Connect QuickBooks Desktop

Your app sent you a link that starts with https://connect.desktopaccountingapi.com/setup/. That link opens a six-step setup in your browser. Most people finish in about 5 minutes. This page follows the same steps, tells you what each screen asks for, and explains what to do when a step does not go as described.

Before you start

Have these ready. Each one prevents a common failure.

• The right computer. Open the link on the Windows computer where QuickBooks Desktop opens the company file and that stays on during the working day. In a multi-user office, use the computer that hosts the company file. See Use the connection in a multi-user office if you are not sure which one that is.
• The QuickBooks Admin password. QuickBooks lets only the Admin user approve a new app the first time.
• A few minutes with nobody else in the file. First approval needs single-user mode, so other users must sign out of the company file.
• The QuickBooks Web Connector. It is a free Intuit program. If you cannot find it in the Windows Start menu, see Upgrade the Web Connector.
• A link that has not expired. The app decides how long its links last, anywhere from 15 minutes to 7 days. The footer of every setup page shows the time left. If the link has expired, ask the app for a new one.

Check Requirements if you are unsure whether your QuickBooks edition or Windows setup is supported.

Tip

Using hosted QuickBooks, such as Rightworks? Open the setup link inside your hosted desktop session, not on your own laptop. See Hosted QuickBooks.

Step 1: Start

The first screen names the app that is asking to connect and the company it is for. It also says what the app can access, which is the lists and transactions in this company file. Social Security numbers and full credit card numbers are never shared with the app.

Click Start.

If the company name on this screen is wrong, stop here and ask the app for a link for the right company. Each link connects one company file.

If the app was connected before

When the company file was already connected, the first page says the company is already connected and asks What changed? Pick the matching answer:

Choose	When
I’m moving to a different computer	You are on a new computer. See Move the connection to a new computer.
The company file moved or was renamed	QuickBooks opens the file from a new place. See Fix a moved, renamed or restored company file.
I restored a QuickBooks backup	You restored a backup and the connection stopped. See Requests stop working after restoring a backup.
I want to connect another company file	You meant a different company. See Connect several company files.
I reinstalled the Web Connector, or it showed QBWC1039	See QBWC1039: Unique OwnerID/FileID pair value required.
Something else	Run the normal setup again on this computer.

Step 2: Check your computer

This screen is a checklist. Go through it on the computer itself before you click anything.

1. You are on the computer that keeps QuickBooks Desktop open. In a multi-user office, this is the computer that hosts the company file.
2. QuickBooks Desktop has the company file open. Close any windows open inside QuickBooks, such as an invoice, a report or a reminder.
3. You are signed in to the company file as Admin.
4. The file is in single-user mode. In QuickBooks, choose File › Switch to Single-user Mode if that option appears. If the menu shows Switch to Multi-user Mode instead, you are already in single-user mode.
5. If QuickBooks runs on a hosting service, you are doing all of this inside your hosted desktop session.

Click Everything is ready.

If something on the checklist is not true

• You cannot sign in as Admin. Find the person who has the Admin password. Another QuickBooks user cannot approve the app the first time.
• You cannot switch to single-user mode. Someone else still has the file open. Ask them to close QuickBooks or sign out of the file, then try again.
• You are not sure which computer to use. Pick the computer where QuickBooks stays open most of the day. The connection only works while that computer is on.

Step 3: Download the connector file

Click Download connector file (.qwc). This small file tells the Web Connector how to reach the app. It contains no password, so it does no harm if someone else sees it.

If the Web Connector already lists other apps, wait until none of them shows an update in progress before you open the file. Adding a connector file during another app’s update can make the Web Connector show an error.

1. Open the downloaded file. Windows opens it in the QuickBooks Web Connector.
2. If Windows asks which program to use, choose QuickBooks Web Connector.
3. The Web Connector asks whether you want to authorize the new web service. Click OK.

Click I opened the file.

If the file does not open in the Web Connector

Add it from inside QuickBooks instead:

1. In QuickBooks, choose File › App Management › Update Web Services. The Web Connector opens.
2. Click Add an application.
3. Select the .qwc file you downloaded. It is usually in your Downloads folder.
4. Click OK when the Web Connector asks to authorize the new web service.

If the Web Connector shows an error at this point, two common ones are QBWC1039: Only the Admin can grant first access and QBWC1039: Unique OwnerID/FileID pair value required. If a Microsoft .NET error window appears instead, see The Web Connector shows an unhandled error. The help center lists the others by message.

Step 4: Allow access in QuickBooks

QuickBooks now shows an Application Certificate window for “{App} via Desktop Accounting API”, where {App} is the name of the app that sent you the link. It sometimes opens behind other windows. Check the Windows taskbar if you do not see it.

