Intuit has just released QuickBooks 2017 Release 5 update. One of the features of this update is ability to change QuickBooks so that you can open or switch to a company file without having to enter your username and password every time. There is a login period, that will force login every few days. You will also have to login if you use a different windows account or specifically log out of the company file.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. You need to look at the specifics of your environment to decide if changing the security in QuickBooks will provide undue risk. If you have secure logins setup for your computers then it is probably safe, but consider what type of information is in your QuickBooks file and what or who will be harmed if the information is exposed. Do you have all your employees social security numbers stored for payroll purposes? Maybe the inconvenience of logging in is worth while. Also note that if you accept credit cards through QuickBooks and therefore have credit card protection enabled you can’t change login security.
In his article in Insightful Accountant my friend William Murphy provides information on how to change the setting. The default is to require login every time. If you want to change that setting it must be done by the company file admin.
- For Desktop Pro/Premier customers: Go to Company > Setup Users and Passwords > Manage Login Settings
- For Desktop Enterprise customers: Go to Company > Users > Manage Login Settings
- For all customers: Go to Edit > Preferences > General > Company Preference
You can find more information about managing passwords in QuickBooks at Intuit’s website.