Logging out users

Hello there, Deadwood. Let me share information regarding logging out users of your company files in your QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

In QBDT, if a user leaves their system logged in, the admin cannot log them out, and the system won't automatically log them out either abruptly. To address this, you can request that the user log out of the company file every time they step away from their desk.

However, as a workaround, we can configure the Manage login settings in your account and set the logged-in time. In that way, the user will be signed out if they are inactive or away from their area if they reach the hour limit of 24 hours. This feature helps to ensure the security of your account by preventing unauthorized access if the session is left unattended for a certain amount of time. You can follow the steps provided below:

1. At the top of the page, click the Company.

2. Choose Users, then select Manage Login Settings. 

3. At the left panel, select General, then click the Company Preferences tab.

4. On the Manage Login Settings section, select the Keep user logged in and specify the login period..

5. Once done, click OK.

Users will be automatically logged out of QuickBooks at the end of the login period set in this preference. For more detailed information on this topic, please refer to the following article: Stay logged in to the QuickBooks Desktop.

Additionally, you can check this article you might utilize on changing your QuickBooks Admin password: Use the Automated Password Reset Tool for QuickBooks Desktop.

Don't hesitate to return to this thread if you need further assistance setting up your user login in QBDT, Deadwood. I'll be at your aid as soon as I get your reply.

Thank you for the response ... it was interesting, but didn't really answer the question I thought I asked. Perhaps I should phrase it differently.

Even if we utilized the settings the article described, and allowed a user to remain logged in for (let's say) 1 day, if part way through that day the user left the area and was still logged in and while they were gone, a need arose to use single user mode, how does the admin log out the user in order to go into single user mode? Does the admin have a way to log a user out of the system in case of needing single user mode? I would think this is something that should exist regardless of whether a user is a limited for x-number of days. Personally, I believe it would be better to limit a login to x-number of HOURS rather than days, and even an automatic log-off if the users system remains INACTIVE for an hour or so.

Is this kind of system control beyond the capabilities of the software that QuickBooks is built upon?

Thank you for replying to the thread, Deadwood Al.

Switching to Single User Mode from the File Menu is a simple procedure that requires selecting a certain menu item to start the mode shift. Once, you have QuickBooks open, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to the File menu at the top left corner of the window.
2. Click on Switch to Single-user Mode from the dropdown menu.
3. A prompt may appear to confirm the switch, simply click Yes to proceed.

This will switch the software to Single User Mode, so one user can modify the company file. In Single User Mode, users can make changes to the data without being interrupted by others.

One method to log someone out of QuickBooks Desktop is to manually terminate the session from the admin account. By accessing the User List, an administrator can select the specific user and end their session, effectively revoking their access.

Just in case you want to know the tasks and features available you can use in single or multi-user mode, you can read this article for more information: Features available and tasks you can perform in single or multi-user mode.

Let me know in the comment if you have other QuickBooks-related concerns. I'll be back to help. Stay safe.

I see no opportunity for forcing a user to logoff.  I'm logged in as Admin but cannot switch to Single User mode because the user is still logged in.  How to force everyone out of QB Enterprise?

I acknowledge the importance of logging off other users to take control of the file and switch to the desired mode, @saylig. Rest assured, I'm here to guide you through the steps to force log out another user in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

To achieve this, you'll want to consider utilizing QuickBooks Messenger. This tool allows you to communicate with other users within QuickBooks and log them off when you want to switch to single-user mode.

However, to do that, you need to enable the feature first so that you can make use of it. To do that, here's how:

1. Look for the QuickBooks Messenger icon in your system tray.
2. At the bottom right of your screen, double-click the icon to launch the tool.
   

Once enabled and logged in as an Admin, you can proceed to close the company file for another user. Here’s how:

1. To launch QuickBooks Messenger, select the  Company menu, then Chat with a Coworker.
2. In the Actions drop-down, select Close Company File for Users.
3. Choose the user/s whose QuickBooks you want to close.
4. Then, click Close Company File.
5. Confirm your action by selecting Yes.

For more details on QuickBooks Messenger, you can check out this article: Enable and use QuickBooks Messenger

Moreover, if you're interested in knowing about the tasks and features available in the single-user mode access, you can refer to this article for info: Features available and tasks you can perform in single or multi-user mode.

