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Error H202 indicates that QuickBooks is having difficulties with the multi-user hosting setup. It pops up right after selecting the Host Multi-User Access option and can affect both the server and the workstations connected to it. In most cases, running a scan from QuickBooks Database Server Manager resolves the error, but this is only a workaround. Keep reading to learn the best approaches to permanently fixing QuickBooks error H202.
Here’s how you get notified about error message H202 in QuickBooks.
| Problem with multi-user hosting setup Error code: H202 This company file is on another computer, and QuickBooks needs some help connecting. |
If you want an expert to walk you through the troubleshooting solution to fix multi-user error H202, reach out our A2AutoCare’s experts for QuickBooks Consulting Services .
Solutions to Fix QuickBooks Multi-User Error H202
Follow the solutions in the same order as given for the best and instant results.
1: Run QB Database Server Manager on the System Hosting the Company File
Running Database Server Manager is the first approach to fix QuickBooks error H202, as it automatically restores the connection to the company file hosted on the server.
Step 1: Get QuickBooks Tool Hub on the Server Computer
- Exit QuickBooks if it is running on the system and download the latest version of QuickBooks Tool Hub (1.6.0.3).
- If you already have Tool Hub on the server system, ensure it is the latest version. The version can be checked at the bottom of the Tool Hub’s home screen.
- Once you have downloaded the latest version of Tool Hub, run the setup file QuickBooksToolHub.exe and follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the installation.
- Once installed, launch Tool Hub using the shortcut icon created on the desktop screen.
- If you can’t find the Tool Hub icon on the desktop, search for it in the Windows search and select it from the results.
Step 2: Run QB Database Server Manager Using Tool Hub
- Go to the Network Issues tab in Tool Hub and select the QuickBooks Database Server Manager option.
- You will get a prompt to install QuickBooks if it has not already been installed on the server.
- If you see your company file folder in QuickBooks Database Server Manager, select the Start Scan option or choose Browse if you don’t.
- QuickBooks Database Server Manager will now automatically repair the firewall permissions. When the scan is complete, choose the option that says Close.
Now, go to each system where you were getting H202 error QuickBooks desktop and select the Switch to Multi-user Mode option under the File menu. The next step is to run QuickBooks File Doctor to ensure your company file and network both have no issues.
Step 3: Run QB File Doctor Using Tool Hub
- Go to the Company File Issues tab in the Tool Hub and select the Run QuickBooks File Doctor option.
- QuickBooks File Doctor might take up to a minute to launch. If it doesn’t, manually search for it in the Windows search and select it from the results.
- Using the drop-down in QuickBooks File Doctor, select your company file or select Browse to manually select it if it doesn’t appear in the drop-down list.
- Select the top option that says, Check your file and Network and hit Continue.
- Click Next after entering your QuickBooks admin password and check if everything is fixed.
Follow the next solution if QuickBooks Desktop error H202 reappears while enabling the multi-user mode.
2: Reconfigure QBCFMonitorService and QuickBooksDBXX Services
With the instructions below, we will verify and reconfigure QBCFMonitorService and QuickBooksDBXX Services, which are necessary to allow multi-user access to QuickBooks.
NOTE: You will need to enable multi-user hosting on the server if you are using the full version of QuickBooks. To do so, expand the Utilities drop-down under the File tab and select the Host Multi-User Access option. If you see an option that says, Stop Hosting Multi-User Access, don’t choose it.
- Press Windows + R, enter services.msc in the text box, and press Enter.
- Scroll down the list of services to find the QuickBooksDBXX service and right-click it. The XX in the service indicates your version of QuickBooks. For example, QuickBooks Desktop 2024 has the database process running as QuickBooksDB33.
- Select Properties and then the Startup Type as Automatic.
- If you don’t find the service as Started or Running, select Start.
- Go to the Recovery tab and select the Restart the Service option for First, Second, and Subsequent Failures.
- To save the changes made to the service, select Apply and OK.
- Follow the same instructions for QBCFMonitorService and try to enable hosting to check if QuickBooks error H202 multi-user mode is resolved.
If QuickBooks error H202 is still preventing you from hosting the company file, proceed to the next troubleshooting solution.
3: Add QB Services to the Windows Admin Group on Host Computer
The instructions below will help to add QuickBooksDBXX and QBCFMonitorService to the Windows Admin group so that you can access the company file folder in multi-user mode without any restrictions.
1: Verify the Folder Permissions are Correctly Set Up
- Press Windows + E to open Windows File Explorer and go to the folder where your company file is saved.
