QuickBooks Desktop shows error H202 or H303 when you try to open a company file in multi-user mode and the connection to the file fails. The two errors look alike, but Intuit treats them as different problems, and the fix for one will not always cure the other. This guide separates them, then walks through the steps in the order Intuit recommends.

What Each Error Means

• H202. A workstation cannot reach the company file on the server computer. Something is blocking the multi-user connection, such as a stopped QuickBooks service, a firewall rule, or a network problem.
• H303 (and H101 and H505). One or more workstations are set up to host the company file when only the server should. The fix is to turn hosting off on the workstations.

Look at the exact code before you start. It decides which section below you need. All of the fixes below are done on the server computer, the one that stores the company file, and on the workstations that show the error.

Before You Start

1. Make sure everyone has closed QuickBooks, or at least the company file.
2. Install the latest QuickBooks Tool Hub from Intuit on the server and open it. Several of the steps below start there.
3. Know where the company file is stored. Intuit notes that Database Server Manager does not support Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, so a company file on a NAS is a likely cause on its own.

Fixing H303, H101 and H505: Stop Hosting on the Workstations

1. On a workstation that shows the error, open QuickBooks without opening a company file.
2. Go to File, then Utilities.
3. If you see Stop Hosting Multi-User Access, select it. If you only see Host Multi-User Access, leave it alone, because that workstation is not hosting.
4. Repeat on every workstation that shows the error.
5. On the server, open QuickBooks, go to File, then Utilities, and make sure Host Multi-User Access is selected. Do not choose Stop Hosting on the server.

Then try to open the company file from a workstation again.

Fixing H202: In Order

Work through these steps and stop as soon as the file opens.

1. Run Database Server Manager from the Tool Hub. On the server, open Tool Hub, choose Network Issues, then QuickBooks Database Server Manager. Select Start Scan, browsing to the company file folder first if it is not listed. The scan repairs the firewall permissions QuickBooks needs. Then, on each workstation with the error, open QuickBooks and choose File, then Switch to Multi-user Mode. Our guide to Database Server Manager explains what the tool does.
2. Run File Doctor. In Tool Hub, choose Company File Issues, then Run QuickBooks File Doctor. Select your company file, choose Check your Network, then Continue, and enter the admin password when asked.
3. Check the QuickBooks services on the server. Press the Windows key and R, type services.msc and press Enter. Open QuickBooksDBXX, where XX is your QuickBooks version number plus 10 (QuickBooks 2023 uses DB33). Set the startup type to Automatic and make sure the status is Running. On the Recovery tab, set the first, second and later failures to Restart the Service. Repeat the same settings for QBCFMonitorService.
4. Give the services the right permissions. On the server, QuickBooksDBXX and QBCFMonitorService need administrator permissions in Windows. This is a job for your IT person if you have one.
5. Check the firewall on the server. Windows Firewall needs exceptions for QuickBooks. Intuit’s help page has the current instructions and the ports for each version.
6. Ping the server from the workstation. Turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing on both computers. On the server, open Command Prompt, type ipconfig /all and note the host name. On the workstation, type ping followed by that host name. If you see replies with no loss, the network path works. If you see lost packets or very slow replies, the problem is the network, and that needs an IT professional.

Common Mistakes

• Treating H202 and H303 as the same. Stopping hosting on workstations will not fix H202, and restarting services will not fix H303.
• Letting two computers host. Only one computer, the server, should host multi-user access.
• Using a NAS for the company file. Database Server Manager does not support it, so move the file to a Windows computer or server.
• Forgetting to switch back. After a fix, each workstation still has to choose Switch to Multi-user Mode.
• Assuming the file is damaged. These errors are about the connection to the file, not about the data in it.

If You Still See an Error Code

If the file opens but you then see a -6000 code, that is a different problem. See QuickBooks Error -6000, -82 and -6000, -83.

If the Error Keeps Coming Back

Recurring H202 and H303 errors usually mean the underlying network isn’t reliable enough to host a shared company file. Moving the file to a hosted environment removes the dependency on office hardware and network stability — multi-user mode works the same way, without a single host machine that has to stay online for everyone else. See the full breakdown of why this happens.

Related: QuickBooks Multi-User Mode Not Working: How to Fix It

Source: Intuit’s help article on fixing errors H202 and H505. Steps can vary by version, so check Intuit’s current guidance for yours.