Kaspersky
- Trend Micro Security
- Webroot
- ESET
- Panda Dome
- Sophos
- Avira
- Symantec
- F-Secure
Antimalware software
- Bitdefender
- AVG
- Malwarebytes
- Spybot
- Emsisoft
- McAfee
- Avast
- Webroot
- ZoneAlarm
- Kaspersky
- F-Secure
Hopefully, you found these information regarding the system requirements for QuickBooks 2021 helpful. You should now have a clear idea whether your system allows you to switch to the 2021 version or not. If not, we recommend you upgrade your system configurations first as using the latest QuickBooks version on an old system might not just go well. However, if you have some queries or going through any issue while updating to the 2021 version, feel free to get in touch with our QuickBooks Data Services team by dialing our toll-free QuickBooks Support Phone Number +1-866-701-7446 and get your issues resolved.
Call Us: +1-866-701-7446