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Hi, I'm having a strange problem. I have created many companies in the past, and this has never happened.
I have created a new company (let's call it X), put in the details, and entered some information. I did not set a password on this company X yet. Then I close the file.
Next, I can open any other company (let's call it A) and I get the usual QuickBooks Desktop Login box, showing my company name, and telling me "You need to log in as QuickBooks Desktop Administrator to proceed. Please enter the admin (owner) password for the company." I enter the password I set in the past (and use for every company) and log in just fine.
However, when I go back to open company X's file, I now get a larger login screen that says Sensitive Data Protection Setup:
Create Complex QuickBooks Desktop Password
To complete sensitive data protection setup, create a new complex QuickBooks Desktop password.
All fields required.
User Name - Admin
Current Password - (blank) [Show]
[Forgot Password?]
New Password - (blank)
[Recommended to have at least 7 characters, including one number and one uppercase letter.]
Confirm New Password - (blank)
I have tried every password I can think of for the Current Password -- The one I use for every company and that works for company A, or my Intuit online account password, or blank, or admin, etc. and nothing works. It always tells me "The old password you entered does not match your existing password."
The very weird part is when I hit "Forgot Password?" Clicking this doesn't allow me to reset my password, it just opens a "Have a Question?" help window telling me how to "Reset your Password for QuickBooks Desktop by QuickBooks, Updated May 21, 2021." I have been directed over and over to this information, and I know that I'm supposed to click "Forgot Password?" and then choose my email from a dropdown to get a token -- but I am NOT getting this dropdown! It just keeps opening this help window instead.
I spent 45 extremely frustrating minutes on the phone with support earlier, and the representative sent me a link to reset my Intuit online password, but could not reset the admin password or explain why hitting the "Forgot Password?" link does not actually allow me to reset the password, it just opens this help window.
I don't understand why there's even a password on this company when I did not set one yet. I have deleted all the files related to this company name and recreated it twice and I still get this error when I try to open it a second time. I can still open company A, but when I go to "Company > Set Up Users and Passwords > Change Your Password" it brings up the same kind of window with User Name - Admin, and asking for Current Password and New Password, and the password I used to open company A doesn't work in the Current Password field, and hitting "Forgot Password?" there also does not let me choose anything, it just opens that same help window.
I am completely frustrated with this, please help.
Solved! Go to Solution.
Hello, I'm the OP of this thread and I don't know who's going to get a notification that I've replied again, but I needed to share this -- I stumbled on a way to save a company file if this idiotic error happens again!
THE SOLUTION -- DO NOT BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET WHEN YOU TRY TO OPEN THE FILE AGAIN!
This happened again to one of my files at the beginning of December 2022 when my computer crashed (and it was a newer file, so I did not have any EIN or sensitive data in the file). After the crash, I tried to open the company file I'd been working on and got the dreaded screen asking for my Old Admin Password and to create a New Password. That's the entire problem here, I had never created any admin password, so I was never able to get past this screen and I thought I'd have to recreate the file again, since the "reset my password" link also does not work.
However! After rebooting my computer a few times and trying everything, even the QB Tool Hub (which is a joke), one time I tried to open the file again -- and got a different screen! This time it didn't ask me to input the old password, I just got a "create a new password" screen! I was able to enter a password and open the file perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened. (Be sure to write down your new password somewhere safe immediately!)
I realized what was different -- I wasn't connected to the internet at the time! And I'm here to crow about it because the same thing happened AGAIN with a different file last night, and after fighting with the thing for a few hours today, I finally remembered how I'd solved the last one -- and when I disconnected my internet, and tried to reopen the file, it gave me the "create new password" screen WITHOUT asking for the old, nonexistent Admin password!!!
I hope this helps somebody. This error that they've never been able to fix, explain, or troubleshoot, on top of the fact I recently received a notice saying I won't be able to use the QB 2020 Desktop program that I purchased after May 31, 2023, and that I'll have to upgrade to their QB Online program, has got me looking for new software to migrate my data into. But for now, at least this solution will save your data if this happens to you. Cheers, Happy New Year!
