QuickBooks Desktop Setup and Help

Knowledge Base Accounting - QuickBooks, Xero
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This will walk you through connecting Syncro to QuickBooks Desktop (QBD).
Learn what is and isn't supported in QBD.

Table of Contents

What is Not Supported

  • The QB integration does not support use of "Discount" type items in inventory due to Intuit's irregular treatment of these items in their integration.
  • Products do not sync automatically between the apps. You will need to push a sync from QB to Syncro, or create the item on both sides, and map them together on the product in Syncro.
  • Products in QB with a type of "Other Charge" do not sync from QB to Syncro. All other classifications except that one can be synced.
  • Invoices with the following will not sync:
    • Refund invoices, or other invoices where the balance is a negative amount
    • Split payments—one large payment split among several invoices
  • Product names are limited to 31 characters in QBD. Product names longer than 31 characters in Syncro will be truncated to 31 characters in QBD when they sync.

 

QBD Editions Supported

Desktop Edition (Windows Only) Supported
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Yes
QuickBooks Premier (2021 or later) Yes
QuickBooks Pro (2021 or later) Yes
QuickBooks Simple Start (2021 or later) Yes
Canadian editions of QuickBooks Pro, Premier or Enterprise (2021 or later) Yes
UK and Australia editions of QuickBooks Pro or Accountant Edition (2021 or later, TAX NOT SUPPORTED) Yes, NO TAX
Canadian Accountant’s Edition of QuickBooks Desktop No
Reckon (the Australian version of QuickBooks Desktop) No

Note: Due to a change on Intuit’s side, the QuickBooks Web Connector is no longer fully functional on QBD versions prior to 2021. For more information, please view Intuit’s service discontinuation policy.

 

Get Connected to QBD

Note for Canadian users: For those using the Canadian version of QuickBooks, email help@syncromsp.com and ask us to do the following:
In SA, please set qbsdk_canadian_tax_model to true.

QuickBooks Desktop uses the Quickbooks Web Connector (QBWC) to connect to us. The QBWC runs only on Windows machines. Intuit does not make the Web Connector for Mac OSX, so it is not supported at this time.

  1. First, launch QuickBooks Desktop (QBD) in single user mode.
  2. Switch to Syncro.
  3. Navigate to Admin > App Center.
  4. Find and click the QuickBooks app card.
  5. On the right side under QuickBooks Desktop, click the CONNECT TO QuickBooks button.

     
  6. This will take you to the Integrating Syncro to QuickBooks Desktop page. Click the Start Wizard button.

     
  7. Click Start.

     
  8. Before clicking any buttons, copy the string below Password to be supplied in QBWC.

     
  9. Click the Configuration button. This will download the file syncro.qwc that will setup the link between your QB company file and the program.
  10. Once it finishes downloading, launch it.
  11. On the Authorize New Web Service window that appears, click OK.

     
  12. If the QuickBooks - Application Certificate window appears, follow these steps. This will appear if this is your first time installing the QBWC.
    1. Underneath the question, “Do you want to allow this application to read and modify this company file?”, click Yes, always; allow access even if QuickBooks is not running.

       
    2. A dialog will ask, “Are you sure you want to give this app access to your data even when QuickBooks isn’t running?” Click Yes.

       
    3. Leave the bottom checkbox unchecked—"Allow this application to access personal data such as Social Security Numbers and customer credit card information."
    4. Click Continue…
    5. An Access Confirmation dialog will appear. Click Done.

       
  13. The QuickBooks Web Connector window will appear. To the left of Syncro Quickbooks Desktop integration, check the box.

     
  14. A Password Required dialog will appear. Paste the Password to be supplied in QBWC you copied in step 8 and click OK.
     
  15. It will ask if you want to save the password. Click Yes.
  16. Change the number in the Every-Min column to 2.
  17. Switch back to Syncro and click Next.
  18. To start the initial import, click DO IT NOW! and then click OK to confirm. This is safe to do—it won't add anything to your QB file, it just grabs the chart of accounts and such so we can do mapping in the application.

     
  19. Switch back to the QBWC.
  20. Click the Update Selected button to make it run right away so you can go to the next step.

     
  21. Once the Total Progress reaches 100%, switch back to Syncro and click Next.
  22. Step 3 is just warning you that if you move the company file you have to contact support, and confirming which company file you have connected to. Click Next.
     
  23. "Map" all your tax rates to QuickBooks ItemTaxCodes. The software can map to three different types of QuickBooks Desktop entities, depending on how it is used. After mapping them, click Next.
    • An ItemSalesTax, which can apply to a full invoice, but not individual lines
    • An ItemSalesTaxGroup, which can apply to a full invoice, but not individual lines
    • A SalesTaxCode, which can only apply to individual lines on an invoice


     
    If you get this error, "This TaxRate is mapped to a SalesTaxCode but used on customers," it means that you are using a tax rate that is mapped to a "SalesTaxCode" on a customer, which gets used on a full invoice. A SalesTaxCode can only be applied to individual line items or the tax rate field within the product detail page.
  24. Now setup your "fall back product" that we'll use when you sync an invoice that doesn't have mapped products. This is sort of a safety net to get things to sync if you use a manual item somewhere randomly in your account. Then click Next.

