Two or more people at once: multi-user over your office network
One PC hosts the file, the others connect over the LAN. Setting it up, the firewall rule, record locking, what only the host can do, and when to stop hosting.
7 min read · Updated 2026-10-09
How it works
The company file stays on one PC, the host. The host runs AcboBooks with the file open and starts hosting; it then answers requests from other copies of AcboBooks on the same network, the clients. Clients see live data, enter transactions, and run reports exactly as if the file were local, but every change goes through the host, which is the only program touching the file. That is what keeps the file consistent with several people working. Nothing goes through the internet or through us, and there are no per-user fees.
On the host PC
- Choose a PC that is on whenever anyone needs the books, ideally wired rather than on Wi-Fi.
- Open the company file and sign in as an administrator.
- Company → Multi-user Hosting → Start hosting. The default port is 4599; leave it unless something else on the PC uses it.
- The screen shows the host's address on the network, such as
192.168.1.20. Give that and the port to the other users.
Hosting stops when you close the company or quit AcboBooks on the host, so leave it open. The host can keep working in the file at the same time.
On the other PCs
- Install AcboBooks. No company file is needed on the client.
- On the welcome screen, click Connect to a host, enter the host's address and port, and connect.
- Sign in with your own username and password; users are managed on the host under Company → Users.
If the connection drops, for example the host restarts, the client returns to the welcome screen. Reconnect once the host is up; nothing you had saved is lost, because saves complete on the host.
The firewall rule
The first time hosting starts, Windows Defender Firewall asks whether to allow AcboBooks on private networks. Allow it. If the prompt was dismissed, or clients cannot connect: Windows Security → Firewall & network protection → Allow an app through firewall, tick AcboBooks for Private. Also make sure the office network is marked Private, not Public, on the host. A third-party firewall or security suite needs the same inbound rule for TCP port 4599.
Record locking
When someone opens an invoice, bill, estimate or journal entry to edit it, that record is locked for the others, who see "being edited by Priya" and can still read it. The lock releases on save or cancel, and is cleared automatically if that user disconnects. Everything else stays fully open: two people can enter different invoices, run reports and work the bank feed at the same time without waiting.
What only the host can do
Actions that touch files or dialogs on the host's own disk are host-only: create or open a different company, back up, export an encrypted backup, export a CSV or PDF, pull from QuickBooks, start or stop hosting, and a Direct Connect bank download. Clients get a clear message if they try. Reports still display on the client; the PDF or CSV export is what has to happen on the host.
Stopping and backups
Company → Multi-user Hosting → Stop hosting disconnects clients cleanly; do it before closing the company for a backup or before an update. Backups taken on the host while hosting are consistent, because the host is the only writer.
Working from outside the office
Hosting is designed for the office LAN. From home, the simplest safe route is a VPN into the office network, after which the client connects exactly as above. Do not open port 4599 to the internet on your router. For a single remote bookkeeper who works at different times from you, the encrypted backup hand-off is often simpler than a VPN.
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