This is confusing:

Host: "Turn on hosting only for the Host computer or where the company file is stored."

Server: "computer that physically stores your company file"

How is the host different from the server? Sounds like they're the same computer, but you also say, "If you're using a server to host your file, one computer still has to act as a Host. You must not turn on hosting for workstations."

So, which is required? The server or the host or both? And which computer has the data and do both/all computers have to have QB installed? 

If you don't have any server for a dedicated storage, you may assign one of computers as the host. You may work on this machine and the data file will be shared among other users.

You could potentially have three computers involved in your system, that's why they specify the "Host" computer.

Server: QB Company Data File and the "Host" (This is where you turn Hosting on.)

Computer 1: Workstation for User (No Company File)

Computer 2: Workstation for User (No Company File)

But in your situation, it sounds like you have two computers.  So you have one computer acting as BOTH the Host computer where the Company Data File is located and is used by one of the Users.  The second computer is just used by a User. 

Computer 1: Host and Workstation for User (This is where you turn Hosting on.)

Computer 2: Workstation for User (No Company File)

There is one other VERY IMPORTANT note that I have not seen mentioned here.  It is strongly recommended that you DO NOT use WiFi between the two computers if the second computer is logged into the Company File for long periods.  I have seen situations where someone will occasionally log in from the second computer, make an entry or two and close the file with no issues.  But the type of database used for the QB's file can easily be corrupted (as we've all seen) and a WiFi signal is an easy way to cause corruption. 

The other important note is that in the above I said not to have the Company Data File on the Workstations or Non-Hosting computer.  But that's not to say you can't keep an Uncompressed Copy of the file on the other computer.  Do all the usual Backups that QBs wants to do internally (set to every X times, etc.).  But in addition, every night when everyone is logged out or after you've done massive data entry, copy the folder from the Host machine to the other machine as another Backup. 

If you walk in some morning and the Host computer has died, you can always open your QBs from the second machine in Single User Mode without missing a beat.

1. Do all these computers have to have QB installed on them? 

2. If you don't recommend WiFi, then how are they connected? Hard wired into the network? 

3. So the server and the host are the same computer & not separate computers? 

So we can have one computer with the QB data file and someone can work on it and someone else can be logged in remotely and work on the same file at the same time? Our accountant logs in remotely (have no idea how) and if they're on it, we can't be on that computer at all! 

Hello, DandSPlumbing.

Thanks for joining in on this thread.

You can indeed have one computer with your QuickBooks file operational at the same time the account is being worked on remotely.

I recommend reaching out to your IT department to help out with the setup, but this article is a great place to start: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/configure-for-multiple-users/set-up-and-install-a-...

Feel free to reach back out if you have any other questions.

1. Do all these computers have to have QB installed on them? 

Yes, you need to have QBs installed on both (all) computers.

2. If you don't recommend WiFi, then how are they connected? Hard wired into the network? 

Yes, as much hype as WiFi gets, you are ALWAYS safer with a hardwire connection for QBs, file transfers, etc., etc.  Besides speed, there are fewer packets dropped that need to be resent.

3. So the server and the host are the same computer & not separate computers? 

Depends...   If you have a SERVER that you can run Programs on, not just an external Storage device, you can load the QBs Server components on that SERVER and have it Host the QBs Company File.  Then the Workstations all access that Company File. 

But it sounds like you run QBs on one computer now.  So you could easily set that machine up to allow another Workstation (someone else's computer) to access the same file.  So no Server needed. 

Part II

So we can have one computer with the QB data file and someone can work on it and someone else can be logged in remotely and work on the same file at the same time? Our accountant logs in remotely (have no idea how) and if they're on it, we can't be on that computer at all! 

It depends upon what the Accountant is doing.  You would need to check with them to see if you could work at the same time, but technically QBs does allow multiple users if you have the right license.  (If it hasn't been mentioned before, if you have a Single User License, you'd need to upgrade to Multi-User.)

But yes, you could set up a computer anywhere in the office (doesn't even need a keyboard or monitor) with access to the Company File on your computer as described above and the Accountant can log in as they always have. 

The way you are set up now is that your Accountant basically has a remote Keyboard, Monitor and Mouse which takes over your computer.  So even though they are not physically there, they are basically "sitting" in front of your computer using it.  So you can't both sit there and try and do things on the same computer at the same time.  So if you can afford it, a small low profile computer tucked away somewhere with access to your QBs file would allow you to keep working on your computer. 

Even if the Acct. doesn't want you in QBs at the same time.  You still have y our computer to do anything you want to do.  EXCEPT shut down or reboot while the Acct. is working on the QB file.

You can also use the hard drive on the other computer to store backups of your QBs if you don't already have a good way to store your Backups.

I am just going to put this back out there and then hopefully remove myself from this thread. 

