Learn how to set user and password settings in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac.
In QuickBooks Desktop for Mac, you can set user and password settings so users can only access what's needed for their role. This way, you can choose what users can see and do within different areas of QuickBooks like banking, sales, payroll, or expenses.
Note: If you’re setting up more than one user:
- Since payroll has sensitive information, make sure to select the account you’re using for payroll. To do this, select Set Payroll Accounts from the User and Passwords window and choose the account.
- Set a closing data and password so users can’t change anything you’ve done in the past.
How to add, edit, or delete a user
- Select Company, then Users and Passwords.
- To add a user: Select the plus sign (+) then enter a username and password, then set the user permissions.
- To edit a user: Double-click the user name and make your changes.
- To delete a user: Select the user name, then select the minus sign (-).
- When you’re done, close the Settings window.
How to change a users password
All users can change their own password. To do this, double-click the user in the Users and Passwords window, then change the password.
How to change all users passwords
An admin can reset the passwords for all users that can access the company file. Here’s how.
- Select Company, then Users and Passwords.
- Select the checkbox for Reset All Passwords.
- Enter a new password for each user.
- When you’re done, close the Preferences window.
Permissions you can assign
Permissions are used to add or remove access for users in different areas of QuickBooks.
There are two types of access you can give users:
- All areas of QuickBooks (Administrative): This allows the user to do anything in the company file. If you’re the owner of the company file, assign this permission to your account.
- Select areas of QuickBooks (Custom): If you’d like to restrict access to certain areas of QuickBooks, you can choose what the user is able to see. Choose from the areas you want the user to access.
Note: In QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 2019 are higher, you’re only able to have one admin. If you have multiple admins in earlier versions of QuickBooks, choose one to be the single admin. The former admins will still have the same permissions, except for admin-only permissions like creating or changing user accounts.
| Area of QuickBooks | What the user can do |
| Accounts Payable | Work on vendor-related tasks, like entering and paying bills. |
| Accounts Receivable | Work on customer-related tasks, like creating invoices or accepting customer payments. |
| Checking and Credit Cards | Write checks and enter transactions for company credit cards. |
| Inventory | Order, track, and pay for inventory. |
| Payroll | Work on payroll-related tasks, like creating paychecks. |
| Sensitive Accounting | Work with accounting-related data that has sensitive information, like banking, Merchant Services, 1099s and Chart of Accounts. |
| Sensitive Financial | Work with financial features that contain sensitive information, like reports, memorized transactions, Chart of Accounts, lists, and inventory adjustments. |
| Time Tracking | Work on time tracking tasks, like importing My Time data. |