How to Reset QuickBooks Password: Admin & User Login

Getting locked out of QuickBooks is frustrating especially when you’re in the middle of running payroll or pulling a report for a client. Whether you’ve forgotten your admin credentials or a team member can’t get into their account, the steps to reset QuickBooks password depend on which version you’re using and what type of password needs changing.

This guide covers every scenario QuickBooks Desktop (2019 and earlier, 2020 and later), QuickBooks Online, and the QuickBooks password reset tool in plain, step-by-step terms.

Which Type Of Password Are You Resetting?

Before jumping into steps, it helps to know what you’re actually dealing with. There are two distinct password types in QuickBooks Desktop:

• Admin password: The master login for the company file. If you don’t enter a user name at sign-in, or your username is “Admin,” this is the one you need to reset QuickBooks password for.
• User password: Any non-admin user on the account. The admin can reset this from inside QuickBooks without going through any external tool.

For QuickBooks Online, the login is tied to your Intuit account credentials so the process is different from Desktop entirely.

How To Reset A User Password In QuickBooks Desktop?

If you know the admin password and just need to change a password for another user on the account, you don’t need any external tool. Here’s how to do it directly from inside QuickBooks:

• Open QuickBooks Desktop and sign in with the admin account.
• Go to Company in the top menu bar.
• Select Set Up Users and Passwords.
• Click Set Up Users.
• When prompted, enter the admin password again to confirm.
• In the User List, find the user whose password needs changing and click on their name.
• Click Edit User.
• Enter a new password in the password field, then confirm it.
• Click Next twice, then click Finish.

The user can now log into the system using the new password. If he is logged into the QuickBooks system from any other computer, then he will have to log out and log back in.

How To Reset The Admin Password In QuickBooks Desktop (2020 and Later)?

For QuickBooks Desktop 2020 and later versions, Intuit built a more streamlined way to reset QuickBooks password for the admin account. Here’s the process:

• Open QuickBooks Desktop and open your company file.
• Now, over the sign-in screen, click on I forgot my password.
• QuickBooks opens a password reset window. Select your email address from the dropdown list and click Next.
• Intuit will email you an access token, a one-time code used to verify your identity.
• Check your inbox. If you don’t see it, check your spam or junk folders, emails from Intuit sometimes get filtered there.
• Enter the token code in the field QuickBooks is showing on screen.
• Follow the prompts shown on-screen to create your new admin password.
• Note: If you don’t see your email address in the dropdown, click on Don’t see your email in the list above? and then follow the instructions that come up. If none of those options work, move to the QuickBooks automated password reset tool section below.
• This method only applies to QuickBooks Desktop 2020 and newer. If you’re on an older version, you’ll need a different approach.

Password Reset For QuickBooks Desktop 2019 And Earlier

For older versions, the password reset QuickBooks process uses a form-based verification method rather than an email token. Here’s how it works:

• Open QuickBooks Desktop and open the company file.
• Now, click on I forgot my password on the login screen.
• A form will open. Fill in the following details exactly as you used them when you registered QuickBooks:
  • Your license number (hold down F2 on the login window to find this)
  • First and last name
  • Email address
  • Business phone number
  • ZIP code
• Click OK.
• If the details match what’s on file with Intuit, QuickBooks will send a reset code to your registered email address.
• Enter the code and follow the prompts to create a new password.

Important: All the information you enter must match exactly what’s in Intuit’s system, including the email, phone number, and ZIP code. If any of it is off, the verification will fail. You can check and confirm your registration details by logging into the CAMPS (Customer Account Management Portal) at camps.intuit.com.

How To Utilize The QuickBooks Automated Password Reset Tool?

When the built-in I forgot my password option doesn’t work or if you need to reset company file password in QuickBooks Desktop and the above methods have failed the Reset QuickBooks password reset tool is the next step.

