Over the past few years, QuickBooks for Mac has had numerous improvements. As the number of QuickBooks for Mac users increase, more QuickBooks ProAdvisors are supporting them. If you are a QuickBooks ProAdvisor who is proficient with QuickBooks for Windows, then you will be able to navigate on QuickBooks for Mac. You may find that you are a bit slower to move around, however within a few minutes you can find your way around and will realize that the basic concepts are the same.
QuickBooks for Mac 2011 enjoys a wealth of improvements, including many features that the Windows users have come to know, love, rely upon and respect. New for 2011:
- Multi-user version (up to 3 users)
- Control access
- iChat integration
- Track Mileage
- Improved Layout Designer
- Layout Designer templates
- Little Square Online magazine — check it out here
- Mac like interface to customize reports
- Sort registers by date, type, number amount and more
- Export report data to excel and Numbers
- NOTE: Only works with Snow Leopard (OS X V 10.6)
For the QuickBooks 2011 Contest — post a comment about QuickBooks for Mac below and subscribe to my blog–upper, right corner and I promise your email will not be sold or given to anyone else and you can unsubscribe after the contest if you wish. You will be entered into the drawing for QuickBooks for Mac 2011 Multi-user (3 users $599 retail value). There will be 2 random winners.
I only have one client who uses Quickbooks on a Mac. I was delighted when I could finally review her database on my Windows computer, but I agree the transfer is not perfect. I hope Intuit will improve this process as Mac computers become more popular.
Hi Boris.
You can save a Mac company file for Windows and vica versa. However, it isn’t seamless and some data is lost (for example bank recs are undone). So, you shouldn’t do it too often. I login remotely to work on my Mac client files.
Good Afternoon, Michelle!
I am owner of iMAC computer. However, I am not sure if QuickBooks for MAC is compatible software product for clients who have PC QuickBooks or something else. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your review on QB for Mac 2011. I hope Intuit will keep respecting Mac users by continuing to improve the product.
Sorry, here’s my post on the other site:
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/11/quickbooks-2011-for-mac-ebook-now-available-for-your-ipad/comment-page-1/#comment-422
Michelle, how many accountants actually support QB for Mac? I use a Mac, and I know most of my clients have PCs. I run a virtual Windows 7 machine on my MacBook Pro and am also looking at hosted QB options. I would think the small number of people using Macs and the even smaller number of accountants using them (I admit it – I’m a pretty rare breed who is an accountant and a Mac), how popular could QB for Mac become?
It has been a while since I used a Mac, but one never knows when one might get a Mac client, so I read and learn as much as I can regarding the Mac versions.
in a nutshell: I haven’t used QB for Mac since v. 2007. ugh. The improvements are tremendous, and I look forward to using it now!
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/11/making-quickbooks-look-the-way-you-want/comment-page-1/#comment-419
I use a MacBook Pro with Parallels so that I can use either Mac or Windows applications. I expect to add Mac clients this year.
Hi Michelle,
Thanks so much for the link to Little Square. I am getting some new mac clients and I need to learn a little more without going out and buying that brand new Mac Air I want. 🙂 Now I have a resource and I downloaded the ebook. Thanks again
Jo
I have a few clients that I visit annually that are MAC users. I have seen much improvement with the 2010 release, and I hope that there are even more improvements for 2011. It isn’t as user friendly as the PC, AND you can not run payroll on it! That is very disappointing to me that you have you pay a separate subscription and import the information into the QB file. The HELP feature is not very helpful!
I am happy that Quickbooks is finally treating it’s Mac software like a blood relative instead of an in-law or step child. I have been using Mac software for 8 years now and Mac is finally getting some love. The Software was very limited before. I would still like to see Mac Software Training in the Pro Advisor Training Course.
I wish that I had more exposure to QB for Mac. I only have a few clients that us it. I wish that a copy was provided in our ProAdvisor membership so that we could learn more about it.
@Rich — I’m not sure. I’d look at the system requirements for details — see if this helps you: http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/mac-accounting-software.jsp while you’re at that site, a chat usually pops up and you could ask a sales person.
Do you need to run Mac Server or can the macs being sharing computers instead?
I use QuickBooks for Windows for all of my clients and use an older version of QuickBooks for Mac to manage the books for my husband’s small business. I always felt that QuickBooks for Mac was far behind the Windows version. It is so encouraging to see major upgrades like multi-user! And it is also very encouraging to see a site devoted to QuickBooks for Mac.
Here’s my comment – the downloadable PDF at Little Square is awesome!
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/11/quickbooks-2011-for-mac-ebook-now-available-for-your-ipad/comment-page-1/#comment-409
I keep thinking I need MAc’s in my office. At Sleeter I met someone – whose entire office was on a MAC platform. Why don’t we get the MAC version free in our ProAdvisor membership. If they want us to teach it – we gotta work with it!!!!
I, too, am looking forward to jumping into the MAC ProAdvisor world in 2011. Thanks for the opportunity to have a virtual place to hang-out. Still need to gather the software tools to kick it off.
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-246
Looking forward to using the new version of Quickbooks for the Mac. I only have a couple of clients on the Mac but more and more people are moving to the Mac platform. Thanks Michelle!
Intuit’s LittleSquare (website) for Mac is one of the best tools to learn the details about QB for Mac and also the ‘tricks’ and ‘tips’.
I wish those of us primarily using and consulting on QB-Windows had a LittleSquare type website to point our clients to.
Intuit’s QB Community is a great resource but it is so cluttered and cumbersome that a lot of ‘newcommers’ are overwhelmed and simply ‘close-out’ rather than take the time to find the ‘help’ they are looking for.
Thanks Michelle for giving us a great forum to post our thoughts on your timely and informative subjects.
William “Bill” Murphy – Okla. City
I have 1/2 dozen clients who use QuickBooks for Mac. Although I strongly prefer the PC version, my Mac clients have been able to manage their businesses regardless of my preference, They all have come to understand that occasionally when they ask about a functionality that the Mac version just doesn’t do as much as the PC version. So far, we like the new features in QuickBooks Mac 2011 but we have yet to try them all.
So far I’ve been recommending that Mac users partition their computers and run QB for Windows. It sounds like improvements have been made, which is welcome. It seems like many ProAdvisors don’t want to deal with Mac. I know a couple of my exisitng Mac folks are planning to switch to 2011 – here’s hoping it’s a little more accoutant friendly. I think most of it is psychological – I know how to do everything I want in QB for Windows, but QB Mac is struggle – plus we hate looking stupid in front of our clients. 🙂
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-374
I set up qb 2010 in Mac for a client – it was slightly different but easy – looking forward to the 2011 and expanding my client base.
I only have one client that uses QuickBooks for MAC, and I use the QuickBooks conversion tool from PC to MAC to send the data files to him. Only issue I have ever had is a couple of the files are too large to send by email so I use a flashdrive and give him the files that way.
Oh, maybe the other post was in the wrong place. How about this one…
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-368
If I win a copy of QB for MAC I just might go out and get me a MAC
Here’s my link…
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/11/getting-going-with-quickbooks-for-mac-one-real-user%e2%80%99s-journey/comment-page-1/#comment-367
QuickBooks for MAC’s iChat capabilities is a great tool to communicate with other workers on different job tasks changes or daily updates on meeting changes or work updates. Also, the improved layout designer and additional templates. QuickBooks lets you crop, use guides, access additional form fields and utilize additional templates for ready-to-use forms or to duplicate and customize.
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-361
What good is a “great tool” if you cannot find it in your toolbox. Here are some additional factors to consider.
Up until this year, I have not been able to recommend the mac version of QB. I have been a Pro Advisor since 1999 and I can now heartily recommend QB for Mac.
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-356
Looking forward to mac 2011. My husband is a screen printer and Mac’s are used solely in their industry. I have one client that uses it and want to break into the screen shops with this option.
Oops – duh! Thanks for the heads up, Michelle! Here’s a link to my post:
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-314
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-307
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/11/i-did-what-three-common-tax-mistakes-small-businesses-make/comment-page-1/#comment-295
Really looking forward to Mac 2011, and thanks for the Little Square website information!
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/11/making-quickbooks-look-the-way-you-want/comment-page-1/#comment-292
Here’s my link:
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-260
Great comments — but the last 3 (Judy, Marnie, Cheryl) don’t include a link to where you posted a comment on Little Square. You need to post there too to be entered into the contest. 🙂
I’m a QuickBooks professional and my computer is dying. I’ve ordered my first MAC and plan to use it to do QuickBooks. I’m thrilled Intuit offers QB for MAC’s. I also hear wonderful things about the 2011 verison.
I have several QB Mac clients, and it’s always been frustrating for me as a consultant switching from the PC version to the Mac version as the Mac version never seemed to have the bells and whistles I was so familiar with. Glad to see that Intuit is giving Mac a bit more attention these days 🙂
Finally, accounting software for Macs. I am excited to see this happen. I love Macs for working with photos, etc but have always kept a pc for accounting stuff. Now I can concentrate on just one machine.
The 2011 QB for Mac seemed to fix many of the previous issues. In the past, I’ve actually sen Mac users go out and buy a PC just for thier QuickBooks. Of course, that is borderline offensive for most Mac users. The new version is more robust — I think we’ll see some folks tossing out their PCs. http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-261
I only have a few QB Mac clients, but hoping to get more now that the software is more user friendly. Here’s my link.
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/11/quickbooks-2011-for-mac-ebook-now-available-for-your-ipad/comment-page-1/#comment-249
http://www.qblittlesquare.com/2010/08/new2011/comment-page-1/#comment-246