> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.conductor.is/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ensure the QuickBooks Web Connector opens after reboot and Windows sign-in

> Set up the QuickBooks Web Connector to automatically launch and run in the background after reboot and Windows sign-in.

export const Image = ({src, alt, width, align = "center", noShadow = false, noBorder = false, noZoom = false}) => <img src={`https://mintlify.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/conductor${src}`} alt={alt} style={{
  width: width
}} noZoom={noZoom} className={`rounded-xl ${align === "center" ? "mx-auto" : ""} ${!noBorder ? "border border-gray-200 dark:border-0" : ""} ${!noShadow ? "shadow-md dark:shadow-none" : ""}`} />;

<Info>
  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.
</Info>

The QuickBooks Web Connector is a program that comes preinstalled with QuickBooks Desktop that Conductor uses to securely sync your data. This program always runs invisibly in the background on your computer and starts automatically after reboot once you sign in to Windows. If it does not start automatically, Conductor cannot reliably sync your data.

<Info>
  The Windows computer must be powered on, online, and signed in to the user
  that runs QuickBooks Desktop and the Web Connector. For unattended reboots,
  ask your IT team to **configure that Windows user to sign in automatically**;
  otherwise, the computer can get stuck at the Windows sign-in screen.
</Info>

If you are having trouble syncing your data, please follow the steps below to ensure that the Web Connector starts automatically after reboot and Windows sign-in. If we discover it does not, we will configure Windows Task Scheduler to make the Web Connector launch more reliably.

## 1. Check if the Web Connector starts automatically after reboot and Windows sign-in

First, let's check whether the Web Connector starts automatically after the computer restarts and you sign in to Windows:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Restart your computer and sign in">
    Restart your computer and sign in to Windows with the user that runs the connection so we can check in the next step whether the Web Connector automatically starts.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the Task Manager for the Web Connector">
    After your computer finishes booting up and you sign in, the Web Connector should automatically start invisibly in the background. Let's check if it is running:

    1. Open the Windows Task Manager by searching for "Task Manager" in the Windows search bar (usually located in the bottom-left corner of your screen).

    2. If you see a "More details" button in the bottom-left corner of the Task Manager window, click it to expand the Task Manager.

    3. Navigate to the "Details" tab and scroll down until you see the "QBWebConnector.exe" process which should look like the screenshot below. **If you see it, you can skip the rest of this guide. Otherwise, continue to the section below.**

           <Image src="/images/help/guides/ensure-web-connector-opens-at-startup/task-scheduler/qbwc-task-manager.jpg" alt="The Web Connector running in the Task Manager" noShadow />
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 2. Add a Startup shortcut for the Web Connector to open automatically

Most Windows PCs will launch QuickBooks Web Connector after reboot once you sign in, as long as a shortcut to `QBWebConnector.exe` lives in that Windows user's `Startup` folder. Follow the steps below so QuickBooks Web Connector launches automatically after the computer restarts and the Windows user signs in, and follow our [QuickBooks Desktop guide to ensure it launches automatically after reboot and Windows sign-in](/help/guides/ensure-quickbooks-desktop-opens-at-startup).

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in with the Windows user that runs the connection">
    Make sure you are logged in to Windows with the user that should run QuickBooks Desktop and the Web Connector. If you are unsure which user to use, ask your IT team.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Startup folder">
    Press `Win + R`, type `shell:startup`, and press **Enter**. File Explorer opens to:

    `%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup`

    Anything you place here launches automatically whenever this computer starts and this Windows user signs in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Locate QuickBooks Web Connector">
    Click **Start**, type "Web Connector", then right-click the QuickBooks Web Connector search result and choose **Open file location**. In the window that opens, right-click the QuickBooks Web Connector shortcut again and choose **Open file location** so File Explorer jumps to the actual `QBWebConnector.exe` program file.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the startup shortcut">
    Right-click and hold `QBWebConnector.exe`, drag it into the `Startup` folder you opened earlier, and release the mouse. Choose **Create shortcuts here** from the context menu to add a shortcut in the Startup folder.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Restart, sign in, and confirm">
    Restart the computer, sign in to Windows with the same user, and wait for QuickBooks Web Connector to start automatically. Confirm it by opening **Task Manager → Details** and checking that `QBWebConnector.exe` is running.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 3. (Alternative) If the shortcut doesn't work (above), create a Windows Task Scheduler task for the Web Connector to open automatically

