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Transferring Lacerte options from another computer displays default settings

SOLVEDby Intuit5Updated almost 2 years ago

Before you start:

  • This article references default installation paths and uses YY to reference the tax year in 20YY format. C: will always indicate the local drive and X: will always indicate the network drive.

After backing up the program settings and options from one computer and restoring them to another computer, default user options are displayed instead of the user options that were restored from the first computer. Sometimes the custom user options are displayed at first but revert back to defaults once the program is closed and re-opened.

This can happen when a new machine has a different computer name than the old computer.  Lacerte thinks it's a new workstation, so it gives it a new set of options.  You can correct this by renaming the OPINDEX.WY file in the C:\Lacerte\YYtax\OPTIONYY\ folder.

If you haven't transferred data to the new computer yet, check out this article for instructions.


Follow the steps below to rename the Opindex.W? file:

  1. Open Lacerte.
  2. Press F10 on your keyboard to open the Technical Support Information window.
  3. Note the location of the Option Path under the System Information tab.
    • The default Option Path would be W:\Lacerte\YYTax\OPTIONYY\.
    • For 2006 and prior, this will be labeled System File Path.
  4. Close Lacerte.
  5. In the Windows search box in the taskbar, type the location of the Option Path.
  6. Open the folder.
  7. Right-click the file OPINDEX.WY and choose Rename.
  8. Rename the file to OPINDEX.OLD.
  9. Open Lacerte again.
  1. Open Lacerte.
  2. Press F10 on your keyboard to open the Technical Support Information window.
  3. Scroll down and take note of the 3-digit Lacerte workstation number.
  4. Close Lacerte.
  5. In the Windows search box in the taskbar, type the location of the Option Path.
  6. Open the folder.
  7. Look for a file labeled OPT???.WY.
    • ??? represents the 3-digit Lacerte workstation number.
    • For example, if the workstation number is 004 in the 2020 program, the file would be labeled OPT004.W0.
  8. Rename that file by putting -OLD at the end.
    • For example, OPT004.W0-OLD.
  9. Locate the backup option file OPT???.WY from the old computer and take note of the workstation number it was using.
    • For example, OPT011.W0.
  10. Copy and paste it into W:\Lacerte\YYTax\OPTIONYY\.
  11. Right-click on the pasted file and rename it to match the workstation number you wrote down in step 3.
    • For example, OPT004.W0.
  12. Open Lacerte.
    • The custom options should show now.

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