QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale Multi-user Issue

The QuickBooks Point of Sale multi-user issues arises when users are trying to access a company file that is available on a different workstation. In this scenario, software automatically displays an error message 181002 the Server Workstation is not running or the company data is not accessible. that is basically trying to tell the user that the multi-user mode feature is not functioning as it should.

The developers of QuickBooks had developed a Multi-user Mode feature. This feature gave the privilege of multiple users being able to work on the same company file at the same time. Each user who uses the Multi-User Mode feature must have their own licence for QuickBooks. As long as they hold the licence for QuickBooks POS multiple users are able to access the same company file at the same time.

Errors have been part of the software development process since the first software was deployed, and they will be around at least for the foreseeable future, if not more than that. Even though the chances of the multi-user mode feature not working at all are low, there is still the smallest possibility for that to happen.

Causes of QuickBooks Point Of Sale Multi-User Issues

Although there could be more undiscovered causes of the QuickBooks Point Of Sale Multi-User Issue, here are some of the reasons we know that cause the QuickBooks Point Of Sale Multi-User Issue.

• QuickBooks might not have been installed on the server.
• The settings of the host might not have been configured in the correct manner.
• QBPOS not connected to the server.
• QuickBooks Point of Sale is grayed out.
• The antivirus or the firewall installed on the workstations might not be allowing communication between workstations that different users are using.
• It is also possible that the database server is unable to access the QuickBooks company file for some reason that we do not know. 
• The Windows file permissions could not have been set up properly, which could also cause this issue to arise.

May be useful- QuickBooks POS Multi-Store Exchange Error

Steps to Fix the QuickBooks Point Of Sale Multi-User Issues

There are a few steps that the user can follow in order to be able to get rid of the QuickBooks Point Of Sale Multi-User Issue. Needs to be kept in mind that the ‘QuickBooks’ issue might still be prevalent in some user’s workstations even after they have successfully completed the QuickBooks Multi-User setup.

This issue can be fixed by using the QuickBooks File Doctor. This application can be downloaded from the internet on Intuit’s website, and then the user needs to apply the ‘Run’ command. The purpose of the QuickBooks File Doctor is to determine whether a user’s workstation is compatible with the Multi-User feature or not. Once the run command has been given to run the file doctor, the user should check to see if they are facing the same multi-user mode not working error.

Step 1: Use QuickBooks Database Server Manager

• For the first step, the user needs to start by opening the QuickBooks Database Server Manager on the workstation that acts as the server.
• The user then needs to go to the ‘Start’ menu and type the word ‘Database’.
• If there are no folder locations that are returned from the search, the user must browse to the location where the company files are stored on the workstation.
• The user can then press the ‘OK’ button and hit the ‘Scan’ button after hitting the previous button.

Step 2: Check Host Mode on each of the User Computers

• Open the ‘File’ menu and then open the option titled ‘Utilities’.
• If ‘Host Multi-User Access’ appears on the list, then, in that case, the user has to continue on to the next computer.

• This text simply signifies the fact that the workstation being looked at is not the system hosting the company file.
• On the other hand, if ‘Stop Hosting Multi-User Access’ appears on the list, then the user will have to disable the hosting.

• After disabling the hosting, the user will need to move forward by later enabling the QuickBooks single-user mode.
• After the user has made sure that the hosting mode has successfully been turned off on all the user workstations, the user should then look for the QuickBooks multi-user mode not working error.

Step 3: Check whether QuickBooks services are running

The first thing that the user needs to make sure of is to make sure that the QuickBooks Desktop application and QBCF Monitor Service are in running without any issues on the server workstation. After that has been covered, then the user can follow the points below in order to be able to use the multi-user mode of QuickBooks services.

• Firstly, the user will have to start the process by entering ‘services.msc’ in the windows search bar.
• Hit the ‘Enter’ key on the keyboard.
• Then need to be on the watch for QuickBooks DBXX (where ‘XX’ is the year of QuickBooks being used) service to appear in the ‘Services’ window. If the service does not appear on the screen, then the user will need to conduct the following steps that are mentioned below:
  • The user will need to ensure that the database server manager is installed on the server in the correct and proper manner.
  • The user will also need to watch for the corresponding, up-to-date Database Server Manager.
  • If the entire program is running on the workstation, then the user will have to make sure that the hosting feature has been enabled on the server.
• The next step the user needs to do is that they have to double-click on the QuickBooks DBXX service and wait for the service to begin. Once the service has begun, then it should show either the word ‘Running’ which means that the service is running or the ‘Start’ option, to start the service.
• After that, the next step the user needs to do is to select the ‘Restart the QuickBooksDBXX Service’ for the first, second and subsequent failures under the ‘Recovery’ tab.
• Once the step has been completed, the user just needs to simply repeat the points mentioned above for the QBCF Monitor Service.

Step 4: Make sure QuickBooks can send data

• The next step change the antivirus software and the firewall settings
• In that case, the user will have to manually set up all the exceptions in the firewall that are preventing the multi-user mode from working. This should be basically for the ports that QuickBooks software uses for transmitting data
• Manual configuration by the user on the workstation is required for the antivirus if it is the one that is causing this issue for the multi-user mode.
• Carry out the file path testing to figure out if QuickBooks is now able to communicate with the server properly or not. The path testing can be done by following these steps:
  • The user needs to first enter the server name in the ‘Run’ command section and hit the ‘Enter’ button.
• After that, the user needs to provide the UNC path (Universal Naming Convention) from the workstation that they are working on in order to be able to navigate to the shared folder that is placed in the server.
• The user then needs to use the UNC path to go to the QuickBooks company file.

Step 5: Create a new company file folder

• Needs to create a new folder for the company file on the host workstation.
• Need to set up the folder and provide windows with all the permissions to access the new folder.
• The last step to complete this process is to copy the file with the extension ‘.qbw’ to the new folder that the user created in the first step, and then see if the company file is able to open and function correctly in the multi-user mode.
• If the company file is able to open successfully, then it would mean that the multi-user mode of QuickBooks is no more causing the issue of not working properly or not working at all.

https://www.askforaccounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Set-up-Multi-User-Mode-in-QuickBooks-Point-of-Sale.pdf