Manage your computers to fix QuickBooks Desktop performance issues

Find the amount of RAM you need for QuickBooks. Multiply the file size in gigabytes (GB) by the number of users on the network. If your file is 500 MB (0.5 GB) and you have 6 users, you'll need 3 GB of RAM on your server. If you have performance issues with only 2 GB of RAM, you can upgrade your server to 3 GB of RAM.

• Make sure you know your operating system's (OS) limits on the amount of RAM it can support.
• Add memory chips to empty sockets. If your server has four sockets, and 2 sockets have 1 GB dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, add two 1 GB DRAM chips in the empty sockets.
• Upgrade your memory chips. For example, you can change 1 GB DRAM chips to 2 GB DRAM chips.
• Increase workstation RAM.

• Increase your computer's VM to 2 GB and add 2 GB for each major app.
• Make sure your VM runs on an internal hard drive.
• ‌If your server has many drives, store the data file on one drive and the VM on another.

If you still have issues after you upgrade the RAM, you may need to upgrade your OS. Older OS have lower RAM support limits.

Consider these when you upgrade your server or workstation.

• Store the file on a physical computer, not a service like Dropbox.
• Fill all the RAM sockets with the highest memory chips.
• Use 64-bit computer and operating system.
• Use a fast clock speed of 2.2 GHz or more.
• Use a hard drive with fast rotational speed (like 7,500 or 10,000 rpm) or a solid-state drive (SSD).
• Use a fast network interface. A one gigabit per second (Gbps) card on your server will increase bandwidth.

Note: Intuit supports terminal services mode only for QuickBooks Enterprise.

Estimate the amount of RAM needed for QuickBooks in a terminal server environment. First, you need 0.5 GB of available RAM for each user. If you have five users, you'll need 2.5 GB of RAM. You can also refer to this list of RAM needed based on the number of users.

• 5 users, 2-3 GB RAM
• 10 users, 3-4 GB RAM
• 15 users, 4-6 GB RAM
• 20 users, 6-8 GB RAM

Competing programs run at the same time as QuickBooks. Each program needs an amount of RAM and a processor capacity. You can find these programs in the Processes tab, inside the Task Manager. Here’s how to manage them.

• Close unused programs and processes on your computer to free up RAM for QuickBooks.
• If you’re unable to close a program, move QuickBooks or the other program to a different computer.
• Some computers run too many programs. This makes it hard for QuickBooks to work well. To fix this, you can move QuickBooks to a different server.

• Store data files in a hard drive on a computer connected to your network.
• Back up data files using an external hard drive or flash drive.
• QuickBooks Desktop can store files on a Windows-compatible Samba software on a Linux server. 
• It’s best not to use a network-attached storage (NAS) drive.
• QuickBooks works with a server running a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID), but it may cause performance issues.

If you don’t have a dedicated server or host, this info will help you decide which workstation to use to store your data files. It should:

• Have QuickBooks installed in it.
• Have the data files stored in it to minimize data transfer.
• Run the fewest programs.
• Have the most RAM.
• Have the fastest clock speed.
• Have the least non-QuickBooks activities.

View and edit your NIC settings

If your computer's NIC has different link speeds and duplex settings, the network may slow down. You can reset all NIC settings to automatic. The steps may differ depending on the computer's OS. Here’s how to do it with Windows 11 OS.

1. Go to the Start button.
2. Select Settings.
3. Go to Network & Internet.
4. Select Properties to see the link speed and duplex. 
5. Select the back icon ←.
6. Select Advanced network settings to find the Network adapters.
7. Select the▼ dropdown on each adapter to find more properties. 
8. Select Edit to change the settings.

Note: In the Advanced network settings, you can select Network reset to restore all network adapters to factory settings.