The QuickBooks automated password reset tool download free is available on Intuit’s official website. Here’s the full process:

Step 1: Verify Your Information First

Before downloading, you’ll need to fill out a verification form on Intuit’s password reset page. Have this info ready:

• Your QuickBooks license number
• Authorized user’s name and email address
• Primary mailing address (ZIP code specifically)
• Business phone number listed on your account

All of this must match what’s in CAMPS not what you think it is, but what’s actually on file. If anything has changed (like a phone number or ZIP code), update it in CAMPS first before submitting the form.

Step 2: Submit the Form and Download the Tool

• Go to Intuit’s official Automated Password Reset page.
• Fill out the verification form completely and click Next.
• Once verified, Intuit will email an access token to the primary contact email on the account.
• To download the tool, click the link provided in the email or download the same from the page.
• Store the downloaded file in your Desktop.

Step 3: Run the Tool and Reset the Password

• Open the downloaded tool file from your Desktop.
• Enter the access token you received by email.
• From the QuickBooks Desktop Products dropdown, select the exact version of QuickBooks you’re using.
• Click Browse for Company File and locate the company file whose password you need to reset.
• In the Company File Admin User Name field, enter the admin username if it’s different from “Admin,” enter the actual name here.
• Enter your New Password in the first field and type it again in Confirm New Password.
• Click Reset Password.

QuickBooks will confirm the reset is complete. You can then log in with the new password. Keep in mind the QuickBooks automated password reset tool is one-time use the token expires after a single session. If you need to use it again, you’ll have to go through the verification form again to generate a fresh token.

How To Reset QuickBooks Passwords For Online?

The process for how to reset QuickBooks password Online is completely separate from the Desktop version. Since QuickBooks Online uses your Intuit account credentials to sign in, the reset happens through Intuit’s account system, not inside the software itself.
Here’s how to do it:

• Go to qbo.intuit.com and click Sign In.
• On the sign-in page, click I forgot my user ID or Password.
• Enter phone number or email address that is linked to your Intuit account and click Continue.
• Select Password as what you need to reset.
• Choose whether to receive your verification code by email or by text to your registered phone number.
• Enter the code when you receive it.
• Follow the on-screen prompts to set a new password.
• Sign back into QuickBooks Online with your updated credentials.

Tip: Don’t close the password reset tab while you’re checking your email or phone for the code, keep it open and active the whole time.

“Unable to Reset the QuickBooks Administrator Password at This Time”- What This Pop Up Means?

If you see the message “unable to reset the QuickBooks administrator password at this time”, it typically means one of the following:

• Internet connection issue: The reset tool or the in-app process couldn’t reach Intuit’s servers. Check your connection and try again.
• Information mismatch: The details you entered don’t match what Intuit has on file in CAMPS. Log into camps.intuit.com and verify your name, email, phone number, and ZIP code.
• Outdated QuickBooks version: Some older builds have known authentication issues. Updating QuickBooks to the latest release before trying to reset QuickBooks password can resolve this.
• Firewall or security software blocking the connection: Temporarily disable your firewall or antivirus and try the reset again.
• CAMPS email is outdated: If the email address in CAMPS is one you no longer have access to, you won’t receive the reset token. In this case, you’ll need to contact Intuit directly to update the primary contact email before you can proceed.

If none of the above resolves it, the QuickBooks Tool Hub has a Password Reset tab that links directly to the Automated Password Reset Tool, try running it from there as an alternative path.

Which Method To Use When Looking For How To Reset QuickBooks Password?

Conclusion

Getting back into your account doesn’t have to be a long ordeal. Once you know which password type you’re dealing with and which version of QuickBooks you’re on, the right steps to reset QuickBooks password are straightforward.

For most Desktop users on 2020 and later, the built-in email token method gets it done in a few minutes. For trickier situations, the QuickBooks automated password reset tool is Intuit’s official fallback that is free, reliable, and designed exactly for cases where everything else hasn’t worked.

Still stuck after trying everything above? Don’t keep troubleshooting in circles. A certified Data Service Team can walk you through the fix in real time, give a call at +1(888)-718-7888 and get back into your account today.