QuickBooks 2011: The Missing Manual

Setting Up QuickBooks on a Network

For several people to work on the same company file from different computers, the computers running QuickBooks have to be networked together. Making this arrangement work requires a few extra—but simple—setup steps. Each user in a multi-user environment has to:

• Run the same version of QuickBooks (QuickBooks 2011, for example).

• Have permission to read, write, create, and delete in the folder where the company file resides. A network administrator typically sets up each user for these permissions. If you’re responsible for setting up users but you never wanted Network Administrator as your job title, choose Start→“Help and Support” and then, in the Search box, type “Share folder” to find instructions for sharing a folder using your operating system.

  Tip

  You can simplify access to the company-file folder by mapping a drive to that folder. In Windows’ “Help and Support” window (which you get to from your computer’s Start menu), search for “Assign drive.”

• Have a valid license number and product number. You need a separate QuickBooks license for each computer on which you install the program.

QuickBooks Pro and Premier can handle up to five people accessing a company file at the same time. (Intuit is happy to sell you more than five licenses for QuickBooks to install on other people’s computers, but only five of the licensed users can work on the company file simultaneously.) QuickBooks Enterprise comes with 5-, 10-, or 15-user license packs and allows up ...