2012 to 2021 direct upgrade or need to do it in stages?

Is there a trial I can can use for 2015 to 2018? I don't need to purchase those on top of 2021 right?

Hello there, @dannebi. I'm here to help you upgrade your QuickBooks versions together with the product codes.

The product key and license number are unique for each QuickBooks product. You'll want to contact our Customer Support Team for the product codes since we're unable to provide here in the Community.

Here's how:

1. Open QuickBooks.
2. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help/Contact Us.
3. Select Contact Us.
4. Give a brief description of your issue, then select Continue.
5. Sign in to your Intuit account and select Continue and then Continue with my account.
6. Select to chat with us or Have us call you.

For complete details, see this article: Contact QuickBooks Desktop support.

Also, please note that QuickBooks Desktop 2012 and 2016 are already not supported. Therefore, you'll need to upgrade your file to the 2023 version. 

The QuickBooks application has a life cycle of three years. You can install the trial license for QuickBooks. Once done, QuickBooks will ask you to upgrade your company file the first time you open it in your newer version. Once you have the information, install QuickBooks on your computer. For detailed steps, kindly refer to these articles: 

• Install QuickBooks Desktop
• Activate QuickBooks Desktop

For reference, I'll be adding this article that contains solutions to help resolve the activation errors: Errors when activating QuickBooks, or adding license and product numbers.

If there’s anything else I can help you with, feel free to leave a comment below. I’ll get back to assist further. Enjoy the rest of the day.

Hello there, henrybrown2515.

Let me share some details about upgrading QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) to 2018.

Currently, it's not achievable to directly convert your company files from QuickBooks Desktop 2012 to 2018 since both versions were discontinued. Instead, you can convert the file from 2012, 2015, and 2018 to restore it.

However, the only available trial version of QBDT is the most recent one (QBDT 2024). To help you get a code to download the trials, I highly recommend contacting our Customer Support Team. They can provide the details and assist you in the upgrade process.

Here's how;

1. Select QuickBooks Desktop Help from the Help menu.
2. Click Contact Us.
3. Type in a short description of your concern, then Continue.
4. Choose a way to connect with support.

For more details about our support availability, refer to this article: Contact Support.

Also, QuickBooks Desktop has a 3-year lifecycle, and upgrading it from 2012 to 2018 is a big jump. To avoid data issues caused by feature or version differences, create a backup copy of your file.

Alternatively, you may want to explore a third-party application to help convert the data. You can find one by visiting this website: Apps for QuickBooks Desktop.

Additionally, check this article that will help you run different reports that cater to your business needs: Understand reports.

Feel free to comment below if you have further questions about upgrading QuickBooks. I'm here to assist you.