QuickBooks Desktop 2023 System Requirements, Pricing and Features

It was just only recently announced that Intuit is entering 2023 with a newer and possibly better version of QuickBooks. Ted Callahan, who is the director of QuickBooks Accountant Leader, announced that QuickBooks Desktop 2023 will be available to small businesses starting September 20, 2022.

Four new features were announced that will be available to users who use QuickBooks. These users could be people who use the QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus and QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus versions, or they could be users of the QuickBooks Enterprise or the QuickBooks Accountant versions. The newly added features will be available to everyone who uses QuickBooks, irrespective of the version they are subscribed to. The features that have been added to QuickBooks 2023 are the new Cash Flow Hub, the tweaked Track Vehicle Mileage feature, Reports Optimization, and improved Banking Connectivity.

QuickBooks Desktop Subscription

Users, depending on the subscription that they currently have, will find three new features available to the Enterprise version: the Item Categories feature, the Expiration Dates feature for Advanced Inventory Serial/Lot tracking users, and the Intercompany Transactions feature. Users will also be exposed to two newly designed payment features.

These newly designed payment features will be available to all 2023 QuickBooks Desktop subscribers, provided that the user in question has an active paid subscription. The new payment features that are being discussed are the Payment Links enhancements, and a new Node Card Reader.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Features

Furthermore, there will also be two new payroll features in the 2023 version of the QuickBooks Desktop application. The catch with these new payroll features in the 2023 version of the QuickBooks Desktop application is that the type of subscription the user has will determine whether the feature is available to them or not. These new payroll features are Equifax employment/income verification and HCM with Guideline 401(k).

System Requirements for QuickBooks Desktop 2023

There are a bunch of requirements that a user’s workstation must meet to be able to run QuickBooks Desktop 2023 smoothly. All of those system requirements are listed below.

• Operating System: QuickBooks Desktop 2023 will be discontinued from the Windows 8.1 operating system as Microsoft will not be providing the user with any security upgrades or support starting from January 10, 2023. Any Windows that is installed on the workstation must have been installed natively, and not through an emulator or a virtual environment. That being kept in mind, the user’s workstation must have any one of the following operating systems installed in them:
  • Windows 11, 64-bit, natively installed
  • Windows 10, all 64-bit editions, natively installed
  • Windows Server 2022, Standard and Essentials
  • 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
• Database Servers: Users must have one of these database servers natively installed on their workstations. Also, Linux and Windows 10 S mode are not supported by QuickBooks Desktop 2023.
  • Windows Server 2022, Standard and Essentials
  • 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
• Browser Requirements: QuickBooks Desktop 2023 supports Google Chrome, and a stable and fast internet connection is required by QuickBooks Desktop 2023.
• Hardware and operating system requirements: Following are the hardware and operating system requirements for QuickBooks Desktop 2023.
  • Processor: Minimum 2.4GHz.
  • RAM: The recommended ram is 16GB, but 8GB RAM should be sufficient.
  • Server RAM: Based on the number of users, the following server RAMs should be sufficient:
    • • 1-5 Users: 8 GB
    • • 10 Users: 12 GB
    • • 15 Users: 16 GB
    • • 20+ users: 20+ GB
  • Space on disk:
    • Minimum of 2.5GB of disk space. Additional space is required for data files. Additional software: 60MB for Microsoft .NET 4.8 Runtime, which is provided with the installation files.
    • Additional requirements for Intuit Data Protect in QuickBooks Connected Services offerings:
    • Requires a minimum of 4.0GB RAM
    • Twice the size of the largest file set to back up + 100MB or twice the size to restore. The space is only required from the work folder LocalApplicationData+” Intuit\Intuit Data Protect”.
  • Windows:
    • North American version of Windows.
    • Regional settings are supported when set to English.
    • Administrator rights are required for the server computer when hosting multi-user access.
    • Natively installed and doesn’t need to run in a virtual environment or emulation software.
  • Optical Drive: A 4X DVD-ROM drive is required for physical CD installations.
  • Screen Resolution:
    • Display optimized for 1280 x 1024 resolution or higher with up to 2 extended monitors.
    • Best optimized for the Default DPI setting for a given computer.
  • Other Hardware: If the user is using the Warehouse Manager in the QuickBooks Desktop mobile application, the user can go ahead and use any of the following devices that are supported:
    • Zebra TC20/TC25/TC51 Mobile Computer is recommended (Android 4.4 & above)
    • Zebra MC40 Mobile Computer (Android 4.4 & above)
    • For Enterprise, users can also use Honeywell Voyager 1602g Pocket Barcode Scanner, Socket Mobile CHS 7CI, Symbol CS3070
• Compatibility with other software: QuickBooks is known to work with other software in an integrated fashion. Following are the applications that can be used in an integrated manner with QuickBooks Desktop 2023.
  • Microsoft Office 2021
  • Microsoft Office 2019.
  • Microsoft Office 2016 (including Outlook 2016) both on 32 and 64-bit.
  • Microsoft 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 2016-2021, Microsoft Outlook with Microsoft 365, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com, and other SMTP-supporting email clients.
  • Preparing letters requires Microsoft Word 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, or Microsoft 365 (includes 64-bit).
  • Exporting reports requires Microsoft Excel 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, or Microsoft 365 (includes 64-bit).
  • Contact Synchronisation with Microsoft Outlook requires Outlook 2021, 2019 (32 and 64-bit), 2016, or 2013.
  • QuickBooks Point of Sale V19.0.
  • Lacerte 2022.
  • Pro-Series tax year 2022.
  • QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 2023, 2022, and 2021.
  • 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).
  • Internet Explorer 11.
• Compatibility with antivirus/antimalware software: Following antivirus/antimalware software can be used while using QuickBooks Desktop 2023 (after making some adjustments to the software to increase the efficiency of QuickBooks).
  • McAfee
  • Avast
  • Bitdefender
  • Norton
  • Kaspersky
  • Trend Micro Security
  • Webroot
  • Cylance (Internet/Regression Only)
  • ESET
  • Panda Dome
  • Sophos
  • Avira
  • Symantec
  • F-Secure
  • Bitdefender
  • AVG
  • Malwarebytes
  • Spybot
  • Emsisoft
  • McAfee
  • Avast
  • Webroot
  • ZoneAlarm
  • Kaspersky
  • F-Secure

QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Pricing

Recently, Intuit announced that they will be making some tweaks to the prices that they will set for different versions of the QuickBooks Desktop application. QuickBooks Desktop will now be sold at the maximum retail price, and no discounts will be available to the users in any channel. Following are the new prices that have been set for QuickBooks Desktop 2023.

New Features Introduced in QuickBooks Desktop 2023

Intuit has introduced some new features to the QuickBooks Desktop 2023 application. Some of these features have been more well-received by users who use different versions of the QuickBooks Desktop 2023 application than others, but it can be said with certainty that not one of these features is a ‘bad’ feature. The Intuit team has worked extremely hard to provide a more positive and efficient user experience, and the new features that they have rolled out in the QuickBooks Desktop 2023 application speak for themselves. The new features that have been introduced in the QuickBooks Desktop 2023 application are.

A. Cash Flow Hub

The Cash Flow Hub feature is available to all users who are using 2023 Desktop Plus, Enterprise, and Accountant within the US. This feature is available as of the initial 2023 product (R1) release. The Cash Flow Hub lets users explore, manage, and track their cash flow in one go. The Cash Flow Hub also provides the users with a better view of their accounts that they constantly monitor to better understand their position in terms of how much cash they have. This increased visibility includes the user’s bank accounts, their credit cards, and the loans that have been taken if any. Users can also track their cash flow in terms of how much money has come in and how much money has gone out of their accounts. There is a bunch of stuff that the users can do with this feature, including (but not limited to).

• Review their account balances
• Add accounts to the list of accounts that are under the supervision
• Inspect cash balance trends
• Track cash performance over a specific period
• Manage overdue payments and bills
• Study reports that are related to any cash flow details

To access the Cash Flow Hub, the user can simply go to either the ‘Company’ or the ‘Reports’ menu. Users can also select the Cash Flow Hub which is also available in the sidebar on the home screen. 

B. Track Vehicle Mileage

The Track Vehicle Mileage feature is available to all users who use one of the 2023 Desktop Plus, Enterprise, and Accountant versions within the US as of the initial 2023 product (R1) release. It can be accessed from the Company menu. Even though this is not a feature that has been introduced in the QuickBooks Desktop application for the first time, the Intuit team has introduced a new method to track the mileage in the 2023 version of the QuickBooks Desktop application. QuickBooks Desktop 2023 provides an enhanced experience to the users who are trying to track and manage their vehicle mileages. Users can simply add new trips from the desktop application on their workstations and get them approved easily. 

What’s interesting is that there is now an iOS app that can also work with QuickBooks for users who are trying to track their vehicle mileage. This iOS application then incorporates the vehicle mileage data into the user’s Company File in QuickBooks. This application can be downloaded from the App Store that is available on Apple devices. The benefit that this mobile application serves is that with its presence, users can wave goodbye to having to manually track their odometer readings when they come back after business trips. The user can simply enter the starting point and the ending point of their trip, and the number of miles traveled will be automatically calculated by the application for the user. Users can now also forget about having to track the current IRS mileage rate. QuickBooks is more capable now with its latest release, and it will fetch the rate for the users and use it to compute each trip’s mileage expense. The trips that the employees take for business purposes are also available for approval by the appropriate approving authority when the report is sent to QuickBooks Desktop. This impacts the user experience positively as the company can then simply analyze the report they get and bill its customers accordingly. This feature can be found in the ‘Company’ menu in QuickBooks.

C. Report Optimization Enhancements

The Report Optimization feature is available to all users who use one of the 2023 Desktop Plus, Enterprise, and Accountant in the US and Canada as of the initial 2023 product (R1) release. In their latest release, QuickBooks has made changes for the better on the back-end side. These changes will provide better report compilation performance for larger company files. The user won’t be able to see any changes apart from the fact that their reports are being processed faster than the older versions of QuickBooks.

D. Improved Banking Connectivity

The Improved Banking Connectivity feature can easily be set up from the ‘Bank Feeds’ section under the ‘Banking’ menu. It also is accessible by selecting ‘Bank Feeds’ from the shortcut sidebar on the home screen. Three reasons collectively explain why this feature is great and a very much-needed feature:

• Users can now connect to several banks that previously did not offer direct connectivity but only made bank downloads available.
• Banking connections now will offer more stability. They will also have lesser interruptions and downtimes.
• Automatic downloads of banking data on a user-determined frequency can be configured and QuickBooks Desktop will fetch the bank (or credit card) information.