If the Web Connector still fails to start on its own, you can instead use Windows Task Scheduler to launch it after the Windows user signs in.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Windows Task Scheduler">
    Open the Windows Task Scheduler by searching for "Task Scheduler" in the Windows search bar (usually located in the bottom-left corner of your screen).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a new task">
    In the Task Scheduler, go to the "Action" menu and select "**Create Task**".

    <Image src="/images/help/guides/ensure-web-connector-opens-at-startup/task-scheduler/create-task.jpg" alt="Task Scheduler create task" width={300} noShadow />
  </Step>

  <Step title="General tab">
    In the "General" tab of the new task window:

    1. Enter any name for your task, such as "Open QuickBooks Web Connector".

    2. Confirm the selected user account is the Windows user that runs QuickBooks Desktop and the Web Connector. If not, click "**Change User or Group...**" and choose that user.

    3. Leave "**Run with highest privileges**" near the bottom **unchecked**. QuickBooks Desktop and the Web Connector must run at the same Windows permission level, and QuickBooks Desktop launches without elevated rights, so an elevated Web Connector cannot connect to it. See our [guide on matching their permission levels](/help/guides/run-as-administrator-disabled).

    <Image src="/images/help/guides/ensure-web-connector-opens-at-startup/task-scheduler/general-tab.jpg" alt="Task Scheduler general tab" noShadow />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set trigger for Windows sign-in">
    Go to the "**Triggers**" tab and click "**New**".

    1. Under "Begin the task", select "**At log on**" from the dropdown menu.

    2. Select "**Specific user**" and choose the Windows user that runs the connection.

    3. Set a delay for 1 minute by checking "Delay task for" and choose "1 minute".

    Finally, click "**OK**".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get the file path for the Web Connector">
    1. Using Windows search (usually located in the bottom-left corner of your screen), type "**Web Connector**", then right-click the QuickBooks Web Connector result (or press `Shift + F10`) and select "**Open file location**".

    2. In the folder that opens, you should see a shortcut for the Web Connector. Right-click on the Web Connector icon and select "**Properties**" from the context menu to open the Properties window.

    3. In the Properties window, as shown below, copy the file path in the "**Target**" field. You can do this by selecting the text and pressing `Ctrl + C` on your keyboard. Then click "**Cancel**" to close the Properties window.

           <Image src="/images/help/guides/ensure-web-connector-opens-at-startup/task-scheduler/qbwc-file-path.jpg" alt="Copy the Web Connector file path" width={550} noShadow />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set action to start QuickBooks Web Connector">
    Go back to the Task Scheduler window and go to the "Actions" tab. Click "**New**" and paste the file path you copied in the previous step into the "**Program/script**" field by right-clicking and selecting "**Paste**" from the context menu. Then click "**OK**".

    <Image src="/images/help/guides/ensure-web-connector-opens-at-startup/task-scheduler/new-action.jpg" alt="Task Scheduler new action" noShadow />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure settings to retry">
    In the "Settings" tab, check the option "**If the task fails, restart every**" and set the value to "**1 minute**" and the "**Attempt to restart up to**" value to "**3 times**". Then click "**OK**".

    <Image src="/images/help/guides/ensure-web-connector-opens-at-startup/task-scheduler/settings-tab.jpg" alt="Task Scheduler settings tab" noShadow />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and exit">
    Click "**OK**" to save your new task. You might be prompted to enter an administrator password at this point.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test the task">
    Finally, test your task by restarting your computer, signing in to Windows, waiting one minute, and confirming that the QuickBooks Web Connector opened automatically using the same steps as in the first section of this guide.
  </Step>
</Steps>

By following these steps, the QuickBooks Web Connector will now relaunch after reboot once the Windows user signs in.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.