Hey there efisher, I'd love to walk you through the steps to get users the view only access.While there isn't a specific option for users to access view only, you'll have the option for selective access in some areas in QuickBooks.Here's how:Click Company.Click Set Up Users and Passwords.Select Set Up Users.For existing users, click Edit User. For new users, click Add User.Click Next to see each user access roles, and select Selected Areas of QuickBooks.Click Next and you'll see on every areas the No Access, Full Access, and Selective Access radio button.Just click Selective Access, and choose the sub-options.Follow the on-screen prompts to walk you through the rest.You'll see some screenshots outlining the steps above.You might want to check out this article for more information: QuickBooksDesktop Users and RestrictionsJust drop a comment below if you have any more questions I can help.

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How do I give users view only access

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
December 11, 2018
49 replies
520 views

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QuickBooks Desktop

Best answer by ShiellaGraceA

Hey there efisher,

I'd love to walk you through the steps to get users the view only access.

While there isn't a specific option for users to access view only, you'll have the option for selective access in some areas in QuickBooks.

Here's how:

Click Company.
Click Set Up Users and Passwords.
Select Set Up Users.
For existing users, click Edit User. For new users, click Add User.
Click Next to see each user access roles, and select Selected Areas of QuickBooks.
Click Next and you'll see on every areas the No Access, Full Access, and Selective Access radio button.
Just click Selective Access, and choose the sub-options.
Follow the on-screen prompts to walk you through the rest.

You'll see some screenshots outlining the steps above.

You might want to check out this article for more information: QuickBooks Desktop Users and Restrictions

Just drop a comment below if you have any more questions I can help.

S

ShiellaGraceAAnswer

Level 9

Hey there efisher,

I'd love to walk you through the steps to get users the view only access.

While there isn't a specific option for users to access view only, you'll have the option for selective access in some areas in QuickBooks.

Here's how:

Click Company.
Click Set Up Users and Passwords.
Select Set Up Users.
For existing users, click Edit User. For new users, click Add User.
Click Next to see each user access roles, and select Selected Areas of QuickBooks.
Click Next and you'll see on every areas the No Access, Full Access, and Selective Access radio button.
Just click Selective Access, and choose the sub-options.
Follow the on-screen prompts to walk you through the rest.

You'll see some screenshots outlining the steps above.

You might want to check out this article for more information: QuickBooks Desktop Users and Restrictions

Just drop a comment below if you have any more questions I can help.

R

RebeccaSusanWest

New Member

Agree with the other users here that this is really frustrating. There *really* should be a read-only option. Do you know if they are working on an option for that for the Online Mac Quickbooks??

R

Ryan_M

Moderator

It is a year later than the other inquiries about the desktop premier ability to have a view only feature?

What is the status, as this is a need and a very common need for QB users.

Thank you, Jennifer

Hi @Ursula113,

I'm here to take care of your query about the View Only user type in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

At this time, this user type is still an exclusive feature for QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise. I'd suggest following the workaround provided by my colleague @JaneD above, which is the Selective Access option for your users. This way, you can customize areas in your QBDT company where they have your permission to access.

Additional details on QBDT user types can be found in this article: QuickBooks Desktop Users and Restrictions. This includes steps on how you can set up users and roles, hide account balances from unauthorized users, as well as troubleshooting steps to resolve unexpected results.

In case you'd like to utilize a multi-user network, see this article: Set up and install a multi-user network for QuickBooks Desktop. This is a step by step guide from setting up QBDT, all the way to turning on hosting for the company file.

Have other questions in mind? Post them in the comments below, and I'll be sure to get back to you.

D

Discouraged

I agree that view only access is a priority for our company.

I am very glad for this forum, because it has now saved me quite a bit of money and aggravation that moving to Quickbooks online would have inflicted.

I use the desktop version and will now stay right where I am. I am a light user — Quickbooks is sort of overkill for us, but it makes it easier to work with our accountant. I am definitely never going to be a candidate for the Enterprise version.

I was really hoping that moving to the online version would enable me to allow my business partners to view our status without the risk of messing anything up.

We actually want the opposite of what selected permissions currently do. We would want everyone to be able to view balances and reports, but we would not want any of the others to be able to create a transaction — not even one transaction by mistake.

B

bjlmeerkat

Super discouraging. I cannot fathom why you can't give a view-only option to all levels of subscription. Wow. For internal controls it's imperative! It can't cost a bunch to extend that option to all levels. Just feels like extortion.

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