If you are connecting AccountLinx/SyncLinx to QuickBooks for the first time or re-establishing the connection between the applications, you will need to have the following ready:

Table of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Connecting For The First Time
• Reconnecting to QuickBooks
• Setup Wizard - Connecting AccountLinx to QuickBooks
• Re-Establishing a Connection

Prerequisites

• Set QuickBooks to a single-user mode by going to Files and clicking Switch to Single-user Mode.
  • If you see "Switch to Multi-user Mode," then you are already in single-user mode.
  • For QuickBooks to allow third-party applications to connect such as AccountLinx, it must first be set to single-user mode. Once the initial connection has been made, QuickBooks can be switched back to multi-user mode.
• Log in as an Administrator or equivalent user.
  • For QuickBooks to allow third-party applications to connect, an Administrator or equivalent user log in to QuickBooks, otherwise, QuickBooks will reject any attempt to establish a connection.

Connecting For The First Time

If you already have experience with using AccountLinx/SyncLinx and just need to make a connection (for example, setting up a new QuickBooks company file for your company), then you can refer to the following steps:

1. Open your QuickBooks company file and set QuickBooks to Single-user mode by going to Files and clicking Switch to Single-user Mode.
2. Log in to QuickBooks as an Administrator
3. Open AccountLinx if it is not currently open.
4. In AccountLinx:
   1. Go to Tools and click Exporter Settings.
   2. In the Exporter Settings window, click Select Exporter on the right-hand side.
   3. Look through the list and select QuickBooks with the logo like below:

      

   4. Click OK.
5. In SyncLinx:
   1. Go to Tools and click Select Data Source.
   2. Look through the list and select QuickBooks with the logo like below:

      

   3. Click OK.
6. An Application Certificate window should appear in QuickBooks asking if AccountLinx/SyncLinx is allowed to connect to QuickBooks.
   • Select the third option: "Yes, whenever this QuickBooks company file is open."
   • Check the box for "Allow this application to access personal data such as Social Security Numbers and customer credit card information."

   

7. Click Continue and confirm the following window.
8. If using AccountLinx, a setup wizard will appear to complete the initial connection. If you would like to know more, you can refer to the next section. Otherwise, you can click past the wizard.

After closing SyncLinx/AccountLinx, you can set your QuickBooks company file to multi-user mode by going to go to File and clicking Switch to Multi User Mode. You should not need to switch back to single-user mode unless if you need to reconnect SyncLinx/AccountLinx to QuickBooks.

Reconnecting to QuickBooks

If you have already connected to the QuickBooks company file before and are trying to re-establish the connection, then you will generally not need to set QuickBooks to Single-user mode and/or sign in as an Administrator. For example, if you have received a new computer and are re-installing all of your applications. 

As we have already made a connection with the QuickBooks company file, QuickBooks will recognize AccountLinx/SyncLinx, so you should be all set. The only thing that you need to do is make sure that AccountLinx/SyncLinx are set up to work with QuickBooks.

1. In AccountLinx:
   1. Go to Tools and click Exporter Settings.
   2. In the Exporter Settings window, click Select Exporter on the right-hand side.
   3. Look through the list and select QuickBooks with the logo like below:

      

   4. Click OK.
2. In SyncLinx:
   1. Go to Tools and click Select Data Source.
   2. Look through the list and select QuickBooks with the logo like below:

      

   3. Click OK.

Setup Wizard - Connecting AccountLinx to QuickBooks

If using AccountLinx, a setup wizard will appear. If this is the first time that you are connecting AccountLinx to QuickBooks, you can go through the wizard to set up any AccountLinx options.

1. The first slide covers what will be accomplished by completing the subsequent prompts. Click Next on the steps to progress through the wizard and receive further information/instruction.

   

   

2. If you have not already done so:
   • Sign in to your QuickBooks company file with an Administrator or equivalent to allow AccountLinx to connect to QuickBooks.
   • Connecting AccountLinx to the company file for the first time requires the QuickBooks company file to be set to "Single User Mode". Go to File and click Switch to Single User Mode. You can switch back to regular user mode after completing the connection between SyncLinx and QuickBooks.

