How do I change the administrator to another existing user?

Welcome, @meganr and thank you for coming to the QuickBooks Community for assistance. I have some insight on changing the admin to another user to pass along.

This process requires being on the line with support. 

You can contact support here.

Please remember, I'm always here for any other questions or concerns.

Can you not edit the users settings?

Yes I can edit the user settings, but switching an existing user to be the administrator is not an option. 

The solution I was given was to just give the login credentials to the person I want to be the administrator. Not helpful. 

Thanks for turning to the Community, meganr.

This isn't the kind of customer service I want you to experience. Allow me to make it up to you and share some insight that'll help change the Administrator to another user.

To clarify, have you set the existing user's access type as Administrative? An existing user needs to have this type of access in order to assign them as the new admin. That said, let's take a closer look at the user's setup and make the necessary changes:

1. Click the Company menu, then choose Users and Passwords.
2. Select the user and click Edit.
3. Make sure the type of access is set to Administrative. You can also enter a preferred username to indicate this user as the new admin.
4. Click Save.

For more information about this process, I recommend following this article: How users and passwords work in QuickBooks Mac Desktop

Keep in touch with me here should you need any additional assistance changing the administrator, I'm always around to lend a hand. Wishing you and your business only the best.

I am using QB Desktop Pro 2019 for windows, and this is not an option for me.  I just took over the position here, and have the old Admin's user and password to login to her profile.  However, when I create myself as a user, there is only an option to give myself all access, it doesn't have the option to make me an "administrator".  That being said, even after I gave myself all access, I go back and login with my username and password, then try to delete the old Admin user, because she no longer works here.  But it says I have to be the admin to edit users, so I know just giving myself all access, is not the same thing as making myself admin.

Hi there, @Chadster.

Allow me to provide some clarifications about changing the admins log in credentials in QuickBooks Desktop.

To make yourself as the new admin of the company file, all you have to do is to change the user's name and password so you'll be able to have your own credentials.

To do that:

1. Click on Company at the top menu bar.
2. Select on Users.
3. Choose Set up Users and Roles.
4. Click on Edit.
5. From there, you'll be able to change the admin name and set your credentials.
6. Click OK to save the changes.

If you're unable to do so, you can ask the previous admins log in information so you'll be able to edit it.

To give you more insight about this process, please refer to this link: Set up QuickBooks Desktop administrator and password.

If you need further assistance with this process, I'd suggest reaching out to our Customer Care Team. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me here should you have any further questions, I want to make sure you're taken care of. Thanks for coming to the Community.

In 2019 there is only one Administrator account. This is a requirement of the security methods used. 

This isn't the kind of customer service answer they want to experience. I think it is clear that the query was about knowing how to switch user and not how to edit the permission for an existing one.

Hi @SuperSago1,

As mentioned by my peers above, it would be best to contact our Technical Support team for assistance on changing the administrator of a QuickBooks Desktop company.

Here's how:

1. On your QuickBooks homepage, go to the Help menu.
2. Choose QuickBooks Desktop Help.
3. Tap the Contact us button.

Post your queries below, in case you have anything else in mind. I'll  get back to you.

Everyone here is thinking too hard. If you can't change the permissions under the names, change the names over the permissions!

So if Bob is currently the administrator but wants to be a regular user and Sue is a regular user who should be the administrator proceed as follows:

Bob log in as administrator.

Go to Preferences>Users and Passwords.

Select Bob (Administrator) and click edit.

Change "Bob" to "Sue" and set a password to share with Sue.

Select Sue (Selected Access) and click edit.

Change "Sue" to "Bob" and use whatever password you'll remember.

Log out.

Have Sue log in - now as the Administrator - with the password you created for sharing.

Sue can change the admin password once logged in.

Bob can use his regular password to log in as a regular user.

the instructions do not work to change master administrator.

the phone number for tech support will not answer.

I need to change master administrator or delete my two companies.

Will Schiefer

Schiefer Construction

949 302 2900

I appreciate you for going through the steps above, @will007.

I can see the importance of having to get in touch with our Support team. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we have limited staff at the moment. Thus, the waiting time will be a bit longer than usual. 

Rest assured our Support team is working diligently to cater to all our customer's concerns immediately. Aside from our phone support, you can also chat with one of our agent. To ensure you'll be accommodated, review their support hours to know when agents are available. 

Furthermore, I’m adding this link that you can read to learn some best practices in managing your QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) for Mac efficiently: QuickBooks Desktop MAC 2020 User’s Guide.

Let me know by leaving a reply in this thread if there’s anything else you need assistance with in managing your software. Keeping you in working order is my top priority.

Except, wait for it....you can't change the name of the administrator.  I've tried, unsuccessfully, it's a hot mess, and something Quickbooks needs to work on.  You shouldn't have to go into an endless chat loop, multiple phone calls, and wait forever so you don't have the file back in time to process payroll just to change the admin.  It simply should not be this hard.  

Thanks for joining this thread, dcpl.

You can change your primary admin to another user from the Intuit Account User Management screen.

Here's how:

1. In your top menu bar, go to Company, Users, then Intuit Account User Management.
2. Choose which company file you'd like to transfer and click Continue.
3. From the Users tab, pick your current admin, then hit Change primary admin under their Action column.
4. Use your drop-down to choose which user to transfer the admin role to. If they aren't listed, you'll need to add them to your account.
5. Tick the checkbox verifying that you'll become the account's secondary admin.
6. Press Verify.
7. Sign in using your Intuit account credentials.
8. Select OK to confirm the invitation.

Be sure to have your new primary admin check their email and look for their invite. They'll need to click Accept Invite, then sign in using their Intuit account.

In the event your current primary admin doesn't remember their login details or they're no longer with the company, you can send a request to our support team for transferring the role to a new user.

I'll be here to help if there's any additional questions. Have a great day!

I have already changed the Primary Admin, (Master Administrator), on my Intuit account via a wb browser.  Now I need to sign in to that new primary admin user on QuickBooks Desktop 2022.  I do not see a way to do that.  Can someone tell me how to do this??!!

Thanks for becoming part of the Community, JamesChapin711.

To verify my understanding, was your Intuit user account ever invited to the QuickBooks company file? If so, did you accept your invitation?

In the event you haven't yet, you'll need to be invited and accept your invitation first.

Here's how:

1. The company file will need to be signed in to with its admin user credentials.
2. Go to your Company menu, Users, then choose Intuit Account User Management.
3. Click Add user. To see a list of available roles, access the Roles tab.
4. Enter their email in your User's email field.
5. Pick a role for them from Available roles, then press Add.
6. Hit Done.
7. A message will be displayed notifying of the invitation's status with its assigned role(s) and your company file's name. Select OK to close it.
8. The Intuit account user management dashboard will show your user(s) with a Pending status. Once they've accepted their invitation, the status will update and show as Active.

If you're not seeing a prompt to set up or sign in to an Intuit account, you can continue using QuickBooks as you've been.

I've also included a couple detailed resources about working with Intuit accounts which may come in handy moving forward:

• Set up & use Intuit account user management
• How to access company files with an Intuit Account

Please don't hesitate to send a reply if there's any additional questions. Have a lovely Tuesday!