Find out what your computer needs for the best experience in QuickBooks Desktop 2021.

Here’s helpful info about the operating system, hardware, software, and other QuickBooks Requirements to run QuickBooks Desktop 2021.

Note: Need to check your computer’s specs? Here’s how to get your system info for Windows.

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: QuickBooks requires you to use Windows natively and not 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
Browser requirements
QuickBooks Desktop 2021 requires internet access and Internet Explorer 11 (32-bit).

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:
Require minimum 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+”IntuitIntuit Data Protect”.
Note: For the best performance, store your QuickBooks data file on a solid-state drive (SSD).

Windows
US 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 screen resolution or higher with up to 2 extended monitors.
Best optimized for Default DPI setting for a given computer.
Other hardware devices
If you’re using the Warehouse Manager in QuickBooks Desktop mobile, here’s the supported devices you can use:

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 integrates with hundreds of other apps. Here’s a list of the most common apps you can use. You can also find more at the Intuit App Store.

Note: Additional RAM can enhance the use of these features.

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, and V18.0.
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
We tested QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier 2021, and Enterprise 21.0 with the following antimalware and antivirus programs.

You may need to adjust some settings in these programs to get the best QuickBooks performance.

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
Note: QuickBooks will work with systems running RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) but it’s not recommended because it may cause QuickBooks to operate slowly.

QuickBooks Desktop 2021 requires internet security protocol TLS 1.2 for the connected services to work smoothly.