How Do I Prevent QuickBooks Online Desktop v3 From Opening Companies In A New Window?

Welcome to the Community, Slings-Arrows.

With your QuickBooks Online desktop app, you can access multiple accounts from different tabs.

Here's how:
 

1. Open the QuickBooks app.
2. Next to your tab with the company name, click your Plus (+) icon to add another tab.
3. Use the You’re viewing [company name] ▼ drop-down list and choose a company you want to switch to.
4. Repeat these steps for all companies you want to have open at the same time.
5. Select a tab's X icon if you want to close it.

I've also included a detailed resource about using your desktop app which may come in handy moving forward: Download & use the QuickBooks desktop app

If there's any additional questions, I'm just a post away. Have a great Thursday!

@ZackEThank you for the prompt and quick response!

Unfortunately, your recommended steps did not affect the behavior. When I attempt to change companies in QuickBooks Online Desktop app (3.0.2) for Mac (15.3.2) it always open in a new window. It did not work this way prior to QuickBooks Online Desktop v3.

It would be wonderful if all companies would open in a new tab rather than a new window, especially for smaller laptop screens.

Steps to reproduce as shown in the attached screen recording below:

1. Open Quickbooks Online for Desktop.

2. Click the (+) icon to open a new tab.

3. Use the dropdown to select a new company.

Expected result: New company opens in the newly created tab within the same window.

Actual result: New company opens in an entirely new window. 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/twmq92qae1x962zzvxamf/Screen-Recording-2025-03-14-at-09.01.08.mov?rlk...

Thank you for sharing that with us. I would like for you to try one more troubleshooting step. Just want to rule out some things.

1. Reset the app's data (Help > Reset App Data)
2. Clean boot the app (i.e. hold shift while opening it)
3. Reinstall the app and check. 

I will appreciate this so much! Looking forward to your response. See you in a few. 

@SashaMC 

Thank you for the response. I tried your suggestions, details as follows:

Reset the app's data (Help > Reset App Data)

No change in behavior

Clean boot the app (i.e. hold shift while opening it)

No change in behavior

Reinstall the app and check.

Well, we made some progress, although now in the completely wrong direction. When I downloaded a fresh version of the app and installed it, OSX refuses to open it because it cannot verify the download. So now I can't use the app at all. This includes context clicking the app and selecting "open" which will often get you around the Apple security checks.

I guess at this point I would request an escalation of the issue since the newest version app is non-functional, at least on my laptop.

Thank you for the detailed update, Slings-Arrows! I truly appreciate the information you've provided. Our team is dedicated to swiftly resolving this matter so you can get back to focusing on your business activities. 

I recommend reaching out to our QuickBooks Live Support team for further assistance. They will gather the necessary information to help you file an escalation request and guide you through the next steps. They're available from Monday to Friday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM PT, and 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM PT during Saturdays. Here’s how you can connect with them:

1. Go to the Help (?) menu.
2. Select the Assistant tab to get help from the QB assistant, or select the Search tab to enter your question and find Help articles.
3. If you choose the Search tab, enter keywords or the topic that best describes your issue and click the Contact Us button.
4. Choose a way to connect (Have us call you or Chat with us) in the How would you like to connect with us? page.  

Additionally, QuickBooks offers a variety of financial reports to help you gain a quick overview of your business performance and make informed decisions. To generate one, check out this article for the step-by-step guide: Run a report in QuickBooks Online. 

Your satisfaction is everything to us. If you have any further questions or want to explore the features in the QuickBooks Online Desktop app, don’t hesitate to reach out. I'm always just a message away in the Community, ready to help. Wishing you great success!

Hi All,

To provide some additional context, prior to v3.0.3 forced update this morning, I was using the platform w/o issue. I was able to open a tab for each of the 6 companies that I manage under one quickbooks online instance.

As of 12:15pm EST, myself and 5 other colleagues with the very same access were forced to log back into Quicbooks Online where the app forced updated to v3.0.3 where we now are forced to open 6 different windows, 1 for each of our companies. We have 1 colleague who's QuickbooksOnline has not updated, they are on the version prior to today's update (it may be a v2.9.x or v3.0.1) and they still have functionality.

I'm now seeing more of these posts popping up.

I've had 2 calls today with QB support and found out this is intentional update that was rolled out yesterday.  Go to Help-What's New and it shows a tutorial about this change.  I wasted a lot of time today and no one on their end seemed to know about it.  Very stupid change IMO.

We recognize the impact of the sudden change in the app, PL34 and DSS4. Rest assured that we'll address this concern so you can get back to focusing on your business activities smoothly. Let me route you to the appropriate support for immediate assistance.

To check further, please contact our QuickBooks Live Support Team. They have the necessary tools to securely access your account and find the root cause of the unusual behavior of the app.

To contact them, please follow the steps outlined by my colleague, Rea_M. Be sure to review their support hours so you'll know when agents are available.

Additionally, I've added this article to help you manage your app: How to manage your apps in QuickBooks Online Advanced.

Return to this thread and comment with your additional inquiries about other features in the QuickBooks Online Desktop App. I'm always just a message away in the Community, ready to help.