1. Choose Yes, always; allow access even if QuickBooks is not running. With this choice, updates run while QuickBooks is closed, because the Web Connector can open the company file on its own.
2. Under Login as, choose the QuickBooks user the connection should use. Admin works. A dedicated QuickBooks user with the right permissions also works, and it makes the app’s changes easier to spot in the audit trail. If the company file has only the Admin user, QuickBooks shows no Login as list; that is fine.
3. Click Continue. QuickBooks then asks you to confirm your choice. Depending on your QuickBooks version, the last buttons are labeled Yes and Done, or Confirm. Click through until the window closes.

Click I allowed access.

If the Application Certificate window does not appear

• Look behind your browser. QuickBooks and the Web Connector often open their windows, including the confirmation that follows Continue, behind the browser window that shows this setup page. Minimize the browser or check the Windows taskbar for a flashing QuickBooks or Web Connector button. Setup cannot continue until that hidden window is answered.

• Someone else is signed in to the company file. QuickBooks needs single-user mode for the first approval. Ask them to sign out, then open the connector file again.

• You are not signed in as Admin. See QBWC1039: Only the Admin can grant first access.

• A QuickBooks window is open and blocking it. Close that window, then open the connector file again. See A QuickBooks window is blocking the connection.

If you chose the wrong option

If you chose No or a one-time option, change it in QuickBooks under Edit › Preferences › Integrated Applications, on the Company Preferences tab. QuickBooks denied access to the app has the steps.

Step 5: Enter the password

The setup page shows a Web Connector password. It is 32 characters, shown as 8 groups of 4 separated by hyphens. Click Copy password.

In the Web Connector window, find the row named “{App} ({Company})”. Then:

1. Click the Password cell in that row, paste the password and press Enter.
2. When the Web Connector asks whether to save the password, click Yes.
3. Check the box at the left of the row, and check Auto-Run.
4. Leave Every-Min empty. The connection already runs in real time. A number in this box slows it down.

Click I entered the password.

You can come back to this page until the link expires. After setup is finished, the password is never shown again. The Web Connector stores it encrypted for your Windows user, so you do not need to keep a copy. If it is ever lost, the app’s support team can send you a new setup link.

If the password does not stick

• The Web Connector’s “save the password?” question can open behind the browser. Minimize the browser and answer it.

• Copy it again with Copy password and paste it. Typing it by hand is the usual cause of a wrong password.

• Check that you pressed Enter and clicked Yes to save.

• See Web Connector password problems for other cases.

Step 6: Test the connection

Keep this page open. It checks the connection live and ticks off each item as it happens, usually within a few seconds:

• Web Connector checked in. The Web Connector reached our server with the right password.
• QuickBooks opened the company file. The Web Connector started a session with QuickBooks.
• Company identified: {name}. QuickBooks reported which company is open. Check that the name is the company you meant to connect.
• Connection test passed. A test request ran from start to finish.

When all four are done, click Continue.

If a check fails

The page shows what went wrong and how to fix it, with a Check again button. Fix the cause on the computer, then click Check again. Each message title matches a page in this help center:

Message title	Help page
The Web Connector has not checked in yet	Connection not active
QuickBooks has a window open	A QuickBooks window is blocking the connection
A different company file is open	A different company file is open
QuickBooks needs the Admin user	Only the Admin can grant first access
QuickBooks has not allowed access	QuickBooks denied access to the app
The company file is in use	Single-user or multi-user mode conflict
QuickBooks could not find the company file	The company file cannot be found
QuickBooks could not start, or QuickBooks is still starting	QuickBooks could not be started
This QuickBooks version is not supported	This QuickBooks version is not supported
QuickBooks did not answer	A QuickBooks window is blocking the connection, or after a restore, Requests stop working after restoring a backup
QuickBooks may be waiting for you	A QuickBooks window, usually the access question, is open behind the browser. Check the Windows taskbar.
The Web Connector is using a different password, or Too many wrong passwords	Web Connector password problems
An older Web Connector row is still active	QBWC1039: Unique OwnerID/FileID pair value required
This connection is turned off	Contact the app’s support team.

If about 2 minutes pass after you saved the password and nothing checks in, the page shows “The Web Connector has not checked in yet” with a checklist. The usual causes are an unsaved password, an unchecked box next to the app, or Auto-Run turned off. More troubleshooting on that page, or Having trouble? below the checks, opens a page with the most likely cause and the full checklist.

Finished: QuickBooks Desktop is connected

The last screen confirms that the company file is connected. Click Finish, or Return to {App} if the app asked to bring you back.

To keep the connection working:

• Leave the computer on and signed in to Windows, with the Web Connector running.
• Leave Auto-Run on and Every-Min empty.
• Leave the app in the Web Connector list.

Start QuickBooks and the Web Connector at sign-in covers restarts. Web Connector settings to keep explains the rest.

Stopping or restarting setup

The footer of each step has a Stop setup link. Stopping cancels the link, and nothing gets connected. To try again later, or if the link expired partway through, ask the app for a new link. A new link comes with a new connector file and a new password, so download and add the new file rather than reusing the old one.

The Get help link in the footer opens our contact page. For problems with your QuickBooks setup, the app’s support team is usually faster, because they can see your connection status and create a new setup link.