- Right-click the company file folder, select Properties, and go to the Security tab.
- Select Advanced > QBDataServiceUserXX > Edit and select Allowed for the following settings.
- Traverse Folder/Execute File
- List Folder/Read Data
- Read Attributes
- Read Extended Attributes
- Create Files/Write Data
- Create Folders/Append Data
- Write Attributes
- Write Extended Attributes
- Read Permissions
- If you find that the permissions are not correctly set up, right-click the company file folder and choose Properties.
- Go to the Security, select Edit, and select QBDataServiceUserXX.
- Now, select Full Control, then Allow, click Apply, and OK.
2: Set up Proper Folder Permissions
- Press Windows + E to open Windows File Manager and locate and right-click the folder below:
- C:\Program Data\Intuit\Entitlement Client\v8
- C:\Program Data\Intuit\Entitlement Client\v6.0
- C:\Program Data\Intuit\Entitlement Client\v5
- C:\Program Data\Intuit\Entitlement Client\v3
- C:\Program Data\Intuit\Entitlement Client
- C:\Program Data\Intuit\QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions X.0 (X = version) or C:\Program Data\Intuit\QuickBooks 20XX (XX = year)
- C:\Program Data\COMMON FILES\INTUIT
- C:\Program Data\COMMON FILES\INTUIT\QUICKBOOKS
- C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\FAMXX (XX = year)
- C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files
- C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Sample Company Files\QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions X.0 (X = version) or C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Sample Company Files\QuickBooks 20XX (XX = year)
- You might not have all the folders listed above, as some of them are specific to certain versions of QB Desktop.
- Select the Properties option after right-clicking the folder and go to the Security tab.
- Choose Everyone, and if you don’t find the Everyone option in the Group or User Name checkbox, choose Add and enter Everyone. Click OK, then Full Control, and hit Apply and OK.
3: Set Proper Windows Access Permissions
- Press Windows + R to open the Windows File Manager and find and right-click the company file folder.
- Choose the Properties option, select Sharing, and then the Share Add option.
- Select the QBDataServiceUserXX service for your version of QuickBooks Desktop and set Full Control as the permission level for both users.
- Finally, click Share and check if you can now host the company file without encountering QuickBooks error code H202.
If QuickBooks error H202 in windows still does not let you host the company file, follow the next solution.
New Announcement: QuickBooks Desktop 2021 has been discontinued, and Intuit won’t be selling several QuickBooks products to new subscribers after July 31, 2024. The existing users can continue to use QuickBooks until their QBDT version receives support.
4: Manually Reconfigure Windows Firewall and Antivirus Settings
Configuring the Windows firewall is important to ensure QuickBooks can go through it without any restrictions
Step 1: Reconfigure Firewall Port Exceptions for QuickBooks Desktop
- Click on the Windows Start button and search for Windows Firewall.
- Select Windows Firewall from the list of results and choose Advanced Rules.
- Right-click on Inbound Rules and select New Rule. You will need to create Outbound Rules in the same manner later.
- Choose Ports, click Next, and ensure that the TCP option is selected.
- Enter the port numbers provided below for your QuickBooks version in the Specific Local Ports field:
- QuickBooks Desktop 2020 and later: 8019, XXXXX.
- QuickBooks Desktop 2019: 8019, XXXXX.
- QuickBooks Desktop 2018: 8019, 56728, 55378-55382.
- QuickBooks Desktop 2017: 8019, 56727, 55373-55377.
NOTE: QuickBooks Desktop 2019 and all later versions use dynamic ports, which are specific and not a range. This helps QuickBooks fully utilize a port dedicated to it.
- If you are using QuickBooks 2019 or any later version, search for QuickBooks Database Server Manager in the Start menu and open it.
- Go to the Port Monitor tab and locate your QuickBooks version.
- Take note of the Port Number and enter it in the Specific Local Port field.
- Click Next and select Allow the Connection.
- Click Next, ensure all the profiles displayed on the screen are marked, and then click Next again.
- Enter a name for this rule, such as QBPorts(release year).
- Click Finish and now you will need to repeat the steps above to create Outbound Rules. In STEP 3, select Outbound Rules instead of Inbound Rules.
Step 2: Create Exceptions in the Firewall for QuickBooks Desktop
- Click on the Windows Start button and search for Windows Firewall.
- Select Windows Firewall from the list of results and choose Advanced Rules.
- Right-click on Inbound Rules and select New Rule. You will later need to create Outbound Rules, which you can do by following the same instructions.
