To host a QuickBooks Desktop company file on a server, you put the file on one computer (the server), run QuickBooks Database Server Manager there, and turn on multi-user hosting. Everyone else then opens the same file from their own computer. This guide walks through each step, then covers the part most guides skip: how to reach that file safely when your team isn’t all in the same office.
What “hosting” a QuickBooks company file means
In QuickBooks Desktop, one computer holds your company file (the .QBW file). Intuit calls this the server computer. The other computers that open the file are workstations.
The server runs QuickBooks Database Server Manager, a small Intuit tool that shares the company file over your network. When it scans a folder, it creates a network data file (.ND) next to each company file, so workstations know where to connect. Without Database Server Manager, the file can only be opened by one person at a time.
The server can be a computer in your office, a dedicated file server, or a private cloud server. The steps are the same: what changes is where the server sits and how people reach it.
Before you start
- Back up the company file. Make a backup (File > Back Up Company) before you move it or change any network settings.
- Use a Windows computer as the server. QuickBooks Desktop and Database Server Manager run on Windows.
- Check your QuickBooks version. Press F2 in QuickBooks to see it. QuickBooks Desktop 2024 is the version Intuit currently supports. Intuit ended support for 2023 on May 31, 2026, and for 2022 on May 31, 2025, so those versions no longer get security updates, payroll or online banking.
- Plan where the file will live. Intuit recommends keeping company files on the server’s local hard drive. Database Server Manager can’t monitor mapped drives.
- Have enough licenses. Each person who works in the file at the same time needs a QuickBooks user license.
How to host a QuickBooks company file on your server
These are the steps from Intuit’s guide to setting up a multi-user network, in plain terms.
- Install QuickBooks on the server. Run the QuickBooks Desktop installer and choose a Custom and Network install. If people will also use QuickBooks on the server itself, pick the option to use QuickBooks Desktop on this computer. If the server only stores the file, pick the option to not use it there. Both options install Database Server Manager.
- Put the company file in a folder on the server. Use a folder on the server’s local drive, for example C:\QuickBooks Company Files, and copy the .QBW file into it.
- Set folder permissions. Share the folder on your network and give it full access for the users who need it. QuickBooks also creates a Windows user for Database Server Manager, named QBDataServiceUser followed by a number. Give that user permission to the folder too, or workstations won’t connect.
- Allow QuickBooks through the firewall. Set your firewall and security software to allow QuickBooks and Database Server Manager. The port QuickBooks uses is shown on the Port Monitor tab of Database Server Manager.
- Check admin rights. The Windows account you use on the server, and the account Database Server Manager runs under, both need admin rights.
- Scan the folder. Open Database Server Manager from the Start menu (search for “Database”). On the Scan Folders tab, select Browse, choose the folder with your company file, then select Start Scan. Then add the drive on the Monitored Drives tab, so you don’t need to rescan if files move.
- Turn on multi-user hosting. In QuickBooks on the server, go to File > Utilities > Host Multi-User Access and select Yes. Only the server should host. On every workstation, this option should read “Host Multi-User Access” (hosting off).
- Set up the workstations. Install QuickBooks on each workstation with the same version and year as the server. Then open the company file from the server’s shared folder and choose Open file in multi-user mode.
When it works, Database Server Manager’s Database Server tab shows who is connected to each company file.
If the workstations can’t connect
Most multi-user errors, such as H202 and H505, come down to a few causes:
- Database Server Manager isn’t running on the server, or the folder was never scanned.
- Hosting is turned on at a workstation. Only the server should host. On each workstation, check File > Utilities.
- Folder permissions are missing, often for the QBDataServiceUser account.
- The firewall is blocking QuickBooks. Check the port on the Port Monitor tab and allow it on the server.
- The file is on a mapped or cloud-synced drive. Move it to the server’s local drive and scan again.
Can you reach the file from home or another office?
Multi-user hosting was built for computers on the same local network. When some of your team works from home, from a client’s site or from a second office, you have three common options.
1. A VPN to the shared folder
A VPN connects a laptop to the office network, and QuickBooks on the laptop opens the file across the internet. It can connect, but it’s the risky option. QuickBooks reads and writes to the company file constantly, and delays or a dropped connection can damage it. Intuit’s QuickBooks Team advises against opening a company file over a VPN and recommends cloud hosting instead.
2. Remote Desktop into an office computer
Here QuickBooks and the company file both stay in the office. Remote users connect to an office computer or server with Remote Desktop and work on its screen. Only the screen, keyboard and mouse travel over the internet, so the file stays safe. The catch: the office computer has to stay on and connected, and someone has to look after its updates, backups and security.
3. A private cloud server
QuickBooks and the company file run on a server in a data center, and everyone connects to it by Remote Desktop: from the office, from home or from a client’s site. It works the same way as option 2, without a machine in your office to keep running.
| Setup | Where the file lives | Risk to the company file | Who maintains it |
|---|---|---|---|
| VPN to a shared folder | Office server | High: the file travels over the internet | You |
| Remote Desktop to the office | Office server | Low: only the screen travels | You |
| Private cloud server | Data center | Low: only the screen travels | Your hosting provider |
Hosting your company file with Supreme Servers
With QuickBooks Cloud Hosting, your company files live on a private Windows Server environment that we set up for your firm. Your team signs in by Remote Desktop and works in QuickBooks as they would in the office, with no shared folder to open over the internet.
- Your own server. Sized for your firm, and it can go up to a Dedicated Server if you need more performance or extra security.
- The editions you use. QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus and Accountant, and QuickBooks Enterprise. Bring your own Intuit license, or we can help you get one.
- Unlimited company files. Keep every client’s file on one server.
- Two-factor sign-in and offsite backups. Both available on request, with frequent snapshot backups.
- Certified data centers. We run five data centers, in Miami, Dallas, Silicon Valley, Toronto and the UK. QuickBooks Cloud Hosting runs in Miami, Dallas, Silicon Valley or Toronto, and each of those regions is SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS certified. See our data centers.
- Support around the clock. 24/7/365 technical support from our support team.
Every firm is different, so we start with a short consultation to size the server and plan the move. Book a consultation and we’ll recommend the right setup.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate server to host a QuickBooks company file?
No. One of your existing Windows computers can host the file, as long as it stays on while people work. A dedicated file server or a private cloud server is more reliable, because nobody uses it as a daily workstation.
Can the company file be on a mapped or cloud-synced drive?
Keep it on the server’s local drive. Database Server Manager can’t monitor mapped drives, and sync tools can lock or copy the file while QuickBooks is writing to it.
Where is my QuickBooks company file stored?
Open QuickBooks and press F2 (or Ctrl+1). The Product Information window shows the file’s location on disk.
Can I use QuickBooks Desktop 2023 on a server?
Yes, it still runs, but Intuit ended support for 2023 on May 31, 2026. It no longer gets security updates, payroll or online banking, so plan an upgrade to 2024 or Enterprise.
Sources
- Intuit: Set up and install a multi-user network for QuickBooks Desktop
- QuickBooks Community: multi-user access to a server file (VPN vs cloud hosting)
- Intuit: Use QuickBooks Database Server Manager
- Intuit: Install QuickBooks Database Server Manager
Talk to us about hosting your QuickBooks
Tell us how many people work in QuickBooks, which edition you run and where your team works. We’ll size a private server for your firm and plan the move with you.