I can only imagine what you've been through, Jamie-W.
Let me help and share some information about password security in QuickBooks Desktop.
To ensure the safety of your company's data, QuickBooks will ask you to create a complex password when you sign in to the file. It will also prompt you to change your password near the end of the 90 days as well as on the expiration date itself. Here's an article for more information: Password Security for QuickBooks Desktop.
If you don't have a dropdown list for emails upon choosing the option I forgot my password, you need to select Don’t see your email in the list above? and enter an email address where you'll receive the token. Emails from us can show up in your spam folders. Check your spam and junk folders if you don't see your code in your inbox.
Otherwise, if the password reset still doesn't work, I recommend contacting our Support Team. They have the right tools and can securely remote in to your computer to help you fix any issues.
I wanna make sure I got you covered, feel free to add some details by click the Reply button below. I'll be around if you need help. Have a nice day!
Please see the issue in my email -- When I click "Forgot Password" it doesn't give me the list of emails at all, it just opens a help window showing me the steps to reset my password.
I spent 45 minutes on the phone today with the Support Team and the woman told me that she "really wanted to help me" but there was nothing she could do, and refused to transfer me to anyone else who might help me. It's Case Number [Removed] if you'd like to listen to the whole frustrating call. Your link looks like it just takes me back to that support number I called today, so how do I contact a specialist to remote into my computer?
I understand this isn't an easy process for you, @Jamie-W.
I know of another way for resetting your QuickBooks Admin password.
You can use the Automated Password Reset tool instead if you can't reset the password. Here's how:
Feel free to read this through for more information about password reset: Use the Automated Password Reset Tool for QuickBooks Desktop.
Don't hesitate to message us back by leaving a comment below. We're always happy to help. Stay safe always.
Thank you but that also does not work. The Automatic Password Reset Tool doesn't work for QuickBooks Desktop 2020 or newer. I get this message (see attached screenshot) when I try to download it and choose 2020+. "For version 2020 and above you can reset password from within the product." But when I try to reset the password from within the program, it doesn't let me, it just opens the help window.
I still have access to the other dozen companies I have created in the past, the only issue is this one new company I'm trying to create. I can't risk losing access to the other companies, but I really need to be able to create new ones like I've always done. Please send me instructions for the remote-in help because I'm completely frustrated.
Thank you but that also does not work. The Automatic Password Reset Tool doesn't work for QuickBooks Desktop 2020 or newer. I get this message (see attached screenshot) when I try to download it and choose 2020+. But when I try to reset the password from within the program, it doesn't let me, it just opens the help window.
I still have access to the other dozen companies I have created in the past, the only issue is this one new company I'm trying to create. I can't risk losing access to the other companies, but I really need to be able to create new ones like I've always done. Please send me instructions for the remote-in help because I'm completely frustrated.
Hello there, Jamie-W.
I can see how important it is for you to be able to reset the password. This lets you add a new company file smoothly. Let me provide some information about the unexpected behavior you’re experiencing.
We’ve received reports from other users that they’re having issues resetting the admin password on a company file. Rest assured, our engineers are diligently working to get this feature up and running again.
That said, I recommend contacting our Technical Support Team to sign up to the list of affected users. Adding your company to the notification list ensures you’ll get email updates about the investigation.
Here’s how to reach them:
I’ve included a link for future reference. It outlines the complete steps on how to reset your QuickBooks password. The article contains screenshots and a video tutorial to visually guide you through the process.
Reach out to me again if you have additional questions about creating a company file or managing passwords. I’m always ready to help and make sure you’re taken care of.
After spending 2.5 hours on the phone with a support tech yesterday (on top of the 45 minutes the day before), and having him remote in to my computer to see what was happening, he was still unable to solve the problem.
We did figure out that the reason QuickBooks is requiring a password the second time I open the company file is because it reads that I am inputting EIN/SSN numbers. However it won't accept any admin password, and there is no way to reset the password, and even with the file open, there is no way to create a password (because in order to create a password you must input the admin password that doesn't exist).