- Select Program, then click Next, choose This Program Path, and click Browse.
- Browse one of the files listed below according to the version of QuickBooks installed on your device, and click Next:
- Choose the Allow the Connection option on your screen and click Next.
- Ensure that all the profiles are marked and click Next.
- Enter a name for this new rule, such as QuickBooksFirewallException(Name.exe).
Repeat the steps above to create Outbound Rules. In STEP 3, select Outbound Rules instead of Inbound Rules.
| Executable files | Location |
| AutoBackupExe.exe | C:\Program Files\Intuit\QUICKBOOKS YEAR |
| Dbmlsync.exe | C:\Program Files\Intuit\QUICKBOOKS YEAR |
| DBManagerExe.exe | C:\Program Files\Intuit\QUICKBOOKS YEAR |
| FileManagement.exe | C:\Program Files\Intuit\QUICKBOOKS YEAR |
| FileMovementExe.exe | C:\Program Files\Intuit\QUICKBOOKS YEAR |
| QuickBooksMessaging.exe | C:\Program Files\Intuit\QUICKBOOKS YEAR |
| QBW32.exe | C:\Program Files\Intuit\QUICKBOOKS YEAR |
| QBDBMgrN.exe | C:\Program Files\Intuit\QUICKBOOKS YEAR |
| QBServerUtilityMgr.exe | C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks |
| QBCFMonitorService.exe | C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks |
| QBLaunch.exe | C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks |
| QBUpdate.exe | C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\QuickBooks\QBUpdate |
| IntuitSyncManager.exe | C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit\Sync |
| OnlineBackup.exe | C:\Program Files\QuickBooks Online Backup |
NOTE: If you find “(x86)” mentioned in the name of the Program Files folder, this indicates you have a 64-bit operating system.
Step 3: Add QuickBooks as an Exception in the Antivirus Program
If you still can’t enable multi-user mode in QuickBooks because of QuickBooks error H202, you will need to configure your antivirus so that it does not restrict general operations performed by QuickBooks. The instructions to configure these settings in the antivirus program vary, and you must visit the product’s official website for more info. Additionally, you must also ensure that you have selected the TCP and then enter the ports required for your version of QuickBooks Desktop. You can check out the port numbers in Step 1 above.
NOTE: You need to add ports for each version of QuickBooks Desktop installed on your system.
Once all the changes are made, restart the system and retry to enable multi-user mode to check if error H202 has been resolved. If not, follow the next solution and check the connection between the server and the workstations connected to it.
5: Run the Ping Command on the Workstations Connected to the Server
Using the Ping command, we will check the connection between the server and the workstations to ensure it is not a network issue triggering QB error code H202.
1: Enable Network Discovery on the Server and Workstations Affected by Error H202
- Go to the Start menu on the server and any workstation that is getting QuickBooks Desktop error H202.
- Enter Network in the search bar and select Network and Sharing Center in the results.
- Choose the Change advanced sharing settings option and ensure the Turn on network discovery option under the Network Discovery and File and Printer sharing is selected.
2: Get the Name of the Server
- Press Windows + R to get the Run command window and enter CMD in the search bar.
- Press Enter and enter ipconfig/all command in the command prompt window.
- Hit the Enter key and check out the Host Name under the Windows IP Configuration section.
- Take note of the server name or copy it to a notepad for quick access
3: Test the Connection to the Server from the Workstations
- Press Windows + R to get the Run command window and enter CMD in the search bar.
- Now, enter the command ping [your server name] in the command prompt window and press Enter. Do not include the brackets in the command.
- Follow the same set of instructions on each workstation getting QuickBooks company file error H202.
No loss of data packets indicates that there are no issues in the connection to the server, and you must proceed to the next solution. However, if you notice packet loss or slow reply, you need to contact an IT professional.
6: Restart the QBCFMonitorService
QBCFMonitorService plays a crucial role in a multi-user environment, restarting which can help resolve QuickBooks multi-user mode error H202.
- Press Control + Shift + Esc to open the Processes tab in Task Manager.
- Find and right-click the QBCFMonitorService and select the End Task option.
- Click Yes for confirmation and run a thorough scan of your system using an antivirus program to detect and remove any potential infections.
- Once you’ve done this, run QuickBooks and try switching it to multi-user mode to see if error H202 is resolved.
Proceed with the next solution if restarting the QBCFMonitorService doesn’t help resolve QuickBooks Desktop error code H202.
