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This guide is provided by Conductor, the service that powers the QuickBooks Desktop integration for many business tools, including the one that sent you here.
This FAQ is designed to answer any questions you may have about your QuickBooks Desktop connection and Conductor, the technology provider that powers it.

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Basics and setup

The QuickBooks Web Connector is a program that comes preinstalled with QuickBooks Desktop that the integration uses to securely sync your data. This program always runs invisibly in the background on your computer and starts automatically whenever you start your computer. If it does not start automatically, the integration cannot reliably sync your data. The only time you should ever see the Web Connector is when you first set up your QuickBooks Desktop connection with the integration; other than that, it should be invisible.
The integration uses the QuickBooks Web Connector, a built-in feature of QuickBooks Desktop designed for secure data synchronization. This method is officially recommended by QuickBooks and involves robust user authentication and SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. This ensures that your data is encrypted during transmission, protecting it from unauthorized access.
No, signing in as the admin user is only required for the initial setup process. After setup is complete, you can switch back to your regular QuickBooks Desktop user.
Conductor is a technology provider that powers the QuickBooks Desktop integration for the software you’re using. We specialize in creating secure, reliable connections between different software platforms, ensuring your data flows smoothly and safely from QuickBooks Desktop to your business application.

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Security and data

No, we do not store any of your QuickBooks Desktop data. The integration acts as a secure conduit, facilitating the transfer of information between your QuickBooks Desktop and the software you are using, without retaining any of that information on our systems.
Our QuickBooks Desktop integration adheres to the industry’s top security practices, including:
  • SSL encryption: For secure data transmission.
  • Encrypted API keys: Unique keys that ensure only authorized software can access your data.
  • Zero data storage policy: We don’t store your QuickBooks data, maintaining your privacy.
  • Continuous monitoring: Our systems are monitored continuously for any unusual activity to prevent unauthorized access.
The integration can read and write most data types in your QuickBooks Desktop, excluding sensitive personal information like Social Security Numbers and customer credit card details. This broad access is necessary because the QuickBooks Web Connector does not support limited permissions for selective data access.

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Sync and performance

Yes, your computer must be powered on to sync your QuickBooks Desktop data.
No, QuickBooks Desktop does not need to be open for syncing. The Web Connector will automatically open QuickBooks when needed and close it after completing the sync. However, there are three scenarios to consider:
  1. Best: QuickBooks open with your company file loaded: This provides the fastest sync experience and is recommended when possible.
  2. Good: QuickBooks open but no company file loaded: To conserve license seats, you can keep QuickBooks at the “No Company Open” screen. The Web Connector will automatically open your company file when syncing. This is slower than option 1 but faster than option 3.
  3. Worst: QuickBooks completely closed: The Web Connector will launch QuickBooks automatically, but this significantly slows down the sync process due to application startup time.
Note that if QuickBooks is open with a different company file than the one you’re trying to sync, the operation will return an error.
The frequency of data access is determined by the software you are using. Typically, data syncs occur when you initiate them (e.g., clicking a “sync” button in your software). For specifics, please contact your software provider.
No, the integration does not slow down QuickBooks Desktop. Here’s why:
  • It uses the built-in Web Connector. When idle, it simply waits for new requests and does not interact with QuickBooks Desktop.
  • Even when processing a request, QuickBooks Desktop performance would only be impacted by extremely large reads. We cap requests to reasonable page sizes to prevent this.
  • The Web Connector is lightweight and checks for new requests every 10 seconds.
  • We have never observed or received reports of the integration affecting system performance.
No problem at all. This message indicates the Web Connector checked for updates, but no sync is necessary at the moment.

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Multiple computers and company files

Yes, you can connect to multiple company files on a single computer. It requires a specific setup to work correctly. Please see our guide on connecting multiple company files for critical setup instructions and best practices.
Yes. If your team shares a single QuickBooks Desktop company file on your office network, you can install the Web Connector connection on more than one Windows computer. Each computer will have its own entry in the QuickBooks Web Connector and can sync with that same company file. Many teams do this as a backup in case one computer is turned off or unavailable.
Important: The company file must live in the exact same folder path on every computer. The Web Connector uses the full path to decide which company file should receive a request. If the company file path is different on any computer (for example, different drive letters or folder names), syncs will fail.Simple ways to keep company file paths the same across all computers:
  • Map the shared folder to the same drive letter on all computers (e.g., all use S:\Accounting\...).
  • Or open the file using the same network path on every computer (e.g., \\SERVER\Share\Accounting\MyCompany.QBW).
Best practice: Set up the connection on the Windows server that hosts the company file. These servers typically run 24/7, which removes the need to maintain connections on multiple workstations.

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Advanced setup and support

Yes, the integration fully supports QuickBooks Desktop when hosted on Rightworks. For setup instructions, please see our Connecting to Rightworks guide.
Please follow this guide to remove the QuickBooks Desktop connection.
If you have any other questions, please check the other guides in the sidebar, contact your software provider, or email us at support@conductor.is.