Migrating between machines

Your books live in a company file on your computer, so moving to a new computer is mostly a file copy. Installing Solid Accounting again is the small part.

Move your company file

Close Solid Accounting on the old computer. A closed company file is a complete, consistent copy.
Copy the company file to a USB drive, an external disk, or across your network. The file is encrypted, so a lost USB stick doesn't expose your books — but make sure you know the company file's password (or have its recovery phrase) before you wipe the old computer.
Install Solid Accounting on the new computer from the download page. See Installation.
Activate your license. Sign in with your account, or enter your license key. See License keys.
Put the company file in its permanent folder, then choose File → Open Company… and sign in.

Settings and preferences live inside the company file, so they come with it, and so do attachments. The chart of accounts, transactions, and Audit Trail are exactly as you left them.

If you use Cloud Backup, you can skip the copy: on the new computer choose Restore from cloud backup on the Welcome screen and enter your recovery phrase.

Move your license activation

Each computer you activate uses an activation slot. Free the old one:

Old computer still works: Settings → License & Updates → Deactivate.
Old computer is gone (broken, lost, sold): deactivate it from your account page, or email support@solidaccounting.com.

Activations are separate from your user count. Your tier sets how many people can be signed in at once — Standard up to 3, Professional up to 5, Accountant up to 10.

If the old computer hosted other users

If other computers connected to a company file on the old computer through network sharing, move the company file as above, then choose Settings → Multi-user → Share on the network on the new computer. The others choose Connect to a company on another computer on the Welcome screen and pair with the new host. Plan the move for a time nobody is working.

Reconnect Cloud Backup

Your backup settings travel with the company file, but the saved credentials that unlock them are stored on the old computer. On the new computer, open Settings → Backup & Restore and follow the prompt to reconnect — you'll confirm your password. Until you do, backups don't run and the status bar shows a warning. Existing backups stay restorable.

Where to keep the company file

Local disk — the best choice. Pair it with Cloud Backup.
External drive — works, but it has to be connected to open the file, and slow USB drives feel slow.
Network share — works for one person. For several people, use network sharing instead of opening the same file off a share.
Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive — avoid for the file you work in. The sync client can upload a half-saved file and create conflicted copies. Use those folders as a backup destination instead.

Handing the books to a new owner

Copying the company file is enough to hand over the books. Transferring the license to a different person or business needs us: email support@solidaccounting.com with the new owner's details.

Checklist and common problems

Run a final Cloud Backup on the old computer.
Note where the company file is and confirm you have its password.
Close Solid Accounting and copy the company file.
Old computer: Settings → License & Updates → Deactivate.
New computer: install, activate, move the file into place, open it.
Spot-check a report (the Trial Balance is a good one).
Reconnect backup in Settings → Backup & Restore and click Back up now.

"Wrong password" or "damaged file" on the new computer. Check the password first. If it's right, the copy may be incomplete — compare file sizes and copy again.

Activation refused — no activation slots left. The old computer is still active. Deactivate it (see above).

Other users can't find the new host. Automatic discovery only works on the same local network. Use a VPN or type the host's address.

Conflicted copies of the company file. Move it out of the sync folder into a normal folder and keep working from there.