Create a QuickBooks Desktop test instance
Create your own QuickBooks Desktop test instance with an AWS WorkSpace.
To develop and test integrations with Conductor, you need your own QuickBooks Desktop instance to send and receive data. This guide shows you how to set up a QuickBooks Desktop test environment by creating a virtual Windows instance and installing the QuickBooks Desktop free trial. Once set up, you can connect to this QuickBooks Desktop test instance from your local development environment via Conductor.
Also important: This guide may be outdated as AWS WorkSpaces. Alternatively, check out this guide or asking an LLM (like ChatGPT) for different approaches to setting up a Windows instance with QuickBooks Desktop installed.
1. Set up a virtual Windows environment
1. Create an Amazon Workspace
1. Create an Amazon Workspace
Create a new Amazon WorkSpace at https://us-west-2.console.aws.amazon.com/workspaces/v2/workspaces.
2. Create a new Directory
2. Create a new Directory
Either select the directory in the list or click Create a new Directory if there are none:
3. Add yourself as a user
3. Add yourself as a user
Add yourself as a user with your email address:
4. Select the bundle
4. Select the bundle
Select the bundle Standard with Windows 10 (Server 2019 based) (PCoIP):
5. Select AlwaysOn
5. Select AlwaysOn
Select AlwaysOn:
6. Skip the Customization step
6. Skip the Customization step
Skip the Customization step, then review the final page and click the button Create in the bottom-right corner:
7. Set a password
7. Set a password
After 20-30 minutes, look for an email from Amazon WorkSpaces with a link to set a password.
8. Download Amazon WorkSpaces
8. Download Amazon WorkSpaces
Download Amazon WorkSpaces on your local computer:
9. Open the WorkSpaces app
9. Open the WorkSpaces app
Open the WorkSpaces app, enter the registration key from the email, and sign in using the username and password you set via the reset link in the email. You must enter this password every time you open WorkSpaces, so best to save it to your local password manager.
10. Connect to your new Windows desktop instance
10. Connect to your new Windows desktop instance
After it loads, you will see your new Windows desktop instance!
2. Disable IE Enhanced Security Configuration
By default, you will see the following warning whenever you open QuickBooks Desktop. If you do not resolve this issue, this warning will freeze QuickBooks Desktop whenever the QuickBooks Web Connector opens QuickBooks Desktop when it is closed.
To prevent this error, follow these steps:
1. Open the Server Manager
1. Open the Server Manager
Search for and open Server Manager:
2. Choose Local Server
2. Choose Local Server
Choose Local Server from the left navigation pane:
3. Open settings for IE Enhanced Security Configuration
3. Open settings for IE Enhanced Security Configuration
For IE Enhanced Security Configuration, click the button that says On:
4. Turn off IE Enhanced Security Configuration
4. Turn off IE Enhanced Security Configuration
For Administrators, select Off. For Users, select Off. Choose OK. Then
you are done!
3. Install QuickBooks Desktop
1. Download the QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise trial
1. Download the QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise trial
From the Windows instance, open Firefox and download the QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise trial: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/new-subscriptions/download-a-trial-of-quickbooks-desktop/00/185974
2. Open the installer
2. Open the installer
Navigate to the “Downloads” directory in the Windows File Explorer, and
launch the application named QuickBooksEnterprise23Trial.exe. Then, walk
through the installation.
3. Install QuickBooks Desktop
3. Install QuickBooks Desktop
After that installation finishes, another installer should launch automatically. Walk through that installer, too. This can take 20-30 minutes to finish.
4. Select the correct variant
4. Select the correct variant
Next, the following window will appear. Select the variant QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise General Business:
5. Create a mock company file
5. Create a mock company file
Click “I want to see a Sample company file”, which will provide a mock dataset for you to use with QuickBooks Desktop. If this option does not work, which sometimes happens, then click “I’m ready to create my own company file” to create a new, empty company file.
6. Sign in to your Intuit developer account
6. Sign in to your Intuit developer account
If prompted, sign in to your Intuit developer account in QuickBooks Desktop. If you do not have one, you can create account here.
7. Open the company file
7. Open the company file
When you are done, you will see the QuickBooks Desktop interface:
8. Create a password for the company file
8. Create a password for the company file
At some point, QuickBooks Desktop might ask you to create a password. Conductor will not ask for this password; it is internal to QuickBooks Desktop.
9. Get a free developer (NFR) license
9. Get a free developer (NFR) license
The trial installation will work for 30 days, after which you will need a developer (NFR) license, which you can get for free by following our guide. After completing that guide, you can continue to use the trial version while you wait for your NFR license to arrive.
4. Connect Conductor to your QuickBooks Desktop instance
Now that you have your own QuickBooks Desktop test instance, you can return to the Quickstart guide to connect it to Conductor. Don’t worry; this part is much easier.