Create Windows users and give them administrator rights

Learn how to add a Windows user and give them permission to make changes so QuickBooks Desktop runs properly.

If you use QuickBooks Desktop in a multi-user mode, you need to sign in to Windows as a user with admin rights. This lets you change things like your firewall settings and folder permissions. You also need to give programs like Database Server Manager admin rights.

Here’s how to create a Windows user with admin rights so you can set up programs and change settings in Windows.

Step 1: Add a Windows user with administrator rights

Follow the steps from Microsoft to create Windows users and give them admin rights:

• Windows 11
• Windows 10
• Windows 8.1
• Windows Server 2012

Windows Small Business Server 2011 and 2008 R2

1. Open the Windows Start menu.
2. Select All Programs. Open Windows Small Business Server and then select Windows SBS Console.
3. Select Users and Groups. Then select the Add a new user account tab.
4. Fill out the user info, then follow the Add a New User Account wizard.
5. Give the new user administrator rights.
6. When you're done, select Finish.

Step 2: Give admin access to QuickBooks programs

Some programs need admin rights to run your multi-user network.

For instance, when you install QuickBooks Database Server Manager, QuickBooks automatically creates a new Windows user. You need to give this user admin rights so it can run on your network.

You can follow these steps to give Windows users or programs admin rights.

1. Close QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Open the Windows Start menu.
3. Open Control Panel and then select User Accounts.
4. Find the QBDataServiceUserXX for your version of QuickBooks Desktop. For QuickBooks Desktop 2020, look for QBDataServiceUser30. For the 2019 version, look for QBDataServiceUser29. The number goes down for each version.
5. Select Change the account type and then Administrator. Then select Change Account Type.
6. Select Apply to save your changes.
7. Repeat these steps for each version of QuickBooks Database Server Manager you use.

QuickBooks Database Server Manager now has permission to run on your network.