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# The ideal QuickBooks Desktop setup for a fast, reliable connection

> Set up the computer that runs your QuickBooks Desktop connection so syncs are fast, run unattended, and never depend on someone being at their desk.

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<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>

Your QuickBooks Desktop connection runs on one Windows computer. Set up that computer as follows so syncs are fast and work unattended.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="1. Run the connection on your QuickBooks server, or the computer that stays on the most">
    **If your company file is hosted on a Windows server, set up the connection directly on that server, not on an employee's workstation.** Most companies with more than one QuickBooks user already have one: it is the computer that holds the company file and that everyone else opens it from.

    The server is the ideal home for the connection because:

    * It is always on, so syncs work nights, weekends, and when the bookkeeper is out.
    * Nobody uses it for daily work, so no one accidentally opens a different company file, closes QuickBooks, or signs out of Windows mid-sync.
    * The company file is local to it, so QuickBooks opens the file faster.

    **If you do not have a server, choose the computer that stays on, online, and has QuickBooks open the most.**

    If your QuickBooks Desktop is hosted on Rightworks, complete our [Rightworks guide](/help/guides/rightworks) first: Rightworks stops background programs when you disconnect from the remote desktop, so the Web Connector only runs while someone is connected. Other hosting providers generally behave like a normal Windows server.

    Set up the connection on one computer. If it currently runs on a workstation and you want to move it to the server, follow our [guide to moving the connection to a different computer](/help/guides/move-computers).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="2. Keep the computer on, online, and signed in to Windows">
    The Web Connector only runs while the computer is powered on, connected to the internet, and signed in to the Windows user that runs QuickBooks Desktop and the Web Connector. A computer waiting at the Windows sign-in screen cannot sync.

    Ask your IT team to:

    1. **Turn off sleep and hibernation** in the Windows power settings so the computer never goes idle.
    2. **Configure the Windows user to sign in automatically** after a restart, so Windows Updates do not leave the computer stuck at the sign-in screen.

    Restart the computer once afterward to confirm it comes back signed in on its own.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="3. Keep QuickBooks Desktop open at all times, signed in to the company file">
    **Keep QuickBooks Desktop open and signed in to your company file**, using the dedicated QuickBooks user from step 7. Syncs are then as fast as possible, often well under a second. The trade-off is that this occupies one QuickBooks Desktop license seat around the clock. If that is a problem, use step 4 instead.

    Whichever you choose, never leave QuickBooks Desktop closed. If it is closed, the Web Connector launches it for every sync, which adds a variable delay while QuickBooks starts, often 30 seconds or more, and launching and closing QuickBooks hundreds of times a day can cause Windows issues. There is no downside to keeping it open.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="4. If you cannot stay signed in, leave QuickBooks at the &#x22;No Company Open&#x22; screen">
    If you would rather not tie up a license seat, or you need to open the company file in Single-user Mode from other computers, leave QuickBooks Desktop open with no company file loaded. To get there, go to "**File**" → "**Close Company**" so QuickBooks sits at the screen below.

    <Image src="/images/help/guides/multiple-connections-one-computer/qbd-no-company-open.jpg" alt="QuickBooks Desktop showing the &#x22;No Company Open&#x22; window" width={520} />

    The Web Connector signs in with the connection's **Login as** user (see step 7) for each sync and signs out afterward, so the seat is used only while a sync is running. The first sync after a quiet period takes 30 to 45 seconds longer while QuickBooks loads the company file; syncs that follow in quick succession reuse the open file. This is just as reliable as staying signed in, and it is what most companies choose.

    <Info>
      If this computer syncs **more than one** company file, the "No Company Open" screen is required. See our [guide to connecting multiple company files on one computer](/help/guides/multiple-connections-one-computer).
    </Info>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="5. Make the Web Connector launch after every restart">
    The Web Connector normally relaunches on its own after a restart and Windows sign-in. Confirm it does: after a restart, check that `QBWebConnector.exe` appears in **Task Manager → Details**. If it is missing, follow our [guide to ensure the Web Connector opens at startup](/help/guides/ensure-web-connector-opens-at-startup).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="6. Make QuickBooks Desktop launch after every restart">
    Add QuickBooks Desktop to the Windows user's Startup folder so it reopens after a restart. Follow our [guide to ensure QuickBooks Desktop opens at startup](/help/guides/ensure-quickbooks-desktop-opens-at-startup).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="7. Give the connection its own QuickBooks user">
    Which QuickBooks user a sync runs as depends on the state of QuickBooks Desktop at that moment:

    * **If the company file is already open and signed in**, the Web Connector runs the sync through that signed-in user.
    * **If QuickBooks is at the "No Company Open" screen**, the Web Connector signs in with the **Login as** user chosen when the connection was set up. You can change that user at any time in the connection's settings; see our [guide to changing a connection's QuickBooks Desktop user](/help/guides/change-qbd-user).

    QuickBooks allows each user to be signed in from only one place at a time. If the connection's **Login as** user is an employee's everyday login, every sync fails while that employee is signed in on another computer, with a message that the user is already signed in elsewhere.

    **Create a dedicated Full Access user reserved for the connection so syncs are never blocked by someone else's session.** Name it after the app you are syncing with, and set it as the connection's **Login as** user. Follow our [guide to creating a dedicated QuickBooks Desktop user](/help/guides/create-dedicated-qbd-user). This user only counts against your seat limit while it is signed in. That guide ends with QuickBooks at the "No Company Open" screen; steps 3 and 4 cover whether to stay there or sign in.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Prevent common sync blockers

These steps prevent the most common reasons the Web Connector cannot reach QuickBooks, even when everything above is in place.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="8. Close any QuickBooks pop-up dialogs">
    Reminders, update prompts, and Intuit sign-in windows pause syncing until
    someone closes them. Close any pop-up you see on this computer, and consider
    a tool that closes them automatically for unattended machines; see [how to
    prevent pop-ups from interrupting the Web
    Connector](/help/faq/end-user-faq#how-do-i-prevent-quickbooks-pop-up-dialogs-from-interrupting-the-web-connector).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="9. Do not open a different company file on this computer">
    If someone opens another company file on this computer, syncs for your
    connection fail until the correct file is open again or QuickBooks is
    returned to the "No Company Open" screen.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="10. Make sure only one version of QuickBooks Desktop is installed">
    A second version of QuickBooks Desktop on the same computer, often an old
    year left behind after an upgrade, confuses the Web Connector and is the
    most common reason it crashes during a sync. Uninstall every version except
    the one you use; see our [guide to ensuring only one version is
    installed](/help/guides/ensure-only-one-version-installed).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

If a sync still fails after this setup, the error message in your app names the cause and links to the matching fix. The two most common are [Your QuickBooks Desktop connection is not active](/help/connection-errors/connection-not-active), which means the Web Connector is not running, and [Web Connector cannot connect to QuickBooks Desktop](/help/connection-errors/cannot-connect-to-quickbooks), which means QuickBooks itself could not be opened.


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