Windows asks to allow this app to make changes

Windows is asking for permission before it starts QuickBooks or the Web Connector with administrator rights. Until someone answers, the program does not start, and the connection waits.

What you see

A Windows prompt with a colored banner asks:

Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?

The program named in the prompt is QuickBooks or the QuickBooks Web Connector. It may appear each time the computer starts, or each time the Web Connector tries to open QuickBooks in the background. If nobody is at the computer, the app shows that the connection is not active or that QuickBooks could not start.

Why it happens

This is the Windows User Account Control prompt. It appears when a program is set to start with Run as administrator. QuickBooks and the Web Connector do not need administrator rights for everyday work. The setting usually gets turned on by someone trying to fix another problem.

It also causes a second problem. When one of the two programs runs as administrator and the other does not, Windows keeps them apart and they cannot talk to each other.

How to fix it

Make both programs start normally, without administrator rights.

1. Close QuickBooks and the Web Connector.
2. Find the shortcut you use to start the Web Connector, such as the one in the Start menu or the Startup folder. Right-click it and choose Properties.
3. On the Shortcut tab, click Advanced and uncheck Run as administrator. Click OK.
4. On the Compatibility tab, uncheck Run this program as an administrator. If the box is greyed out, click Change settings for all users and uncheck it there too. Click OK.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for the QuickBooks shortcut.
6. Open QuickBooks and the Web Connector again. No prompt should appear.

Run QuickBooks and the Web Connector at the same permission level explains the setting in more detail, including what to do if your IT person requires administrator rights for QuickBooks.

Caution

Do not turn off User Account Control for the whole computer to make the prompt go away. That removes a Windows protection for every program. Fix the two shortcuts instead.

How to check it worked

Restart the computer and sign in. QuickBooks and the Web Connector start without a Windows prompt. In the Web Connector, the app’s row updates and shows no error in Last Result.

When to contact the app’s support

Contact them if the prompt keeps appearing after you cleared both settings. Send the time, a screenshot of the prompt with Show more details expanded, and a screenshot of the app’s row in the Web Connector window.

Related pages

• QuickBooks could not be started
• Unable to cast COM object
• Start QuickBooks and the Web Connector at sign-in

For developers, see INTEGRATION_CONNECTION_NOT_ACTIVE and QBD_CANNOT_START.