MYOB bricking their desktop software

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Forums › Finance and wealth management › MYOB bricking their desktop software

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mattwnz

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#3487541 4-May-2026 23:11

I remember when adobe did this with Creative Suite 2 I think it was, they provided a version of the software to download that didn't have the activation on it, so people could continue to install it after Adobe turned off their servers.

geek3001

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#3487553 5-May-2026 08:09

Handle9:

The complaint isn't that the product isn't being supported or updated. The complaint is the product is being arbitrarily bricked.

The two are significantly different issues.

I agree in principal, however software licensing is an altogether difficult beast.

I don't have a copy of this software's license, however I would say there's a very high likelihood that there is wording in it that allows the vendor to withdraw the ability to use the software, or to change the way it works, at any time and for any reason.

Ultimately what we can call "bricking" comes back to the license terms which usually favour the vendor and not the end user.

In an enterprise setting, I have had to contend with upgrading perfectly functional software that was covered by an annual license and support subscription to maintain license currency. If you didn't pay, the license terminated and you had to stop using the software. The license was updated, as of that year's annual subscription, there were now no downgrade rights, you had to be using a supported version of the software, if not you were deemed to be using unlicensed software. Period.

I have been involved with software licensing that was so draconian that if you were not properly licensed, the license terms permitted the vendor to enter premises where the hardware running the unlicensed software was located, and physically take that hardware away, regardless of who owned it, prior to commencing legal action to the 'full extent of the law' as many licenses state.

The vendor has all the cards.

The end users have to use the software in the manner that the vendor dictates, or stop using the software. Period.

Unfair? Yes.

Legally enforceable? Yes.

MichaelNZ

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#3488299 6-May-2026 22:21

Accounting software is among the worst racket around and even I - coming from a long term Linux background - don't try and DIY or self-host.

Basically your options are Xero or Zoho.

I use Zoho Books which is quite a decent fully-fledged double-entry accounts system but unfortunately no accountant will work with this so if my affairs ever get too complex I will need to switch to Xero.

darkasdes2

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#3494415 21-May-2026 10:32

Just to follow up on this thread, I spoke to MYOB this morning and as account right offline files is not compatible with their other online products (apart from Account Right), they have offered me a 80% discount on the subs for the next 2 years as I only really need their Lite package.

The person I spoke to said they can only offer this deal until the end of the week.

MikeAqua

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#3494457 21-May-2026 13:35

I run my small consulting businesses book on spreadsheets. These days it's either that or bite the bullet and go cloud based. Excel is good enough for my tax returns, GST and a small asset book. I've no payroll and the business is very simple. I've not had to use AI templates yet. Financial year assigning IF functions, SUMIF and a database of transactions are very helpful.

Mike

mattwnz

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#3494541 21-May-2026 15:56

MikeAqua:

I run my small consulting businesses book on spreadsheets. These days it's either that or bite the bullet and go cloud based. Excel is good enough for my tax returns, GST and a small asset book. I've no payroll and the business is very simple. I've not had to use AI templates yet. Financial year assigning IF functions, SUMIF and a database of transactions are very helpful.

Honestly it is probably far easier and you don’t have to rely on any company for that. Software for accounting in the long term is a pita imo

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Handle9

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#3494544 21-May-2026 16:36

mattwnz:

MikeAqua:

I run my small consulting businesses book on spreadsheets. These days it's either that or bite the bullet and go cloud based. Excel is good enough for my tax returns, GST and a small asset book. I've no payroll and the business is very simple. I've not had to use AI templates yet. Financial year assigning IF functions, SUMIF and a database of transactions are very helpful.

Honestly it is probably far easier and you don’t have to rely on any company for that. Software for accounting in the long term is a pita imo

Accounting and reporting in larger organisations is really hard. A spreadsheet is fine for a small business but once you get to a certain scale you have no choice but to run accounting software. The productivity uplift is significant.

SteveXNZ

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#3494978 24-May-2026 21:43

I have a solution.

MYOB didn't respond to my escalation emails so I rang the Support line again. After being bounced from department to department for over an hour I ended up in Retentions. There I discovered I could continue to use my offline data files by using the Server edition. This was confirmed by email:

From 17 June 2026, we’re making a change to how you access your AccountRight company files in AccountRight PC Edition (version 2026.5 and later).

To keep things simpler and more secure, PC Edition will move to online-only file access. Here’s what that means for you:

- You’ll no longer be able to open, edit or save locally stored company files, including files in My Library or Network Library.
- Working offline won’t be supported anymore – you’ll only be able to open and work in online company files.
- Offline files will stop receiving online services, including bank feeds, Pay Super and other online services.
- Offline backup and restore will no longer be available. Your files will be backed up online only, and the Enable Offline Backups and Restore option will be removed.
- My Library and Network Libraries will be removed from PC Edition.
- This change applies to all AccountRight customers using offline files, including those on a perpetual licence.

If you’d like to keep working with an offline company file, you can install AccountRight Server Edition on your server. This will let you continue to use offline files while still getting the benefits of the latest software.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Great. But a gotcha. Your Win11 desktop is NOT Windows Server. I had to jump through a few .NET and Defender hoops to get the Server edition to work on Win11, and even now I may need to back it out and reinstall to get the backup function going. But I've entered a bunch of transactions and done a reconciliation report - so far so good.

If you go down this path I recommend you do a clean install of the Server edition on a different computer to your PC edition.

Good luck - you'll likely need it.

MikeAqua

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#3495457 26-May-2026 10:28

Handle9:

Accounting and reporting in larger organisations is really hard. A spreadsheet is fine for a small business but once you get to a certain scale you have no choice but to run accounting software. The productivity uplift is significant.

100%. But if you're a contractor invoicing time and disbursements, with a small number of assets ... then spreadsheets with some half-clever formulae are all good.

I literally have one datasheet in which I enter all non-capital transactions, with a column for labelling what the transaction is, one tab for monthly invoicing and one tab for the asset book.

Formulae and pivot tables do the rest. I'm by no means an advanced excel user. Probably intermediate.

Mike

richms

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#3495460 26-May-2026 10:39

I have seen many problems from spreadsheets when people who do not really know how they work try to use them - things like just specifying a range and then the data extends out of it is a big one.

Richard rich.ms

MikeAqua

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#3495476 26-May-2026 11:47

richms:

I have seen many problems from spreadsheets when people who do not really know how they work try to use them - things like just specifying a range and then the data extends out of it is a big one.

This is where the pivot tables come in. Much easier to select the whole table and then build my pivot(s) and filter to get the data I need. You can even do invoicing with pivot tables.

Mike

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