7: Install the Most Recent Updates of Windows Firewall
Updating the Windows firewall will ensure it does not accidentally restrict QuickBooks from hosting the company file.
Updating Windows 10 Firewall
- Press the Windows Start button and select Settings to proceed further.
- Go to the Updates and Security section and click Windows Update.
Update Windows 11 Firewall
- Go to the Start menu, select the Settings option, and choose Windows Update.
Once the updates are installed, restart Windows to apply the updates, and check if you can now switch QuickBooks to multi-user mode without getting error popup.
8: Rename .ND and . TLG Files in QB Installation Folder
Renaming the.ND and . TLG files will prompt QuickBooks to create a new copy of them. Thus, if the error code H202 is caused by corruption in these files, renaming will help fix it.
- Press Windows + E to open the Windows File Manager and move to the company file folder.
- Now look for the files with the same name as your company file but with.ND and . TLG extensions.
- Once located, right-click each of these files and select the Rename option.
- While renaming, add.OLD at the end of the file names and save the changes.
- Run QuickBooks and check if fixing the corruption helps resolve Intuit QuickBooks error H202.
Follow the next solution if this one doesn’t help resolve QuickBooks company file error code H202.
9: Give Full Control Access Permission to QBDataServiceUserXX
QuickBooks requires full-control access permission while hosting and accessing the company file in a network. Follow the instructions below and set the correct permission for QuickBooks.
- Press Windows + E to launch Windows File Explorer and move to the QuickBooks installation folder.
- Right-click the company file folder in the installation directory and select the Properties option.
- Select Sharing, then Share Add, and QBDataServiceUserXX for your version of QuickBooks Desktop.
- Set Full Control as the permission level for both users and select the Share option.
Retry to host the company file using QuickBooks to check if giving full control access permission helps resolve the multi-user mode error H202 in QuickBooks. For details, read article on how to fix QuickBooks Multi-User Mode Not Working.
10: Edit the Host File and Add the Server to it
Adding the server’s IP address to the Windows host file will help your system easily locate the server in the network and is one of the many potential solutions to resolve error H202.
- Launch the Run dialog box by hitting the Windows and R keys on the keyboard.
- Enter CMD in the search box and hit Enter to open the Command Prompt window.
- Enter the command ipconfig /all in the command prompt window, ensuring there is a space after ipconfig in the command.
- Press Enter, take note of the IP address (or IPv4) and hostname, and exit QuickBooks Desktop.
- Now, go to the server system and press Windows + E to open the File Explorer.
- Navigate to either of the following paths and double-click on the Host file.
- C:\Windows\Syswow64\Drivers\Etc
- C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc
- Select Notepad and first enter the IP address and then the computer name.
- Save the changes and retry to run QuickBooks in multi-user mode to check if the error is resolved.
Conclusion
In this guide, we discussed the experts’ suggested instant approaches to fix QuickBooks error H202. Fixing issues that require network troubleshooting can sometimes be challenging, and manual troubleshooting does not always deliver the expected results. If you are still stuck in single-user mode because of error, reach out to our A2AutoCare’s experts.
Error H202 Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which QuickBooks and Windows versions does error H202 affect?
Users have reported getting this error on Server 2016 with QB Premier 2017 R5, QB Pro 2022, QB 2022 Pro Plus, Win 10 Pro server, Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2, QB Desktop Premier 2021, QB 2022 (Premiere/Accountant), QB Enterprise Contractor 22. However, if the specific conditions for hosting the company file are not met, you can face error H202 in any version of QuickBooks.
2. Are there some other errors that can restrict company file hosting?
Apart from error H202, you can get error H505, which stops you from switching QuickBooks to multi-user mode. This happens when one or more workstations are set to host the company file. This error can be resolved by disabling hosting on every workstation connected to the server and enabling it only on the server system.
4. What are some important considerations before hosting the company file?
Having the same version of Database Server Manager on the host computer and the workstation, keeping the company file on the local storage on the server, getting rid of infections on the system, and using the correct UNC path are some important points that you must consider before hosting the company file.
7. How to fix error H202 on Fedora Linux or Citrix server
To fix error H202 on the Fedora Linux or Citrix server, you will need to have the server’s fully qualified domain name added to the host file for each version that has QuickBooks. Also, you will need to make the necessary changes to the QBGlobalAppConfig.ini file on the Fedora Linux Server and create a mapped drive for the IP address of the Linux server.
Gabby Taylor, combines financial expertise with literary prowess. With over a decade in finance, she crafts insightful narratives on navigating fiscal complexities
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