Installation & Setup
Follow these five steps to install LiftOff, connect it to your QuickBooks company file, and prepare for your first extraction.
Verify your computer meets all system requirements before installing. LiftOff must be installed on the Windows machine where QuickBooks Desktop runs.
Step 1 — Install LiftOff
Download the LiftOff installer from the link provided by your Pivoten account team and run it on the Windows computer where QuickBooks Desktop is installed.
The installer is a standard Windows .exe. Run it as a normal user — no administrator rights are required unless your system policy restricts installations to administrators.
Step 2 — Log in
Open LiftOff. You will be prompted to sign in with your Pivoten account. Enter your email and password and complete the login flow.
LiftOff stores your session securely in the Windows credential store. You will not need to log in again on subsequent runs unless your session expires.
Contact your Pivoten account team to obtain credentials. LiftOff cannot be used without a Pivoten account.
Step 3 — Create a workspace
A workspace is a saved configuration for one QuickBooks company file. If you have multiple company files, each gets its own workspace.
On first launch you will see the workspace picker. Click New workspace, give it a name (for example, Acme Corp), and choose a folder where LiftOff will store its settings. You can switch between workspaces at any time from the workspace menu in the top-right corner.
Step 4 — Configure the extraction
After creating or opening a workspace, LiftOff will ask you to configure the extraction.
Company file (.qbw)
Click Browse… to open a file picker and select your QuickBooks company file. The file path is saved to your workspace — you will not need to select it again on future runs.
Date range (optional)
If you only want to extract transactions within a specific time window, enter a From and/or To date using the format YYYY-MM-DD. Leave both fields blank to extract all transactions regardless of date.
The date range applies only to transactions (invoices, bills, checks, journal entries, etc.). Lists such as your Chart of Accounts, customers, vendors, and items are always extracted in full regardless of the date range. See Data Coverage for details.
Click Save & Continue when done.
Step 5 — Run the extraction wizard
You are now in LiftOff's four-step migration wizard. Make sure QuickBooks Desktop is open with your company file loaded before starting.
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1
Gather QB Reports Attach your Trial Balance, Check Reconciliation, and any other QB reports you have exported from QuickBooks. The two required reports must be attached before you can continue.
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2
Extract Run system checks, then click Start Extraction to pull all data from your QuickBooks company file.
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3
Verify Review entity counts and confirm attached reports before uploading.
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4
Upload Send your snapshot and report files to Pivoten. A confirmation message appears when delivery is complete.
See Running an Extraction for a detailed walkthrough of each step, how long to expect, and troubleshooting tips.