Quickbooks Multi-User Hosting Troubleshooting

QuickBooks Multi-User Troubleshooting:
Workstation(s) & Server

Please follow these steps to make sure only your server is hosting QuickBooks, and that the QuickBooks Database Server is working correctly.

Part 1 – On Every Workstation: Make Sure Hosting is OFF

Do this on each computer that your staff uses to open QuickBooks.

1. Open QuickBooks Desktop on that workstation.

2. In the top menu, click File.

3. Hover over Utilities.

Look at what you see:

• If you see “Host Multi-User Access…”
  ✅ This is correct – hosting is already OFF on this PC. Do nothing here.

• If you see “Stop Hosting Multi-User Access…”
  ❌ This workstation is hosting and needs to be turned OFF:

  1. Click Stop Hosting Multi-User Access…

  2. Click Yes to confirm if asked.

  3. Close QuickBooks completely, then reopen it.

Optional double-check:

1. With QuickBooks open, press F2 (or Ctrl + 1).

2. In the Product Information window, look for Local Server Information.

3. Confirm that Hosting shows “Off” on all workstations.

Only your main server (the computer where the QuickBooks company file actually lives) should show Hosting = “On”.

Part 2 – On the Server: Make Sure QuickBooks Database Server Manager is Set Up

These steps are done on the server or the computer that stores the QuickBooks company file (the .QBW file).

A. Confirm QuickBooks Database Server Manager is installed

1. On the server, click Start (Windows button).

2. Search for “QuickBooks Database Server Manager”.

3. Open it.

• If it opens: great – continue below.

• If it’s missing: it may not be installed. In that case, we’ll probably need to reinstall or repair QuickBooks on the server only (this part is best handled by us).

B. Make sure the correct folders are being scanned

In QuickBooks Database Server Manager on the server:

1. Go to the Scan Folders tab.

2. Click Add Folder.

3. Browse to the folder where your QuickBooks company file(s) are stored
   (for example: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files or your shared data folder).

4. Click OK, then Scan.

After the scan completes, you should see your company file(s) listed under QuickBooks company files found.

This helps the database server properly host your company files for multi-user access.

Part 3 – On the Server: Check QuickBooks Services (Database & Monitor)

Still on the server, we want to make sure the QuickBooks background services are running.

1. Press Windows Key + R on the server keyboard.

2. Type services.msc and press Enter.

3. In the list, look for these two services (names may vary slightly by version):

   • QuickBooksDBXX (the “XX” is a number, like 30, 31, 32, etc.)

   • QBCFMonitorService

For each of those services:

1. Double-click the service name.

2. Make sure Startup type is set to Automatic.

3. Check Service status:

   • If it says Running, leave it running.

   • If it’s Stopped, click Start.

4. Click Apply, then OK.

If either service fails to start or immediately stops again, that’s a sign we should take a closer look (likely needs repair/reinstall, log check, or firewall/permissions cleanup).

Part 4 – Basic Multi-User Test

After everything above:

1. On the server, make sure the company file folder is shared on the network and that users have permission to access it.

2. On one workstation, open QuickBooks and the company file in Multi-User Mode:

   • Go to File → Switch to Multi-User Mode (if available).

3. Once that is open and working, go to a second workstation:

   • Open QuickBooks.

   • Use File → Open or Restore Company and browse to the network location of the company file (not a local copy).

4. Confirm:

   • Both users can open the file at the same time.

   • No error messages like H202, H505, etc.

Part 5 – General QuickBooks Database Server Troubleshooting

If users still can’t connect in multi-user mode or you see H-series errors (H101/H202/H505), try these basics on the server:

1. Restart the QuickBooks services

   • Go back to services.msc.

   • Right-click QuickBooksDBXX → Restart.

   • Right-click QBCFMonitorService → Restart.

2. Temporarily disable third-party firewall/antivirus (for testing only)

   • If you have a non-Windows firewall or aggressive antivirus, it may be blocking QuickBooks.

   • Temporarily pause it and test multi-user again.

   • If it works with security software off, then the firewall/AV needs permanent exceptions for QuickBooks (we can help configure that properly).

3. Check the company file path

   • Make sure workstations are opening the company file from a network path (like \\SERVER\QuickBooks\Company.QBW) and not from a copied local file.

4. Reboot the server (after hours, if possible)

   • A full reboot can clear stuck services and locked files.

   • After reboot, re-check:

     • Database Server Manager

     • QuickBooksDBXX / QBCFMonitorService

     • Multi-user access from workstations

When to Call in Help

If after these steps:

• Workstations still get H202 / multi-user errors

• QuickBooks services won’t stay running

• The Database Server Manager doesn’t see your company files

• Performance in multi-user mode is extremely slow

…then this likely needs hands-on support (permissions, firewall rules, DNS, or a deeper QuickBooks/server repair).

You can contact Pacific Northwest Computers for remote or onsite help:

Pacific Northwest Computers (PNWC)

🌐 www.pacificnwcomputers.com

✉️ jon@pnwcomputers.com

📱 Text: 503-583-2380

☎️ Office: 360-624-7379

“This type of issue often requires a deeper look at Windows permissions, network shares, and firewall settings. PNWC can remote in or come onsite, verify the QuickBooks Server configuration, fix hosting issues, and stabilize multi-user access.”

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