Accountant copy gets "You are accessing a feature that is not supported in the accountant's copy" Error

To start with, your accountant needs even more access to everything than you have. The accountant acts as if they are you, using your password. Setting up a different user certainly would create problems with this.

Start over, create and send the accountant's copy without alteration AND GIVE YOUR ACCOUNTANT YOUR PASSWORD (sorry for all caps screaming but whatever reason you have to attempt to hamper your accountant's full access is invalid

Ok, I didn't realize that there was a difference.  Thanks for the clarification

Trust your accountant. The "CPA" at the end of their name means several things besides being certified and public, it means they follow a strict policy of ethics, truth, justice and the American way (lol). 

Hi. I am an accountant using QB 2020. A client just sent his accountant's file to me. When I try to open the file the following error comes up. I've never seen this before. Any advice?

"You are accessing a feature that is not supported in the accountant's copy"

Hey there, Donna C. 

Without being to see your specific account, I can't see exactly what's going on, however, I can help and provide some trouble shooting steps that may solve your issue. If not, I would recommend reaching out to our support team as they will be able to diagnose exactly what's going on in your individual account. 

Solution 1: Sync License Data Online

1. Make sure that you are connected to the internet.
2. Sync your license data online.
   1. From the Help menu, go to Manage My License.
   2. Select Sync License Data Online.

Solution 2: Send an Accountant's Copy using a different file

Identify if the issue is only happening in one company file. If the error is isolated with one file, the issue may be related to data damage.

Solution 3: Rename the Entitlementdatastore.ecml file

Note: This solution will require you to re-register all versions of QuickBooks Desktop on your computer.

1. Close QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Re-create damaged EntitlementDataStore.ecml
3. Open QuickBooks Desktop. You should be prompted to re-register the program.
4. Sync your license data online.
   1. From the Help menu, go to Manage My License.
   2. Select Sync License Data Online.

Solution 4: Boot into Safe Mode

Try booting your computer to safe mode to verify if a third party application prevents your QuickBooks Desktop from syncing its license data to the Intuit servers. If you can sync the license data online, open and convert an Accountant's Copy in Safe Mode, that indicates that a third party program is causing the issue.

You can also create a new Windows Administrator user to identify if your current user lacks permission or already damaged.

You can find additional troubleshooting steps at the following link: Troubleshoot Accountant File Transfer service issues. 

If you have any other questions, feel free to post below. Thank you for your time and have a nice day. 

@BrownDogBrands Too late to do you any good, but I 've figured this one out.  The first time a user signs into the file, they must change their password.  So creating a new user, and then making an Accountant's copy and sending will not work, because they are not allowed to change the first-time password in an Accountant's Copy.  You will need to create the new user, log out, sign in as the new user with the first-time password, change the password in the pop-up, and then create the Accountant's copy and give them the second password.  

Hello,

I'm having this issue but my client & I have been using Accountant's Copy for years.  I am not a new user.  Could there be something else causing the problem?

I have asked the client to try changing my password before sending me a new Accountant's Copy.

Thank you.

Let's make sure we'll be able to fix the issue, aehcpa.

Sometimes, you'll experience data damage which means your user components can't be read correctly by QuickBooks. This is caused by internal (within QuickBooks) or external (file location) factors. The majority of data damage issues shows error code or message. You can create a new user, and sign in as a new user. Then, send the Accountant's copy to your client and check if it's successful.

You'll also want to make sure that you've updated QuickBooks to the latest release to ensure that you're not getting issues and everything is successful. You may want to check out this article to give you solutions that he's you solve problems when sending your file to the Intuit Server: Error Message When You Try To Send An Accountant Copy With The File Transfer Service.

However, if you're still getting the error, I recommend reaching out to our support team so they can investigate further. Aside from that, they have the tools to pull up your account securely and double-check why this is happening. 

Furthermore, there are times errors that you're getting are caused by data damage on your QuickBooks company file. Learn from this article how to fix them: Fix Data Damage On Your QuickBooks Desktop Company File.

Let me know if you need further assistance with your Accountant's Copy. I'll be one post away if you need help. 

Hello,

I had my client create new user for me & change the initial password before sending me the accountant's copy.  This fixed the message regarding not tracking changes.  However, I am unable to make any changes without the program aborting.  Even if I just add a transaction it will kick me out.

I have tried uninstalling & reinstalling the program.  I've verified the data file.  I've run through the Desktop Tool Hub.  I can't think of anything else to try.

I'm working with 2020 QuickBooks Premier/Accountant - Desktop version.

Thank you.

Hi, @aehcpa. I value your time and effort in performing some troubleshooting steps to isolate this behavior. I'm here to share some details about the unrecoverable error while entering or revising transactions into an accountant's copy file.

I want you to know that this error was been reported to our engineering department already. At this time, they're currently working to identify the cause to provide a timely solution. While waiting for the resolution, I recommend trying these workarounds which work for other users.

1. Go to the Help menu, then Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Close all versions of QuickBooks
3. Open Task Manager and close all QB processes
4. Right-click on the QB icon and choose Run as Admin to open and install updates
5. Reboot computer.

Also, I suggest contacting our QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) Support so they can add your name to the list of affected users in this investigation (INV-80353). Once added, you'll automatically receive email notification of the latest updates.

On the other hand, I'm adding this article for more hints while working with your .client’s accountant’s copy (.QBX): Use an Accountant's Copy working file in QuickBooks Desktop. The same resource will guide you on how to remove the accountant's copy restriction and convert an accountant's copy to a regular company file in the future.

I'll keep an eye out to help if you have follow-up questions while working with your QBDT files. Just leave a comment below. Have a good one!

I am having this same issue-I have used I have never had this issue before and I have been doing this for over 15 years

Hello there, @KLH67. I got here steps to help you get rid of the error and access the Accountant's copy in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

I appreciate you for using QBDT as your accounting partner for a long time. I'm here to ensure we'll get everything resolved so you can get back to working order. 

The error your received may be caused by data damage which means your user components can't be read correctly by the program. To fix this, let's make sure that your QBDT program is updated to the latest release so you have the updated components and fixes. After that, open the accountant's copy again.

If the same thing happens, let's close all of your QBDT versions to refresh the background process. To do so, go to the Task Manager on your computer and select all the QuickBooks programs. Next, look for the QuickBooks icon, right-click, and choose Run as Administrator to ensure you have the admin privileges. Then, reboot your computer.

Once done, open the accountant's copy again.

However, if the error persists, you can refer to the workaround suggested by John-Pero above. You can ask your client to start over and create a new accountant's copy without alteration. Then, send it to you given the administrator password.

I also attached this resource that you can use as a reference to fix accountant copy errors: Resolve errors when creating or working on an accountant's copy.

Please don't hesitate to leave a reply below if you have other concerns accessing the accountant's copy. Have a good one and stay safe.