     
  25. Specify the deposit account (almost always Undeposited Funds) and click Next.

     
  26. Map your payment methods to the QB payment methods and click Next. Payments will not sync if these aren't mapped.

     
  27. Almost there! If you want all your QuickBooks Customers to be brought into your account, click Import Customers (or click Skip if don't want to). Once you do that an import job will be queued up. The next time the QBWC runs it will do that import job. It can take a couple hours to do a few thousand customers, but you don't have to wait for it to complete; just click Next.

     
  28. Same thing for Vendors.

     
  29. If you want to Turn on Invoices/Payments/Customers Sync to QuickBooks, check that box. If you enable it, invoices will begin syncing after they are modified from now on (we don't sync historical invoices). If you leave it unchecked, the integration is turned off. Click Next.

     
  30. That's it for the Setup Wizard! You will now be on the QuickBooks Settings page. There are a few additional settings and tasks you may want to take care of.
    • Assuming Sync Invoices to QuickBooks is enabled, consider enabling the Sync Payments to QuickBooks (requires Invoices) setting below it as well.
    • If you enable Sync Store Credit to QuickBooks, you will then need to type the proper items in the QuickBooks Item for Store Credit gifts and QuickBooks Item for new or unmapped Products in a Customer Purchase fields.
    • Make sure to click Save QuickBooks Settings after enabling any of those settings.
  31. If this is a brand new QB installation and none of your customers or invoices are in it, you can scroll down and click the Send All Customers to QuickBooks and Send All Invoices to QuickBooks buttons. The latter will automatically sync all corresponding payments.

 

Run the QuickBooks Web Connector (QBWC)

If the QBWC is not running, nothing will sync to/from Syncro. To start it up again, in QuickBooks, click the File menu > Update Web Services. It should now start syncing with Syncro.

 

COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) Tracking Explanation

For the below steps to work, you will need a Quickbooks Desktop Pro account.

A. Sync products in QBD and Syncro

  1. In QBD, make sure this setting is enabled.
    1. Click Edit > Preferences...
    2. In the left nav, click Items & Inventory.

       
    3. Click the Company Preferences tab.
    4. Make sure the Inventory and purchase orders are active box is checked.
    5. Click OK.
  2. Create a new product in QBD or edit an existing one.
  3. Make sure the COGS Account is set to Cost of Goods Sold.

     
  4. In Syncro, if you add the product, make sure you enter a Price Retail and Price cost.

     
  5. In your browser's URL field, append /quickbooks/settings to your URL, such as https://yourdomain.syncromsp.com/quickbooks/settings (or Admin > App Center > QuickBooks Desktop/Online > settings page in step 6).
  6. Scroll to the bottom.

     
  7. If the product already exists in Syncro, click Check for Item Changes.
  8. If the product does not exist in Syncro, click Import Products from QuickBooks to Inventory.

NOTE ABOUT ITEM/PRODUCT IMPORTS:

The Product/Item imports include "Service, Non-Inventory Part, and Inventory Part” and exclude "Other Charge, Group, Subtotal, Discount, Payment, Sales Tax and Sales Tax Group"

B. Add item to invoice and sync to QBD

  1. Add the item to an invoice in your account.
  2. The invoice will sync to QBD.
  3. Accept payment on the invoice in your account.

C. View Cost of Goods Sold report

  1. To view the Cost of Goods Sold report in QBD, open the Chart of Accounts and search for Cost of Goods Sold.

     
  2. Double click the Cost of Goods Sold line to see the Cost of Goods Sold QuickReport.
  3. To see your overall Profit and Loss Report, click Reports > Company & Financial > Profit & Loss Standard (or any Profit & Loss variant).
  4. If COGS isn't showing up by default on your Profit and Loss Report, click Customize to make sure that the REPORT BASIS is set to Accrual.

     
  5. Your Profit and Loss Report will look something like this.

 

Converting from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Desktop

  1. Migrate your data from Quickbooks Online to Quickbooks Desktop. Use Intuit's method of going from QBO to QBD—in the upper right in QBO, click the gear cog > Export data. A Google search will reveal multiple tutorials on all the steps involved.

     
  2. Disconnect QBO in your account settings.
  3. Email us at help@syncromsp.com to have us do some backend changes on our end.
  4. Go through the standard Quickbooks Desktop integration steps.

 

General Troubleshooting

Software resource/entity sync

If an Invoice/payment fails, you should see a red error appear on the Invoice or payment page with a message. This will often describe the error and give you first steps on what to look for. We have a glossary of Quickbooks API errors.

If you have a failed sync, in the upper right you can click Actions > Re-Sync to Quickbooks (or Re-Sync to Quickbooks or Re-Sync). Do this and wait a minute to see if the invoice/payment goes through.

