QuickBooks Error H202 and H505: Fixing Multi-User Mode

Updated 10/20/2026. Checked against Intuit's help articles.

Errors H202 and H505, along with H101 and H303, appear when something blocks a workstation’s multi-user connection to the computer that hosts the QuickBooks company file. QuickBooks can still open on the workstation; it just cannot reach the file in multi-user mode.

What causes it

The QuickBooks database services on the server are stopped or not set to start on their own.
Those services lack Windows admin rights on the server.
The server’s firewall blocks QuickBooks.
A network problem between the server and the workstations.
For H505 (and H101, H303): a workstation is hosting multi-user access when only the server should.
The company file sits on a network storage device. Database Server Manager does not support NAS devices.

Fix it, in Intuit’s order

Install QuickBooks Tool Hub on the server with QuickBooks closed.
Run Database Server Manager from Tool Hub (Network Issues) and scan the folder that holds the company file. The scan repairs the firewall permissions. Then switch each workstation to multi-user mode.
Run QuickBooks File Doctor from Tool Hub (Company File Issues), choose the file and Check your Network.
Check the services on the server. Hosting must be on, and the QuickBooksDBXX and QBCFMonitorService services set to Automatic, running, and set to restart on failure, with admin rights.
Allow QuickBooks through the Windows firewall on the server.
Test the network. Find the server’s host name and ping it from each workstation; lost or slow replies mean a network problem.
For H505, H101 and H303: on each workstation open File, Utilities, and choose Stop Hosting Multi-User Access if it appears, so the server is the only host.

Why hosted QuickBooks avoids most of this

Every cause above lives in the office network: a server, its services, its firewall and the workstations around it. When the company file and QuickBooks run on the same hosted server, as on our QuickBooks hosting, the server, the database service and the network between them are ours to run, and the help desk handles a stuck session or a multi-user problem when one comes up.

Learn it properly

This topic is one module of our QuickBooks Desktop Training for Bookkeepers, one of seven self-paced QuickBooks courses for bookkeepers and accounting staff.

Frequently asked questions

What does QuickBooks error H202 mean?

Something is blocking the workstation's multi-user connection to the computer that hosts the company file, such as stopped QuickBooks services, a firewall or a network problem.

How do I fix H505 in QuickBooks?

Run Database Server Manager on the server, then make sure no workstation is hosting: on each workstation choose File, Utilities, Stop Hosting Multi-User Access if it appears.