   

3. AccountLinx will now attempt a connection to QuickBooks. You will see a prompt in QuickBooks like below.  Select "Yes, whenever this QuickBooks company file is open" and "Allow this application to access personal data such as Social Security Numbers and customer credit card information" and confirm that AccountLinx can access QuickBooks information. After the certificate is approved on QuickBooks, click Next in AccountLinx.
   • If you encounter an error when trying to connect AccountLinx/SyncLinx to QuickBooks, please refer to the following article that covers common errors. 

   

   

4. After successfully connecting, AccountLinx will guide you through setting up your preferences for exporting to QuickBooks. From this point forward, you can decide whether or not Jobs/Customers and Cost Codes/Service items are required per each time record before it can be exported into QuickBooks. The Setup Wizard does not need to be completed as you can set up AccountLinx 
5. When exporting your time records, we try to maximize the amount of usable time record data you can receive in QuickBooks with customer/jobs and service items. This is accomplished through mapping and will be shown in a later section.
   • If Job/Customer is required, all QuickBooks Jobs & Customers will need to be mapped to an ExakTime Connect Location.
   • If Cost Code/Service is required, all QuickBooks Service Items will need to be mapped to an ExakTime Connect Cost Code
   • This setting can be changed later under the Exporter Settings for AccountLinx. 

   

6. Set which set of hours can be exported as billable QuickBooks time. Billable time allows you to invoice the imported time to Customers.
   • AccountLinx can map billable to Cost Codes or Locations. Choosing Cost Code allows the marking of time accrued to specific Cost Code/Service Items as billable. Setting to Location allows time accrued to specific Jobs & Customers to be marked as billable.

   

7. Set your default Payroll Wage Items for Regular, Overtime, and Overtime 2. If you do not use Overtime 2 (Doubletime), set this to the same Payroll Wage Item as Overtime.
   • Any entity accruing time not specifically mapped to an alternate Payroll Wage Item will follow these default settings. Payroll Wage Items will need to have been set up in QuickBooks before hand; however, these settings can be adjusted at any time.
   • Choose whether additional Payroll Wage Items can be mapped to Employees, Locations (Jobs/Customers), or Cost Code (Service Items)

   

8. This step will instruct you that if you are not already using time data to create paychecks, you will need to enable it in QuickBooks. Otherwise, the time data cannot be used to help create your employee's paychecks.

   

9. Employees must be mapped in order to export time. If you have vendors who are paid like employees, you can check the box on this slide to include them in the employee list for mapping.
   • While this step allows you to map employees, we will provide additional information about mapping in a later section of this guide.
   
10. The next two steps mapping Cost Codes and Locations respectively. As we will cover these in greater detail later in the guide, you can progress past these steps without doing anything.
11. The last two slides confirm the settings and conclude the setup wizard. The final step covers where to find data in QuickBooks after exporting successfully. Click Finish to close the setup wizard.

    

Re-Establishing a Connection

In the event that you are experiencing unexpected behavior between QuickBooks and AccountLinx/SyncLinx, you can re-establish the connection by removing AccountLinx/SyncLinx as an allowed application in QuickBooks and remake the connection.

1. Open your QuickBooks company file and set QuickBooks to Single-user mode by going to Files and clicking Switch to Single-user Mode.
2. Log in to QuickBooks as an Administrator
3. Go to Edit and click Preferences.
4. On the left-hand side of Preferences, click Integrated Applications.
5. Click the tab Company Preferences.
6. In the middle of the window will be a list of applications that are allowed access to QuickBooks. AccountLinx/SyncLinx should be listed with a small checkmark under the "Allow Access" column. 
7. Select AccountLinx/SyncLinx and click Remove.
8. Refer to Connecting to QuickBooks

Using AccountLinx & SyncLinx

After setting up the connection between QuickBooks and AccountLinx/SyncLinx, you can refer to either of the following resources dedicated to the configuration of AccountLinx & SyncLinx for QuickBooks use.

• Guide to Using SyncLinx with QuickBooks
• Guide to Using AccountLinx with QuickBooks