 

QuickBooks Web Connector

Intuit's QuickBooks Web Connector (QBWC) is the medium that connects Syncro and QuickBooks. If you are using QuickBooks 2020 or earlier, you will need to use version 2.3.0.214. If using QuickBooks 2021+, the web connector is integrated and does not require a web connector to be installed.

  1. Go to Intuit’s page, Download and install the QuickBooks Web Connector.
  2. Use your browser's Find feature to search for Version 2.3.0.214.
  3. Below that, click the Download and install the QuickBooks Web Connector link. We do not directly link to it in case the link changes, and because we want you to be assured it is actually coming from Intuit.
  4. Once it finishes downloading, launch the file.
  5. Click Yes to confirm you will allow it.
  6. Follow the steps in the wizard. The first and last screen of the QBWebConnection - InstallShield Wizard may be blank. Click Next and Finish on them, respectively.

QuickBooks Enterprise 2022 and Windows Server

We have received a report that QBD Enterprise Edition 2022 does not play well with Windows Server 2012 R2. Basically, if you try hosting the company file on a machine other than your own, you will likely have issues.

Therefore, we recommend having the company file on the same machine as QBD. You can have QBD and the company file on another computer that you remote into, but they both need to be on the same computer.

Actually, we recommend this for all versions, but especially for QBD Enterprise Edition 2022, as it comes with its own QBWC that you cannot override with an older version.

Reinstalls, Host migration, switching or renaming company file

QBWC was built by Intuit with expectations that the host, file path, and file name of your company file would never change. If at all possible, don't change these things. Unfortunately, a Windows System Restore or an OS re-install can look like a host change to QBWC because of how it and QuickBooks manage data (across files and Windows Registry).

Things to note when trying to deal with OS/File System issues

  • QBWC depends on the first company file opened for an integration/application and the path to that company file in order to "Remove" that application. That first company file must be open in QBD from the same location to "Remove" an application from QBWC.
  • QBWC requires an application to supply an OwnerID and FileID which must be unique in QBWC, so the software row in QBWC must be "Removed" before syncro.qwc can be re-added. Contact Technical Support for an alternate syncro.qwc if you run multiple accounts that need to connect to QuickBooks on the same host.
  • To protect the data of users who run multiple company files on the same host, our software takes note of the file path of the first connected company file and asks QBWC to only use that file path. Contact Technical Support if you need to move your company file.

Here are some QBWC errors that may require a reinstall:

  • QBWC1039: There was a problem adding the application. Unique OwnerID/FileID pair value required
  • QBWC1050: An application is already loaded with the same FileID. No need to add an application that is already loaded to the Web Connector

Here is the process for reinstalling QBWC.

  1. Try normal usage and resolution (e.g., check logs, file paths, QuickBooks Edit > Preferences > Integrated Applications > Company Preferences, which user is logged in) because this requires editing Registry keys. You might also be able to skip most of these steps by hacking your registry keys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Intuit\QBWebConnector\SOAPWebServices
  2. Exit QBWC.
  3. Remove QBWC entries from your QuickBooks company file(s) (Edit > Preferences > Integrated Applications > Company Preferences).
  4. Close QuickBooks (you may need to kill the QBWC32.EXE*32 process if you have 'Edit > Preferences > General > My Preferences > Keep QuickBooks running for quick startups' enabled).
  5. Uninstall QBWC.
  6. Remove QBWebConnector folder from: '"C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\"
  7. Remove the registry folder: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Intuit\QBWebConnector
  8. Reboot.
  9. Install QBWC (currently we recommend version 2.1.0.30 found here).
  10. Open your company file in QBD.
  11. Double-click your syncro.qwc file from your quickbooks/sdk settings page in the account.

QBWC Error 1013 "Cannot Connect To Quickbooks"

This error is usually a permissions issue. The web connector needs admin permissions in order to run the connector when the user is on or offline. To fix follow the steps below.

  1. Log into QuickBooks as Admin.
  2. Click the File menu > Switch to Single-User mode. (If you only see "Switch to Multi-user Mode," you are already in single-user mode.)
  3. Click the Edit menu > Preferences...
  4. In the left menu, click Integrated Applications.
  5. Click the Company Preferences tab.
  6. Click Syncro QuickBooks Desktop Integration.
  7. Click Properties.
  8. For QBD v2020 and newer, the dialog should look like this. Make any needed changes and click OK.
  9. For older versions,
    1. Below where it asks, “Do you want to allow this application to read and modify this company file?” make sure "Yes, always; allow access even if QuickBooks is not running" is selected.
    2. Make sure "Login as:" is set to Admin.
    3. Note: “Allow this application to access personal data such as Social Security Numbers and customer credit card information.” does NOT need to be checked.
    4. Click Continue.
    5. Save.
  10. Reboot your computer.
  11. Finally, log back in as Admin and run the QBWC again.