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I’m hoping Mike_MYOB can clarify a point because I’m receiving advice from MYOB Sales that appears different from the information in this thread.
I originally purchased AccountRight/Premier outright many years ago and later accepted MYOB’s free upgrade from Classic/v19 to AccountRight Live. The company file is currently online and was still on AccountRight 2026.5 immediately before PC Edition updated to 2026.6.
Sales has now advised me in writing that “the concept of a perpetual licence is no more there with MYOB even for them who had a perpetual licence”, that an online/live file cannot be put onto Server Edition, and that Server Edition “will stop working very soon”.
Could you please clarify:
-Do MYOB perpetual AccountRight licences still exist/continue to be recognised?
-If a customer who originally purchased AccountRight outright later moved their file online, can MYOB provide a server backup/offline copy of that current online file which can then be operated in Server Edition 2026.5?
-Does Server Edition 2026.5 require an ongoing subscription for a customer with a perpetual licence?
-Is there currently a defined date on which Server Edition will stop functioning, or is the timeframe still unknown?
I’m trying to establish the technical/licensing position before allowing my current company file to move beyond 2026.5, and would appreciate a clear answer.
Hi Dean- (and thanks jenniek & Liz_A for your replies)
I hope the below format for replying works. It shows your original question Dean, followed by the response from Jennie, then followed by my response.
Dean: Do MYOB perpetual AccountRight licences still exist/continue to be recognised?
- Jenniek: The AR perpetual license exists, but those on older versions are now not supported
- Mike: This is correct. AccountRight Classic including V19 has been retired (see post here). MYOB has not sold perpetual licences for some time now, so they don’t exist from the perspective of someone being able to purchase one today, but they are still recognised for customers who have purchased this in the past.
Dean: If a customer who originally purchased AccountRight outright later moved their file online, can MYOB provide a server backup/offline copy of that current online file which can then be operated in Server Edition 2026.5?
- Jenniek: A backup prior to 2026.5 can be restored in the server edition, but future backups will not be able to be restored - and those backups cannot be downloaded from MYOB anyway.
- Mike: This is mostly accurate. Back ups from AccountRight 2026.5 and earlier can still be restored offline using Server Edition. For files that have are online and have been used in version 2026.6 and beyond, an offline backup of this file can be requested from MYOB. This is called a ‘server backup retrieval’ and is a chargeable service. This backup could only be restored/viewed online in future however. Scenario: you close your business, request a server backup. Keep this record, then in 3 years time you are audited and need to access the backup, you would need to request a subscription to do this. **The AccountRight product manager is looking into whether there are any ways we can improve this experience though.
Dean: Does Server Edition 2026.5 require an ongoing subscription for a customer with a perpetual licence?
- Jenniek: If you operate the server edition version it needs to be offline, therefore no support available
- Mike: There is no subscription required to use Server Edition. This is now an offline only product and will also no longer receive further updates beyond the current 2026.5 version.
Dean: Is there currently a defined date on which Server Edition will stop functioning, or is the timeframe still unknown?
- Jenniek: no defined date for server edition continuing as they say it's a microsoft issue, and at some point a microsoft update will break it
- Mike: This is correct, there is no end date to this software. Only to say that there are no further updates to it, therefore, to what Jennie said, at some point a Microsoft update or other environmental factor could cause this to break
jenniek , you also asked if there is any solution yet around server backups being able to be restored. And the online point in time (snapshot) backups being available more than 6 months.
No updates yet from the product team. As far as I am aware, Bruno and the team are still considering options for the future, but as of right now:
- The server backups can only be restored online (and therefore require a subscription).
- The point in time (and 7 day automatic) online backups are still only kept for 6 months
- Note* the only exception to the above is if/when a subscription is ended, a final backup is taken by MYOB and retained for 12 months instead the standard 6.
Thanks Mike, and thanks jenniek and Liz_A as well.
That clarification is very helpful and answers the main technical points I was trying to establish. In particular, the distinction between files remaining at 2026.5 and files subsequently used in 2026.6 is important in my case, so I’m glad I held off upgrading the company file.
I’m going to take this information back to MYOB regarding my individual licence/entitlement history and see if that can now be resolved.
PS. I found that reply format very clear and easy to follow - preferred, thank you.
Thanks again for taking the time to clarify it.
Thanks Mike_MYOB
Can we request the point of time backups that may have been taken - can we request a download of these - so they don't get deleted in the 6 month time period?
Hi Mike_MYOB, just a quick update.
I took your clarification back to MYOB and was referred from Sales to Support. I emailed Support with the outstanding licence/Server Edition questions, but had no response at all.
The case was then closed, and I sent a follow-up on Friday. It’s now Tuesday afternoon and I still haven’t heard anything.
I’m pretty disappointed with the lack of communication, especially as this started back on 12 August.
Is there a better way to get this in front of the right team?
Hey Dean- did you have more questions you need answered?
Or were you wanting to help the support team understand the answers to these questions in the same way I have explained them?
Let me know what you need and I should be able to helpThanks Mike_MYOB , your earlier explanation answered the general questions clearly.
What I’m struggling with now is getting someone at MYOB to actually deal with my specific account/file and help me take it offline.
Sales referred me to Support, Support hasn’t responded, and the case was then closed. I followed up again and still haven’t heard anything.
I’ve deliberately left the company file at 2026.5 and haven’t opened/upgraded it in 2026.6 while I wait for this to be sorted, as I understand that changes the offline options.
I’ve already taken another company file offline previously, which also came from an older outright-purchased MYOB licence. Having that flexibility was important to us when we moved from v19 to Live.
Things are tight for us at the moment, so being able to move this file offline matters. We’d prefer to stay with MYOB and move back online later when it makes sense.
If you can help get this in front of someone who can deal with the licence/account and the 2026.5 offline file, that’s really what I need.
