Install

Download either package from the download page. Both are the same program.

Installer (recommended). Run AcboBooks-0.1.0-win.exe. It installs for the current Windows user, adds a Start-menu entry and a desktop shortcut, and later versions update it in place. You can change the folder during setup.
Portable zip. Unzip anywhere, including a USB stick, and run AcboBooks.exe. Nothing is written to the registry. Good for PCs where you cannot run installers.
MSI package. For IT departments deploying through Group Policy or Intune, or for a silent install: msiexec /i AcboBooks-0.1.0-win.msi /qn. Newer versions upgrade in place.

Requirements: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, 4 GB of memory, 500 MB of disk. No internet connection is needed to install, run, or activate.

The SmartScreen prompt

During the beta the installer is not yet code-signed, so Windows may show "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway. If you want certainty before you do, compare the file's SHA-256 checksum with the one on the release notes page: in PowerShell, run Get-FileHash .\AcboBooks-0.1.0-win.exe and check the two strings match. Signed builds remove the prompt and ship with the public release.

How the 15-day trial works

The trial starts the first time AcboBooks opens on a computer. There is no sign-up screen and no card. For 15 days every feature is on, with three limits:

Up to 100 transactions entered in a company file. Transactions brought in by the QuickBooks import, and the practice sample company, do not count.
Printed invoices and reports carry a small "AcboBooks trial" mark in the corner of each page.
Payroll runs in preview: every figure is calculated, but the year-end W-2 filing file is only produced with a licence.

A slim bar under the menus shows days left and transactions used. When the trial ends, the file opens read-only: you can still view, search, print, export and back up everything. Nothing is deleted. Activate a licence and it is fully editable again, with everything you entered during the trial still there.

Activate your licence

Buy AcboBooks Pro ($399.99, once) on the pricing page. You receive a licence by email: a long block of letters and numbers.
In AcboBooks, open Help → License (also under Company → License). You must be signed in as an administrator of the company file.
Paste the whole licence text into the box and click Activate license. The badge changes to AcboBooks Pro — active.

Activation is checked on your computer against a signature, not against a server, which is why it works with the internet off and never phones home. One licence covers one business: one company file and everyone who opens it on your office network. There are no per-user seats.

Some licences are tied to a specific computer. The License screen shows This computer's ID with a Copy button. If you are asked for it when buying, that is what to send.

Move to a new computer

On the old PC, make a fresh backup: Company → Company Settings → Back up now, or just copy the .acbo file (see where it lives).
Optionally open Help → License and click Remove license from this computer. This only returns that PC to the trial state; your data is untouched.
Install AcboBooks on the new PC, copy the .acbo file over, and open it with Open Company on the welcome screen.
Paste your licence under Help → License. If your licence was tied to the old computer's ID, email support with the new ID shown on that screen and we reissue it the same day, free.

Uninstall

Use Windows Settings → Apps for the installer version, or delete the folder for the portable version. Uninstalling never touches your company files; they stay where you saved them. The only things removed are the program and its settings folder under %APPDATA%\AcboBooks, which holds the licence and trial record.