Steps
- Open QuickBooks. In the back office sidebar, click QuickBooks.
- Check the Desktop card. Look for the Connected badge and the Last Web Connector poll time. Waiting for the first Web Connector poll means the PC hasn't checked in yet.
- Open Desktop set-up. Click Set up to connect QuickBooks Desktop for the first time, or Manage to open its tabs.
- Check the Online card. Click Connect to QuickBooks to link QuickBooks Online, or check the badge if it's already connected. A setup-required notice means the first-time wizard still needs to run.
- Read the counts. Queued records are waiting to go, completed are in QuickBooks, and failed need attention.
- Fix failures. For Online, the Sync health table lists recent failures with the record, action, problem and when. Fix the cause, usually a missing mapping, and the record retries automatically. For Desktop, use the Health tab.
Other tools on the dashboard
The Import from QuickBooks strip reads an existing Desktop company file into your books. Admins also see Invite Accountant, which gives your accountant access to the books.
With Online connected, the page also has Sync data to QuickBooks for bulk-sending customers, products and invoices for a date range, and Reset data in QuickBooks for starting over.
Good to know
QuickBooks Online is supported for Canadian companies. QuickBooks is part of the Pro plan. The QuickBooks item shows in the back office sidebar when your subscription includes it and you're an admin or hold the QuickBooks permission.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know QuickBooks is syncing?
Check the badge and the counts on each card. Completed should rise as you sell, and queued should stay small. On Desktop, the last Web Connector poll should be a minute or two ago.
What does failed mean?
QuickBooks rejected the record, usually because a tax, account or item isn't mapped. The problem message says what to fix. Once you fix it, the record is retried automatically.
Can I use QuickBooks Desktop and Online together?
The dashboard shows both, but connect the edition your books are kept in. Running both for the same business would send the same sales twice.