QBWebSync guide
QuickBooks Desktop remote access: every option compared
QuickBooks Desktop was designed to run on a computer in the office. When the people who need it are at home, on the road or at their accountant's desk, there are four realistic ways to reach it. Here is how they compare.
· 8 min read · By the Consus Solutions team
1. Remote desktop to the office PC
Tools like Windows Remote Desktop or a remote-support app let you control the office computer from somewhere else. It is cheap to start and needs no change to QuickBooks.
- Good: nothing to migrate, familiar screens.
- Less good: only one person can use a desktop session at a time; the PC has to stay on; working on a phone screen is painful; exposing Remote Desktop to the internet needs a VPN or careful security.
2. Hosted QuickBooks Desktop
A hosting provider runs QuickBooks Desktop on its own servers, with your company file on them, and you connect through a remote session.
- Good: the server is someone else's problem; several users can connect.
- Less good: a monthly fee per user on top of QuickBooks; the file lives on the host's servers; the experience is still a remote Windows session, which is awkward on mobile.
3. Move to QuickBooks Online
Converting to QuickBooks Online makes the books natively web-based.
- Good: designed for the browser and phone.
- Less good: it is a different product with different screens and workflows; some Desktop features and reports work differently or are missing; conversions can bring over only part of your history; the switch is hard to undo.
4. A two-way sync portal
A sync portal such as QBWebSync leaves QuickBooks Desktop and your file where they are. A small agent on the QuickBooks PC keeps a secure web portal in two-way sync, so people work in a browser and the changes flow into QuickBooks.
- Good: keep Desktop, your file and your history; several people at once; works on phones; no ports to open.
- Less good: the QuickBooks PC must be on and QuickBooks open for changes to sync; the portal covers the most common lists and transactions rather than every QuickBooks screen.
Side by side
| Remote desktop | Hosted | QuickBooks Online | Sync portal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep QuickBooks Desktop | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Company file stays with you | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Good on a phone | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Several users at once | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ongoing cost | Low | Per user, monthly | Subscription | Monthly plan |
| Effort to set up | Low to medium | Medium | High | Low |
Choosing
If one person occasionally needs the office PC, remote desktop is fine. If you want to stop running QuickBooks Desktop altogether, plan a move — to QuickBooks Online, or to a system like GFS that keeps Desktop's workflows. If you want to keep Desktop but let a team work from anywhere, a sync portal is the lightest option.