With the tech's help I uploaded my file and they have escalated it to a higher team, which is what I asked the first tech the day before to do but she told me it wasn't possible, so now I have to wait. The work around is to not input any EIN/SSNs, even though that is an integral part of my file so that's very annoying, but at least I can continue to open the file. This whole experience has me looking for a different, non-QuickBooks solution for my business. Very frustrating.
Was this issue ever resolved? I have just created a new entity for the first time since updating to QB Desktop 2021 and have been asked to input a password I have not created. I am very concerned that I have to go back and redo all the work to create the entity the first time!
Hello, @Pattie B. I understand the urgency of getting this issue fixed. I'm here to share some details about password security for QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) and direct you to our support team.
To ensure the protection of your critical data, QuickBooks Desktop requires passwords for data files to meet certain complexity requirements. Setting a password is mandatory for users with sensitive information or credit card security. It ensures that only those who are authorized have access to your information.
For more details and the minimum requirements when setting up a password, you can click this article.
I'd also suggest reaching out to our Technical Support Team. They can look at your account and offer further suggestions for resolving the problem you're having.
Here's how:
Please check out this article for QuickBooks support hours: Contact QuickBooks Desktop Support.
In case you forgot your password you can check out this article: Reset your password for QuickBooks Desktop.
If you have any other problems logging into your QBDT account, please leave a comment. I'll be here to help you at any moment. Have a successful business!
I understand why you want a password on the account. That is not the issue. The issue is the known glitch in the Quickbooks software that asks me for a password to continue when I was never prompted to create a password in the first place, and there is no way for me to change any password. I am dead in the water at this point and will need to recreate my work to move forward. The original commenter had the exact same problem as me 3 months ago, talked to tech support who couldn't solve the problem, and then had the issue escalated. I just wonder if going through the time consuming process of talking to tech support will get me anywhere, or if I just do the work around of not putting an EIN in when I create the company.
Hi Pattie - I'm the original poster, and NO this issue was never resolved. I have to use the workaround with my new files and not put in the EIN. Their tech support/ escalation team took my file, looked at it, sent me back some bizarre alphanumeric password that I didn't create (and never would have created) to access the locked file, but I still can't use it to -change- the admin password. They also sent me the "fixed" file when I was in a time crunch at work, and since I didn't respond within 48 hours, now if I want to talk to anyone about it again and how my issue wasn't resolved, I'd have to do the whole process over, and I'm not wasting 4+ more hours on that. Sorry I can't help and sorry they won't, good luck!
Jamie,
Thank you! I greatly appreciate your reply :> This is exactly what I suspected would be the case, that going the tech support route would not solve the problem, only infuriate me. So, to the work-around it goes!
Quickbooks,
I have used you for over twenty years. I have not been interested in learning new software, but these customer tech support/software glitch issues are piling up. I too might start looking around for a different program......
@Pattie B wrote:I have used you for over twenty years. I have not been interested in learning new software, but these customer tech support/software glitch issues are piling up. I too might start looking around for a different program......
If you are using QBD Pro/Premier, your option is very limited to replace it. Otherwise you can migrate to QB Online or another cloud based accounting app. Purchase a 3rd party conversion service if required.
I am using QuickBooks Desktop 2019 and i was getting an error message that i need to update my password and i wasn't able to figure out. But I have finally reset my QuickBooks admin password and if anyone looking for help then i would suggest you should also try the following full guide on reset admin password.
Allow me to join you here and help with your password, Richard.
It's possible that there are some details that are not similar to what we have on our records. You can log in to your account on the Customer Account Management Portal Site to check and verify if the information is the same.
It's a site where you can see and manage your accounts, products, contacts, billing, and user ID access. You can review charges, update your payment method, change a credit card, as well as update billing information and email addresses.
Here's how:
In case the details are the same, I would recommend reaching out to our phone or chat support teams. They can take a look at your account and help you reset your password. Go to this article to get their contact details: Contact QuickBooks Desktop Support.
Don't hesitate to reply to me and share updates if you're able to reset your password. I would also love to get back here in case you need anything else.
Last resort, purchase a 3rd party password reset service.
Thank you for the EIN workaround, I'll try that next time I set up a new company.
