Best Practices for Syncing QuickBooks Desktop
Table of Contents
Overview
Biller Genie syncs with QuickBooks Desktop using MagicCarpet, a background application installed on your computer. Because syncing depends on your local machine and Windows environment, a few setup habits can make a big difference in reliability.
One successful sync per day is all that's needed to keep your data fully up to date between Biller Genie and QuickBooks Desktop.
Before You Begin
Before adjusting any settings, confirm that MagicCarpet is installed and connected. If you have not completed setup yet, see: How to Install MagicCarpet for QuickBooks Desktop.
Computer and Connectivity Requirements
The computer running MagicCarpet must remain in the following state for automatic syncing to work:
- Powered on
- Connected to the internet
-
Logged in to Windows
Watch Out!
If the computer is shut down, put to sleep, or placed in hibernation, syncing will fail and result in timeout errors.
Adjust Power and Sleep Settings
To prevent the computer from going to sleep during a sync:
- Open Windows Settings
- Go to System > Power & Sleep
-
Set Sleep to Never
QuickBooks Desktop Best Practices
Sign out of QuickBooks at the end of each day
At the end of each business day, ensure all users are signed out of QuickBooks Desktop. This allows MagicCarpet to access the company file during overnight syncs without conflict.
Keep the Admin user on one machine
The QuickBooks Admin user should only be signed in on the computer where MagicCarpet is installed. If the Admin user is signed in on a different machine at the time of a sync, the sync will fail.
Confirm the correct company file is open
If QuickBooks Desktop is open on the sync computer, make sure the correct company file is selected. Having a different company file open when a sync runs will cause an error.
Tip: For the fastest and most reliable syncs, leave QuickBooks Desktop open to the company file selection screen and keep the computer idle during the sync window.
Disable QuickBooks Pop-Ups
Pop-up messages in QuickBooks Desktop can interrupt the sync process and cause timeouts or failures. To disable them:
- Sign in to QuickBooks Desktop as the Admin user
- Click Edit in the top menu
- Select Preferences
- Click General in the left menu
- Under the My Preferences tab, check the box for Turn off pop-up messages for products and services
- Click OK to save
Restarts, Backups, and Servers
If the computer is shut down over the weekend, syncing will not occur during that time. If the computer is scheduled for nightly restarts or backups, syncing may be interrupted.
After any restart, confirm the following:
- Windows automatically signs in to the correct user account
- QuickBooks Desktop is set to launch on startup