How to Turn on Hosting Mode in QuickBooks?

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QuickBooks software has been designed with advanced features that can help you manage your income, expenses, and more. Whether it is about invoicing customers, generating reports, paying bills, or preparing taxes, the QB product line has got you covered. The software has evolved with new versions and better features since its initial release in 1983. But when you want to benefit from the power of cloud technology, you need a QuickBooks hosting solution to support your business needs. This cloud-based method of QuickBooks access requires you to host your licensed software on a third-party server to make it remotely accessible from connected business workstations. In technical terms, you first need to learn how to turn on QuickBooks hosting mode.

In this guide, we will take you through the process of turning on hosting mode in QuickBooks. Before we reach the actionable steps, let’s cover the basics in brief.

What Do You Mean By QuickBooks Hosting Mode?

By switching to hosted QuickBooks, you basically allow the primary system (host) that has the QuickBooks company file to let other systems use it simultaneously. Besides this, there are several types of hosting modes related to QuickBooks software, including alternate hosting, dedicated hosting, and peer to peer hosting.

To set up QB hosting, you need to set up files for the QB Cloud Desktop to configure the software on the selected server. The process starts with downloading the QuickBooks Desktop setup in which you can take help from your selected cloud hosting provider. Let’s get to the steps to turn on QuickBooks Desktop hosting mode.

Steps to Turn on Hosting Mode in QuickBooks?

  1. Install QuickBooks Desktop on the cloud server

After you have downloaded the setup file, install the software on the third-party server you have chosen to host the software and its data. This will also create a multi-user network with which authorized users can access the company files and the hosted QuickBooks remotely.

It involves the following sub-steps:

  • Launch QuickBooks Desktop setup on the cloud server
  • Select Custom and Network install under the Installation type
  • Select the option that says you will be using and storing the QB Desktop on this system
  • Continue to follow the instructions visible on the screen and then click the Finish button

In case you only need the company files to be stored on the server, select the option that says you will not be using QB Desktop on this system. Although this will store the company files on the cloud server, the connected workstations can still access the files through the same network.

  1. Set up permission in Windows

After you have installed QuickBooks Cloud Desktopon the server, the next step is to set adequate user permissions to enable different workstations to access the company files. This will also add a layer of security to the business-sensitive data which will not be accessible by unauthorized users. Follow the steps given below to proceed further:

  • Click File Explorer from the Start menu
  • Right click on the folder that contains QuickBooks company files
  • Click Properties – the last option you see in the right click submenus
  • Click Advanced in the Security tab visible on the window that appears
  • Click QBDataServiceXX and then Edit
  • Mark all the following settings that will be visible on the next window as Allowed:
  • Read Extended Attributes
  • Traverse Folder/Execute File
  • Write Extended Attributes
  • Read Attributes
  • Create Files or Write Data
  • Create Folders or Append Data
  • Read Permissions
  • Write Attributes
  • List Folder or Read Data
  1. Enable Sharing

This step is meant to enable sharing specifically to allow the folder to be accessed by different computers in Windows. If you fail to enable the sharing, it will not show up while connecting with other workstations.

Here are the steps to enable sharing of company files in Windows 8 and 10:

  • Click Start Menu and select File Explorer
  • Right click on the folder that contains QuickBooks Desktop company files
  • Click Properties => Sharing => Select Add
  • Select the option QBDataServiceUserXX (where XX represents your QB version)
  • Select Full Control as the permission level for different users
  • Click Share

On other Windows platforms, you may need to take ownership of the company files before sharing them. Here are steps to do the same in Windows 8.1:

  • Launch File Explorer and right click in the empty space to change ownership
  • Click Share
  • Select Advanced Security option, click Change => Advanced
  • Select Find Now
  • Select users and then click OK

If you particularly want to grant folder’s full control, follow the steps given below:

  • Launch File Explorer and right click in the empty space to change ownership
  • Click Advanced Security and then select Add
  • Click Select a Principal
  • Click Advanced => Find Now
  • Select the users to whom you want to grant full access
  • Click OK
  • Select Full Control and then click OK

Furthermore, to host QuickBooks on Windows Server 2012 and enable multi-user mode, the steps will be different and are as follows:

  • In the Start menu, type Run and then click on the first option
  • Type ServerManager and then hit Enter
  • Select File => Storage Service => Share
  • Under the Task menu, click New Share and read the differences between the profiles before you select them
  • Click SMB Share – Quick
  • Under Share Location tab, select Type a Custom Path
  • Click Browse and then select the folder that is to be shared over the network
  • Once the folder is selected, Click Next
  1. Scan folders with Database Server Manager

To scan folders on your server with QuickBooks Database Server Manager, use the following steps:

  • Launch the server computer and log into the OS
  • Type Database in the Start menu
  • Click QuickBooks Database Server Manager
  • Click Browse in the Scan Folders tab
  • Click Ok and then Start Scan
  1. Monitor drives

You should use the Monitor Drives option if you need to move files from one folder to another regularly. This registers the entire drive to help you move company files without resetting preferences. Here are the steps:

  • Select all the drives that you want the server manager to monitor using the Monitor Drives tab
  • Click Close

It is suggested that you only include drives containing the company files.

  1. Restart Server Manager whenever needed

In case you encounter any error while working in multi-user mode, simply restart the QuickBooks Database Server Manager using the following steps:

  • Launch QuickBooks Desktop on the server
  • Click File => Open or Restore Company
  • Click Open a Company File and select the Company File
  • Select the option to open file in multi-user mode
  • Click Open and enter authentication details for the file
  • Click Close Company/Log Off in the File menu
  • Go to the Start menu
  • Enter database and then select QuickBooks Database Server Manager

Switch to QuickBooks Desktop Hosting with Ace Cloud Hosting

If you are looking for a reliable QuickBooks hosting provider, end your search at Ace Cloud Hosting – the leading cloud hosting provider for QuickBooks application. Their cloud experts will help you install your licensed QuickBooks Desktop software on their HPC servers. In case you want to buy a QuickBooks license, they can also provide the same to you, being an Intuit-authorized commercial host.

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