I have run into this same issue with most versions of QuickBooks desktop (2019 to 2023), including the Enterprise edition (19.0 to 23.0). My workaround was to set up a company in QB 2018, QBE 18.0, or earlier, making sure to set up Admin passwords as well as one or more other users. Then I upgrade this datafile by opening it in the newer versions until I get it to the version I need. I also have to do it this way because you cannot set up any additional users in a newly created file, because QB requires the Admin password to do so, which of course I didn't set up and don't have.
Having been a ProAdvisor for several years, I have access to the older versions so many newer users may not be able to use this option.
The problem appears to have begun when they started requiring you to login/create an Intuit account when setting up a company. I haven't seen any way to bypass this step, and don't know if creating/logging in sets up some random password in the datafile where one doesn't already exist. I just know it is annoying to have to do this every time because I really can't justify billing for the time wasted upgrading a customer's new file through several upgrades just so they can use it on their version.
I reset my password now I have to of the same company with 2 different passwords Qb lost all my data from 2019 to 2022 tech support has no answers very disgusting
Do you still have the backup of the original file?
Hello there, @Heinz2.
I'd recommend getting in touch with our Customer Support for the fix. This way, our data service team can further check if they can recover or retrieve the lost data.
Here's how:
You'll also want to check our support hours page to see when our support will be available.
For additional information about the Data Services team, check out the following article. It also contains detailed steps regarding the type of files you can upload: QuickBooks Data Services FAQ.
You can visit this link about recovering data in QuickBooks: Recover lost data with QuickBooks Auto Recovery.
Let me know if you need further assistance with your lost data. I'm always here to help.
Hello, I'm the OP of this thread and I don't know who's going to get a notification that I've replied again, but I needed to share this -- I stumbled on a way to save a company file if this idiotic error happens again!
THE SOLUTION -- DO NOT BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET WHEN YOU TRY TO OPEN THE FILE AGAIN!
This happened again to one of my files at the beginning of December 2022 when my computer crashed (and it was a newer file, so I did not have any EIN or sensitive data in the file). After the crash, I tried to open the company file I'd been working on and got the dreaded screen asking for my Old Admin Password and to create a New Password. That's the entire problem here, I had never created any admin password, so I was never able to get past this screen and I thought I'd have to recreate the file again, since the "reset my password" link also does not work.
However! After rebooting my computer a few times and trying everything, even the QB Tool Hub (which is a joke), one time I tried to open the file again -- and got a different screen! This time it didn't ask me to input the old password, I just got a "create a new password" screen! I was able to enter a password and open the file perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened. (Be sure to write down your new password somewhere safe immediately!)
I realized what was different -- I wasn't connected to the internet at the time! And I'm here to crow about it because the same thing happened AGAIN with a different file last night, and after fighting with the thing for a few hours today, I finally remembered how I'd solved the last one -- and when I disconnected my internet, and tried to reopen the file, it gave me the "create new password" screen WITHOUT asking for the old, nonexistent Admin password!!!
I hope this helps somebody. This error that they've never been able to fix, explain, or troubleshoot, on top of the fact I recently received a notice saying I won't be able to use the QB 2020 Desktop program that I purchased after May 31, 2023, and that I'll have to upgrade to their QB Online program, has got me looking for new software to migrate my data into. But for now, at least this solution will save your data if this happens to you. Cheers, Happy New Year!
I recently received a notice saying I won't be able to use the QB 2020 Desktop program that I purchased after May 31, 2023
If you have a one-time license, you can still use QBD 2020 after May 2023 without online features.
Hi Pattie -- I wanted to make sure you saw that I figured out a solution to this highly annoying problem finally (one year later, and by myself, with no help from QB). If you ever get this error again, make sure you're NOT connected to the internet when you next try to open the company file. At that point, it just prompts you for a NEW password, and doesn't ask for the non-existent Admin password. Cheers!
Hello Jamie-W,
I have reviewed the solution you’ve shared and it's correct and accurate. Thank you for sharing your inputs to help address the issue.
We love to see members supporting one another! Have a great day.
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