I am available to help you with any concerns you have about managing your company files in QBDT. Please feel free to let me know, and I will be more than happy to assist you. Have a great day!

Here is another example of how QuickBooks employees ("QuickBooks Team" members really mean well, but because most have no experience in working out in the "real world" where this software is used by business organizations, the answers don't really solve the problem.

In a perfect world, the solution of using Messenger would work, just the same as picking up the phone or walking down to someone's office to tell them to log out. Unfortunately, in the real world, things are not so simple.  The person who is logged in may be out for lunch, may be sick and left for the day, maybe logged in the day before and is now on vacation for two weeks, maybe was fired and never will be back .... who knows????  Or maybe the need for single user mode happens at night when the poor person working on the system discovers the need to go to single user mode and they are the ONLY person in the office!  Messenger is totally worthless in these instances, and they happen more often than you would think. But unless the people answering these questions actually were forced to work out in the real world where these things happen, they don't have a clue and can't provide meaningful answers.!!!

And the people who DESIGN QuickBooks don't have the relevant experience either, or they would design systems that are far more beneficial. The idea that the Admin can set a time limit on how long users can remain logged on actually contribute to these problems!  The shortest period of time we can restrict a user to is 1 day, and it goes up to 90 days or so. How stupid! The shortest period should be in terms of HOURS, not days. And it should be measured by inactivity on the system!  

Let's do an example:  Say you choose to set the inactivity time limit to 2 hours: this means that as long as the user is active on their QB system frequently, they have no problems. If they are inactive for two hours straight, the system logs them out! People will complain about this, but it keeps active users in and does not tie up the system when people are not using the system for 2 hours or more.

QuickBooks is a nice system, with some glaring problems. It could be a great system if the people designing it and providing answers to users actually had experience that was gained in work relevant to the people to actually use the system!

@Deadwood Al  Ah... Far be it from me to defend the staff here, and I certainly won't be buying a QBO account to verify it myself, but they did appear to be explaining (perhaps at too great a length) that the Admin can use the QuickBooks Messenger Chat to close the company file for any given logged in user.

Hi, I tried to follow the provided steps to log a user our using the Messenger function. It looks like the system was doing something ie a confirmation window popped up asking 'Are you sure you want to close the company file for the selected Quickbooks users?. I clicked Yes but nothing happened. The user confirmed that they were not logged into Quickbooks. I also have a setting turned on that logs off a user every time a user closes the company or exits. So what else should I be trying?

Thanks for working through the suggested solution with us, ainav. Let's troubleshoot your QuickBooks Desktop issue with some straightforward steps. We'll help you resolve the problem quickly so you can switch to single-user mode.

Let's start by downloading and installing QuickBooks Tool Hub. This tool is designed to fix common errors within the application.  For the best experience, we recommend you use Tool Hub on Windows 10, 64-bit.

Follow the steps below on how you can install this tool:

1. Close QuickBooks.
2. Download the most recent version (1.6.0.3) of the QuickBooks Tool Hub. Save the file somewhere you can easily find it.
3. Open the file you downloaded (QuickBooksToolHub.exe).
4. Follow the on-screen steps to install and agree to the terms and conditions.
5. When the installation finishes, double-click the icon on your Windows desktop to open the tool hub.

Once installed, you can utilize the tools available in the QuickBooks Tool Hub. This hub is a launchpad for various tools designed to address specific issues. Each tab contains tools tailored to help you resolve different problems. In your case, you'll need to choose Company File Issues. Then, run the Quick Fix my file or the QuickBooks File Doctor to fix common data issues. If you need more help, select File Dr Help. For your visual reference, check out the attached image below:

Here are some resources to help you learn how to use QuickBooks Desktop on multiple screens with the new Multi-Monitor mode, set up folder permissions, and access folders in multi-user mode:

• Use QuickBooks on multiple screens or in Multi-Monitor mode
• Set up folder sharing
• Set up folder and Windows access permissions to share company files

Let me know if you have more questions about switching modes or managing users. Just drop a comment below, and I'll be here to help you out.