QuickBooks Help
How to fix H101, H202, H303 or H505 and other Multi User setup problems in QuickBooks?
There are several recommended solutions to resolve these errors. The first solution may solve the problem or you may need to try them all to resolve the issue. For best results, perform the solutions in the order shown.
QuickBooks Desktop is trying to establish a connection to the company file and can't communicate with the server (computer hosting the QuickBooks files).
Several issues can cause the following:
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Hosting configuration settings are incorrect - Another computer might have hosting turned on. Only the server (where the file is saved) should have hosting turned on.
Note: When using Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 as a QuickBooks file server, you may need to perform additional steps after every reboot to prevent getting H202 error. See Solution 2 for detailed information and steps.
- QB firewall ports are not set properly - Firewall is blocking incoming/outgoing communication to the company file. The .ND file is damaged or incorrect - The .ND file is a configuration file that allows QuickBooks to access a company file in a network. A damaged .ND file may prevent QuickBooks Desktop from accessing files over the network.
- QuickBooks can't obtain the IP address of the host computer - QuickBooks Database Server Manager might be using a different/bad IP address.
- DNS settings are incorrect - Workstations are configured to open the file through the hosts’ Full Qualified Domain Name (ex. computername.domain.com).
- QuickBooks services are not started - QuickBooksDBXX or QBCFMonitor services are not running and should be started automatically.
Note: A damaged QuickBooks Database Server Manager may give you this error message when trying to start the database manager service manually. See The QuickBooksDBXX service on Local Computer started and then stopped for additional information.
Solution 1: Download and use the QuickBooks File Doctor
Download and run the QuickBooks File Doctor on the server and any workstation getting an H-series error. QuickBooks File Doctor will attempt to automatically resolve the multi-user error.
Solution 2: Check hosting and services
In a multi-user environment, hosting should only be enabled on the hosting computer (server).
Verify QuickBooks services
When working with QuickBooks Desktop in a multi-user mode, QuickBooks services (QuickbooksDBXX and QBCFMonitorService) need to be running on the server computer.
- Press the Windows key + R to bring up the run box.
- Type services.msc and press Enter
Tip: You can search for services.msc on the Windows search bar. - In the services window, scroll down and look for the QuickBooksDBXX service.
Note: XX represents the year of QuickBooks Desktop you are troubleshooting. - Double-click the QuickBooksDBXX service and make sure the Startup Type is set to Automatic and service status is Running or Started.
- Click the Recovery tab.
- Click the drop-down menu for First failure and select Restart the Service. This will automatically restart the QuickBooksDB service if it fails. Do the same for Second failure and Subsequent failures.
- Click OK to save the changes.
- Repeat steps 1-6 above for the QBCFMonitorService.
- Open QuickBooks in multi-user mode on each affected workstation. If the issue persists, try to make sure the QuickBooksDBXX service is a member of the administrator group and has the appropriate permissions. See Set Windows access permissions to share company files to verify.
For Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 users
Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 requires that programs be authenticated every time the system boots up. QuickBooks will not pass this authentication. When using that system as a QuickBooks file server, a few steps need to be taken after every reboot or an H202 error will occur.
The following steps should only be done when running Windows 2012 Server Essentials
- Stop the Base Filtering Engine Service.
Note: This will disconnect active remote session/s into the server.- On your keyboard, press Windows + R to open the Run window.
- In the open field, enter services.msc and press Enter.
Tip: You can search for services.msc on the Windows search bar. - Right-click the Base Filtering Engine Service.
- Choose Stop. (If an error occurs, dismiss the error and stop the service again)
- Scan the QuickBooks File Directory with the QuickBooks Database Server Manager.
- Start > All Programs > QuickBooks > QuickBooks Database Server Manager
- Click the Scan folders tab.
- Click Add folder (if no folders are present). Otherwise, highlight the folder with the files and click Scan.
- When the process is complete, close the Database Server Manager.
- Start the Base Filtering Engine Service.
- On your keyboard, press Windows + R to open the Run window.
- In the open field, enter services.msc and press Enter.
- Right-click the Base Filtering Engine Service.
- Choose Start. (If an error occurs, dismiss the error and stop the service again)
- If this did not resolve your issue, follow the steps in the Multi-User access changes in QuickBooks Desktop 2016 and later (how to enable alternate setup/NAS drive) article.
- Return to Services:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run window.
- In the Open: field, type services.msc and press Enter.
- In the Services window, scroll down to the service for Windows Firewall.
- Double click Windows Firewall.
- If Windows Firewall is not running, click Start.
Solution 3: Open the network ports QuickBooks uses to transmit data
IMPORTANT (Windows 8) and AVG Antivirus 2013 users: In depth research by our engineering team has determined that a conflict exists between QuickBooks and AVG AntiVirus 2013 on Windows 8. The conflict has been isolated to AVG, and if you are using AVG AntiVirus 2013 or AVG Antivirus 2013 Free on Windows 8 and have an H202 error, you will need to uninstall the AVG program and enable Windows Defender (built into Windows 8). You will need to
contact AVG support if you have any questions or wish to keep the AVG 2013 software.
Configure Firewall
Perform the following on each computer.
- Access Windows Firewall Settings.
- From the Desktop, right-click the Windows logo and select Control Panel.
- Type "Firewall" in the search bar and press Enter.
- Click Windows Firewall and select Advanced settings.
- On the left, right-click Outbound Rules, and choose New Rule.
- Choose Ports and click Next.
- Select TCP and in the specific local ports box, enter in the following ports:
- QuickBooks Desktop 2018: 8019, 56728, 55378-55382
- QuickBooks Desktop 2017: 8019, 56727, 55373-55377
- QuickBooks Desktop 2016: 8019, 56726, 55368-55372
- Click Next and select Allow the Connection.
- Click Next to enter a name in the name field (for example, "QuickBooks ports" ) and click Finish.
- Repeat steps 1-5 for the Inbound Rules.
- Open QuickBooks in multi-user mode again.
- If you have a third party antivirus/firewall program, you may need to configure any other firewall or antivirus software.
- For a temporary solution, you may disable the anti-virus/firewall program to identify it as a problem and make sure to re-enable it when you're done with the test. If the error persists, continue to step 3 (Ping the Server Computer).
Check UNC vc. Mapped Drive (file path troubleshooting)
Important:These steps are highly technical in nature and may be best performed by a qualified IT professional present. The scope of this test is to see if QuickBooks can reach the server from the workstation(s).
Before you start, please ensure the following:
- Press Windows Key + R to open a Run command.
- Enter ping [servername] and press Enter. You should see a reply for each packet with none being lost.
Important: If you see packet loss or a slow reply, your network should be diagnosed by a qualified IT professional. - If using a mapped drive to connect to your company file on the server, bypass the mapped drive by navigating to the server shared folder via UNC (Universal Naming Convention) path from the workstation computer (ex: \\server\QBData\).
If the path to your company file is on your network and begins with a drive letter, it's a mapped drive. - Use the UNC path, found in the title bar, to navigate to your company file within QuickBooks.
