Skip to main content

Get 50% OFF QuickBooks for 3 months*

Buy now
Switch to QuickBooks and 70% off for 3 Months
Talk to Sales: 877-683-3280
Hours
Mon - Fri, 5am - 6pm PST
Sat - Sun, 7am - 4pm PST
Product support & help
Need help signing in?
D
donloew
January 5, 2021
Question

Asking for Administrator password

  • January 5, 2021
  • 65 replies
  • 164 views

After one of the latest updates, I believe it was last week or so, I'm now being asked to log in as an administrator.  I close out the request and that logs me into QB.  The issue is it should not be asking for admin privileges and want to stop this.  I am also now getting issues with another 3rd party software that syncs with QB because of this so I need to find out why and how to eliminate this.

 

 

65 replies

LieraMarie_A
LieraMarie_A
Level 8
January 5, 2021

The Community has your back, @donloew.

 

You have the option to stay logged in to your QuickBooks company file, to which you're no longer required to log in every time you open your company file. Instead, you only have to log in with your username and password once the extended period has expired, or when you've explicitly logged off from the company file. The Admin can choose how long a user can remain logged in, with a maximum of 90 days (default is 2 days).

 

The admin can enable this option using the steps below:

  1. Go to the Company menu.
  2. Select Set Up Users and Passwords and choose Manage Login Settings.
  3. Under the Manage Login Settings section, select Keep user logged for and choose 1, 7, 30, 60, or 90 days.
  4. Click OK.

 

When this option is enabled, a user can close or exit QuickBooks and still be able to open the Company File, without having to enter their login credentials. You can check out this article for further information: Stay logged in to QuickBooks company file.

 

However, if you're having difficulties logging in as Admin, you can check out this article to help you: Reset your password for QuickBooks Desktop.

 

Please don't hesitate to touch base with me here if you need any additional assistance. I look forward to hearing from you again.

D
donloewAuthor
January 6, 2021

When I open QB it is asking me to put in an Administrator password.  It should NOT be asking for an administrator password.  I need to know how to STOP it from asking.  QB is asking for administrator access to my computer. 

 

My issue is not in logging into QB.  My issue is QB asking for administrator access to my computer.

    G
    getmp3s
    February 9, 2021

    Hello @donloew,

     

    Let me help share information about the admin password requirement for QuickBooks.
     

    You're on the right track, you can close the requirement window if you wish not to create the admin password.

     

    However, there isn't an integrated way to turn it off. With this, I'd recommend following the recommendations shared by my colleague in creating the password.

     

    Additionally, I've got you this helpful article for guidance in preparation for the 2020 tax season: QuickBooks Desktop Year-end Checklist.

     

    If there's anything else that I can help you with, please let me know by leaving any comments below. I'll be here to lend a hand.


    Unfortunately you are not reading understanding what this user is saying, I am experiencing the exact same issue and it has NOTHING to do with the database file - i experienced this after installing QB Enterprise 21 Accountants Edition - suddenly none of my users can even launch the application anymore without us calling our IT department and having the IT administrator allow them to launch the app, then when they open the database, it will prompt them 3 more times for admin password to the Windows OS.  This is not right, something is wrong here folks.  Bookkeepers are not IT system administrators, we only give our bookkeepers admin access to our QB files, not our entire IT infrastructure.  Attached are screen shots of the various messages - disabling UAC still prompts you to press continue 3 times. 

     

      I
      in_tu_it_theworst
      September 25, 2025

      It is now almost 2026 and QB still hasn't fixed or doesn't understand this issue. What a joke.

       

      They recommend QB Enterprise Desktop installs use a terminal server and that users connect over remote desktop, then, then have the software try to run utilities that require admin privileges on standard accounts.

       

      The first person to use QB starts the service (or it fails to start if they don't have admin), then next time someone tries to open QB, it tries to run the DBManagerExe.exe to start the monitor service, unfortunately, that utility requires admin privileges. And no, we're not going to give standard users admin access on a terminal server...

       

      This is what happens when terrible software developers continue developing on a 25+ year old piece of garbage software. How many THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of work hours have been lost to needless Intuit software problems? Their solution? Pay ridiculous fees to use QB in the cloud, where your data belongs to them and can be hacked and stolen or turned over to another party at their whim without you knowing.

       

      I'm consulting for a company and having to deal with this joke of an issue. For anyone looking to escape Intuit for good, look at Odoo.

      Need QuickBooks guidance?
      Log in to access expert advice and community support instantly.
      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement