QuickBooks Desktop is powerful accounting software that helps businesses to manage their finances perfectly. As sensitive financial information is the basis of any business, it is important to have robust security measures in place. Among the many major components in ensuring your secured QuickBooks Desktop environment are configuring your firewall and other settings appropriately. In this blog post, we will guide you on how you can configure your firewall and security settings for QuickBooks Desktop.

Why is Firewall Configuration Important for QuickBooks Desktop?

QuickBooks Desktop usually functions on the networked system, especially when using features such as multi-user mode, remote access, or linking to a server for storing data. A firewall is a security system designed to monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic. It can be thought of as a barrier between your computer or network and external threats such as hackers or malware. 

When QuickBooks communicates over the network (e.g., syncing data with a remote server or interacting with online banking services), the firewall may mistakenly block these communications, leading to connection issues or even data loss. Hence, configuring your firewall properly is critical to ensure QuickBooks operates seamlessly while keeping your data safe.

Steps to configure firewall and security settings for QuickBooks desktop

There are various methods you can configure firewall and security setting for QuickBooks Desktop. So let's get started with all of them one after the other.

Step 1: Determine the Ports Used by QuickBooks

The first thing you must do is learn which ports QuickBooks uses for communication. This is compulsory because you have to configure your firewall to let these ports pass through.

For QuickBooks Desktop, the most commonly used ports are:

●      TCP Port 8019 - This is used between QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Database Server Manager.

●      TCP Port 55758-55760 - This is for QuickBooks Remote Data Sharing.

●      TCP/UDP Port 80 and 443: For QuickBooks Online and all web services.

●      TCP Port 135, 139, 445, and 3299: For file sharing and multi-user setup.

QuickBooks automatically configures these ports during installation. However, if you're working with custom settings or restrictions set on your network, these ports may need to be manually allowed through your firewall.

Step 2: Configure Your Firewall to Allow QuickBooks Traffic

After identifying the necessary ports, you'll need to create firewall rules that allow QuickBooks Desktop to operate freely and still block unwanted traffic. The steps will depend on whether you're using Windows Firewall or a third-party firewall.

Configuring Windows Firewall

1. Open the Control Panel: Tap or click on the Start button. Click on Control Panel.
2. Go to Windows Firewall Settings: click on "System and Security" > "Windows Defender Firewall."
3. Create a New Rule: Click the left side menu option "Advanced Settings. The Windows Firewall with Advanced Security window will open.
4. Inbound Rules: Click on "New Rule" located under "Inbound Rules."

●      "Select the "Port" and click "Next."

●      Then choose TCP and enter the ports that QuickBooks uses, for example, 8019 and 55758-55760.

●      Select "Allow the connection” and click "Next."

●      Select the profiles (Domain, Private, or Public) where the rule needs to be applied and then click Finish.

1. Outbound Rules: Do the same thing for "Outbound Rules" so that traffic can flow in the opposite direction.

For Third-Party Firewalls:

If you have a third-party firewalls (such as Norton, McAfee, or Zone Alarm), check its documentation or support site for how to customize rules. Again, this will likely create inbound and outbound rules for QuickBooks ports but allow necessary communications without compromising your system's security.

Step 3: Check QuickBooks Firewall Utility

QuickBooks has an important utility called the "QuickBooks Database Server Manager" that can be used to configure your firewall settings. This utility scans for and automatically adds the necessary firewall rules so QuickBooks may function without interference.

●      Download the Database Server Manager: Download and install the Database Server Manager from the QuickBooks website.

●      Run the Tool: Open the tool which will run and scan the firewall settings and determine any changes that need to be made.

●   Apply Changes: Once the tool has scanned your system, it will add the required ports and exceptions to your firewall, thereby enabling QuickBooks to operate normally.

Step 4: Configure QuickBooks Security Settings

In addition to configuring the firewall, proper security settings also need to be established inside QuickBooks itself. This will help protect your data and prevent unauthorized access.

1. Configure All Strong Passwords: All QuickBooks user accounts must have strong, unique passwords, and avoid the use of weak, default or easily guessable ones. QuickBooks allows the setting up of password complexity rules for enhanced security.
2. Activate Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of security on your QuickBooks account by activating two-factor authentication. This means users need to confirm their identities with a password as well as another verification (such as by using a mobile device).
3. Limit User Access: Use QuickBooks' user roles to limit access to sensitive data. Assign permissions based on job responsibilities, ensuring that users only have access to the information they need.

Step 5: Regularly Monitor and Update Security Settings

Once your firewall and security settings are established, be sure to regularly monitor and keep everything up to date. Be sure to apply the latest QuickBooks updates once available, as those often include critical security patches. Periodically check your firewall settings to make sure they remain properly configured for QuickBooks operations.

Conclusion

There's no substitute for firewall and security settings configurations on QuickBooks Desktop. Protection of your business from unauthorized access and malicious attacks is only effective if the correct ports are open, and system security settings are appropriately configured. This would provide peace of mind that your accounting software remains secure and functional through regular maintenance of those settings.

We hope that this article will be useful to help you setting Up Firewall and Security Settings for QuickBooks Desktop. If you still, have been experiencing this error, then you can contact our QuickBooks Desktop support team at 1–888–368–8874. The team comprises of expert professionals and helps you resolve the error in no time.