I worked with QB directly to set up multi-user, going from  1 license to 2 license remotely via WiFi,  using on 1pc as the host/workstation.  QB Support said it could be done. I told them in "no uncertain terms" if it could not be done do not remote in and assist with the change.  I was told again by the 2 QB Phillipino agents it was no problem to do and it would work just fine  QB Support  remoted in and then proceeded to change to mulit-user access and screwed up the computer that was to be the host/workstation and my QB File and computer was no longer accessible. (Thank GOODNESS, I was smart enough to have a full computer back up and QB Backup before all this started. )  After approximately 22hrs consecutive hours, 5 agents later,  I was told that my IT dept would have to fix and QB was not responsible for their screwing up my computer and wasting all my time.  I am a "Mom & Pop" small business. 2 computers, just me and my husband.   I do not have an "IT DEPT." which I told the QB support agents numerous times before we started and caused the whole fiasco.   Needless, to say,  I do not recommend trying to upgrade to 2 users and do this over WiFi connection.  Spend the money to hard wire network, have a server host.  Lesson learned the hard way.   Again, Intuit,  never took any responsibility for the problem they caused. 

I would agree LAN connection by cable is more reliable than Wireless LAN. It is why we could only connect the server with LAN cable to a switch or an access point. But if you still prefer using a wireless connection, make sure to have a reliable product, run a frequently verify tool  and do more backup of your data files as insurance.

Should your accountant or other users need to access your data file by internet connection, consider deploying a private cloud environment. Your local users may keep accessing the file by LAN and any mobile users may work on the same file at the same time virtually.

https://partners.myquickcloud.com/?pc=fiatlux

Hi,

I have a multi-user environment (3 licenses) set up for QB. I want to specify the 4th computer to share the license with a specific user (one amongst the 3 ). how do I do this?

Thanks. 

Hi,

I have a multi-user set up (3 users with license) I want to add the 4th computer to share the same license with one of the 3 users. how to I do this? and can I specify which user amongst the existing ones to share with my 4th computer? 

Thanks,

Tom.  

@TomJGA 

A license for 3 users = 3 computers + 1 server as storage only (if any). You need to purchase additional seat for the 4th one.

As Fiat Lux mentioned, if you're going to add QBs to their desktop, you will need a 4th licenses.  

Another option might be to install one of the QB licenses on a small dedicated machine (e.g. Lenovo ThinkCentre M93P) and then have the two users remote into it when they need to access QBs.  You'd have to compare the costs of the computer, remote access software if you don't use Windows Remote Desktop, etc.  But it is worth considering.

And if you ever need additional people then you're all set.  This is no different than if the person gets out of the chair so the next person can sit down to work in QBs.  They are just "virtually" sitting down.

Welcome to the nightmare of Intuit's customer support. The incompetence is astounding. Every time I call, I get some rep in another country. HOURS later I'm still either on hold or I'm transferred 3-4 times with cold hand-offs to people who each promise they're the right person, then after I go through the scenario they admit they need to transfer me to someone else. Every time I call them, I lose a minimum of 3 hours of my life. One issue I've been trying to resolve for TWO YEARS (I kid you not). Because of this, I advise clients to stay away from QBO and stick to the desktop version.

Don't contact support. They'll suck hours of your life away and mess up your file. 

We are always striving with providing the best experience with the product and making our customers feel valued, DreamBig.

I appreciate the time and effort you've spent with one of our phone support agents. I'll personally share your feedback with our Customer Support Team regarding the transfer calls. We'll be able to take action on improving our customer service.

I have a link here that provides you with articles about managing your business in your online account: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/get-started/07.

The Community will always have your back if you need anything else in  QuickBooks Online. I'm always here to help.

Ok.....I just started doing my husband's bookkeeping for his plumbing business, AT his office.  His previous bookkeeper had to quit unexpectedly for health reasons, left us high and dry, no time even to train me.   I am brand new to QuickBooks, but have caught on to all the basics pretty quick, at least for what I need to run his business.  I believe we have the single license (allows for two users).

With Covid-19, I'm worried that eventually someone around the office might get sick and then we'll ALL be quarantined, sick or not.  So with the possibility of that, I'd like to be able to work from home.  We'd also like the computer AT work to still be accessible if anyone needs to pop into it to check customer info, late bills, or anything like that....so simultaneous use would be great.   I'm a bit confused by all the above answers, not super tech-savvy.  Can anyone kindly spell out in simple steps what *exactly* I need to do to accomplish what I've described needing, please?  We can pick up another laptop just for this sole purpose if need be, or upgrade our license....but we really only need it for two users -- someone at the office, AND the computer at home.  My husband was worried that having different IP addresses would affect our merchant service access (?)....which I disagree with. 

Thanks so much for any help for this dummy....  ;)

~Carol

Ok.....I just started doing my husband's bookkeeping for his plumbing business, AT his office.  His previous bookkeeper had to quit unexpectedly for health reasons, left us high and dry, no time even to train me.   I am brand new to QuickBooks, but have caught on to all the basics pretty quick, at least for what I need to run his business.  I believe we have the single license (allows for two users).

With Covid-19, I'm worried that eventually someone around the office might get sick and then we'll ALL be quarantined, sick or not.  So with the possibility of that, I'd like to be able to work from home.  We'd also like the computer AT work to still be accessible if anyone needs to pop into it to check customer info, late bills, or anything like that....so simultaneous use would be great.   I'm a bit confused by all the above answers, not super tech-savvy.  Can anyone kindly spell out in simple steps what *exactly* I need to do to accomplish what I've described needing, please?  We can pick up another laptop just for this sole purpose if need be, or upgrade our license....but we really only need it for two users -- someone at the office, AND the computer at home.  My husband was worried that having different IP addresses would affect our merchant service access (?)....which I disagree with. 

