# QBWC1012: Authentication failed
Source: https://www.desktopaccountingapi.com/docs/help/connection-errors/qbwc1012-authentication-failed/

> Fix QBWC1012 when the Web Connector cannot complete its sign-in call to the server, usually because of TLS, a proxy or antivirus, or the network.

The Web Connector tried to sign in to our server and the call did not complete. Despite the name, this is rarely a wrong password. Most of the time the Web Connector could not set up a secure connection at all.

## What you see

The Web Connector shows `QBWC1012` with a message that authentication failed because of an error, in the **Last Result** column or in a pop-up. The details often include one of these phrases:

- "Could not create SSL/TLS secure channel"
- "The underlying connection was closed"
- "Unable to connect to the remote server"

The app shows that the connection is not active, because no check-in reached us.

## Why it happens

The first thing the Web Connector does on each check-in is a sign-in call over HTTPS to `qbwc.desktopaccountingapi.com`. `QBWC1012` means that call ended in an error. Common causes, most likely first:

- An old Web Connector build that cannot use TLS 1.2, the security protocol our server requires. You need version 2.2.0.34 or newer.
- Older Windows that does not have TLS 1.2 turned on for .NET programs.
- Antivirus, a firewall or a web proxy that intercepts HTTPS traffic.
- No internet connection, or a firewall that blocks outgoing traffic to our server.
- A short outage on our side.

## How to fix it

1. Check that the computer can reach the internet. Open a browser and visit any website.
2. Check your Web Connector version with **Help › About** in the Web Connector. If it is older than 2.2.0.34, follow [Upgrade the Web Connector](https://www.desktopaccountingapi.com/docs/help/guides/upgrade-web-connector/).
3. Install pending Windows updates and restart the computer. Updates bring in the TLS 1.2 support older systems lack.
4. Wait 5 minutes and click **Update Selected** in the Web Connector. If the error was a short outage, it clears on its own.
5. If the computer is on a managed network, ask your IT person to allow outgoing HTTPS on port 443 to `qbwc.desktopaccountingapi.com`, and to exclude that address from HTTPS inspection in the antivirus, firewall or proxy.
6. Temporarily turn off the HTTPS or web scanning feature of your antivirus and click **Update Selected**. If the error goes away, add an exception for `qbwc.desktopaccountingapi.com` and turn scanning back on.

> **Caution:**
> Do not leave your antivirus turned off. Use the test in step 6 only to find the cause, then add an exception.

## How to check it worked

Click **Update Selected** in the Web Connector. The app's row finishes without an error in **Last Result**. The app stops showing that the connection is not active.

## When to contact the app's support

Contact them if the error continues after the steps above, or if several of your computers show it at the same time. Send the time, the full `QBWC1012` text, your Web Connector version, your Windows version, and a screenshot of the app's row in the Web Connector window. Your IT person can also send the last lines of the Web Connector log, `QWCLog.txt`.

## Related pages

- [QBWC1048: Could not verify the server certificate](https://www.desktopaccountingapi.com/docs/help/connection-errors/qbwc1048-certificate/)
- [Web Connector password problems](https://www.desktopaccountingapi.com/docs/help/connection-errors/web-connector-password/)
- [Connection not active](https://www.desktopaccountingapi.com/docs/help/connection-errors/connection-not-active/)
- [Requirements](https://www.desktopaccountingapi.com/docs/help/requirements/)

For developers, see [`INTEGRATION_CONNECTION_NOT_ACTIVE`](https://www.desktopaccountingapi.com/docs/errors/#integration_connection_not_active).