Thanks so much for any help for this dummy....  ;)

~Carol

Ok.....I just started doing my husband's bookkeeping for his plumbing business, AT his office.  His previous bookkeeper had to quit unexpectedly for health reasons, left us high and dry, no time even to train me.   I am brand new to QuickBooks, but have caught on to all the basics pretty quick, at least for what I need to run his business.  I believe we have the single license (allows for two users).  We're using Desktop Pro 2019

With Covid-19, I'm worried that eventually someone around the office might get sick and then we'll ALL be quarantined, sick or not.  So with the possibility of that, I'd like to be able to work from home.  We'd also like the computer AT work to still be accessible if anyone needs to pop into it to check customer info, late bills, or anything like that....so simultaneous use would be great.   I'm a bit confused by all the above answers, not super tech-savvy.  Can anyone kindly spell out in simple steps what *exactly* I need to do to accomplish what I've described needing, please?  We can pick up another laptop just for this sole purpose if need be, or upgrade our license....but we really only need it for two users -- someone at the office, AND the computer at home.  My husband was worried that having different IP addresses would affect our merchant service access (?)....which I disagree with. 

Thanks so much for any help for this dummy....  ;)

~Carol

There are two options on how you can use QuickBooks from a different location, Carol. 

First is to install or save the software in a multi-user network. This option requires both computers to be connected to the same network. Detailed steps on how you can use this function are discussed here: Set up and install a multi-user network for QuickBooks Desktop.

Another option is to one of the accredited hosting providers. This gives you the option to save and use QuickBooks in the service provider's servers anywhere and anytime.

Details on how you can take advantage of this option are shared in these articles:

• Intuit Hosting Program
• What hosting providers are authorized by Intuit?

Please add another reply below if you have other questions. 

@puterchick 

As a simpe and cheap solution, consider a remote desktop app.

https://my.splashtop.com/splashtop_referral/AAHHq6GG344maw

But should you need to access your data file on multi-user mode, you may consider deploying a private cloud solution. It costs $25/access/month and your mobile users can utilize it in turns.

https://partners.myquickcloud.com/?pc=fiatlux

Sorry JenoP, but I really have to strongly disagree with your solutions.  (Sorry  :)  )

Carol....   I'm not an Intuit/QBs employee, I'm an IT/Network guy.  So I'm not looking at your issue from what can Intuit or it's partners do for you, I'm looking at the solution. 

I'd recommend you look at one of the various Remote Desktop programs out there such as TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Splashtop, GoToMyPC, and multiple others.  If your company has an IT guy you use, discuss this with them too.

For you're situation, I'd recommend TeamViewer (I don't use them, but they're probably the best choice for you).  They allow you to use their program for free for "Personal" use.  It may be a bit of a stretch, but with COVID-19 and your working at home, I'd call it Personal Use.  What TeamViewer (or the others) let you do is basically make it so you're sitting at your desk at home and you're working 100% on your computer at work.  So you can do all your work from home and keep your QBs file up to date on the machine at work.

The nice thing about TeamViewer is that it also lets you make the monitor at the remote machine (work) black.  So while you're working on QBs doing payroll or other things you don't want people to see, they won't see them if they walk into the office.

All of these programs also let you easily copy files.   So the other option would be to load QBs on your home computer and actually do all the work there.  Then whenever you think you need to, copy the file from your home computer to your work computer.  The GREAT thing about this is that you now have an "off-site" backup of your QBs file.  So if there's a fire, theft, etc., you still have a copy of your QBs file. 

I would STRONGLY recommend you stay away from any Cloud, Online Sharing, etc. setups.  I can't tell you how many people have gone down that road and had nothing but problems if they don't have an in-house IT team making sure things are backed up and confirm they're working as they should.  Not to mention having a business agreement in place where the hosting site is responsible if they mess up.  None of these companies going after the small business market are doing that. 

Working remotely is pretty simple these days.  Can't tell you how much of it I've been setting up the last few weeks.....  

How do we find the file on our WORKSTATION computer that is in another location?   I followed the direction for the HOST computer....

Hi @lisagansner,

Some company file is mapped in drive E. If that's your case, you can look for your company file name (E:) in the list. Let me guide you how.

1. Go to File, then Open or Restore Company.
2. Select Open a company file, then Next.
3. Browse the location of your company file, and choose the company file with .qbw extension.
4. Click Open. Enter your user name and password when prompted.

Please see this article for details: Open a company file located on a remote computer. 

I'm also attaching our these handy articles for additional reference.

• Hosting your company data in multi-user mode in QuickBooks Desktop.

• Error H101, H202, H303, or H505 when opening your company file.

That should let you access your file. Please leave a comment anytime if you have other questions or concerns. We're always here to help. Thanks for visiting the Community today and have a nice weekend.