- Passware QuickBooks Key overview
- I have a QuickBooks Backup QBB file. How do I remove its password protection?
- I have a QuickBooks Company QBM file. How do I remove its password protection?
- How do I use QuickBooks Key?
- How do I recover the original password in QuickBooks Key?
- QuickBooks Key did not create the unprotected database and asks to recover the password first. What shall I do?
- QuickBooks Key displays the "Slightly damaged" or "File Unsupported" message. What shall I do?
NOTE: Video shows an outdated UI.
Passware QuickBooks Key overview
Passware QuickBooks Key is a fast and easy-to-use solution to remove or recover passwords for QuickBooks files (.QBW and .QBA). It is also included in the Passware Kit Standard Plus and higher editions.
Below are the password recovery options depending on the QuickBooks version.
QuickBooks Version | File Type | Recovery Options | ||
3.x-8.x | Windows | QBW, QBA | Instant password recovery or reset. | |
99-2006 | Windows | QBW, QBA | ||
2012-2018 | Mac | QB2012 - QB2018 | Instant password removal. | |
2007-2024 | Windows | QBW, QBA |
Instant Removal* QuickBooks Key creates an unprotected copy of the database. |
Brute-force QuickBooks Key assigns password recovery attacks to recover the open password. |
2019-2022 | Mac | QB2019-QB2022 | ||
Passware Tip: QuickBooks Key creates an unprotected file first. Click the “Recover” link on the “Password Found” tab to recover the original QuickBooks password. Check out How do I Use QuickBooks Key? |
||||
Backup | Windows/Mac | QBB, MAC.QBB | Follow the instructions to convert the file to the QBW type, then proceed with the regular QBW decryption or password recovery. |
*NOTE: The encryption scheme of some QuickBooks 2019-2022 files created on macOS requires at least one account password to be known or recovered. As soon as one or more passwords are found, QuickBooks Key updates the database, generates passwords for other user accounts, and creates an unprotected copy of the file.
Passware Tip: For decrypted QuickBooks for Windows 2006-2024 databases, Passware Kit sets a sample password “Passware12345!” instead of removing it. This prevents issues when opening the patched files in QuickBooks.
I have a QBB file. How do I remove password protection?
To get access to your QuickBooks Backup (.QBB), convert it to the .QBW type first. The steps should be as follows:
- Select Restore... from the QuickBooks File pull-down menu.
- Browse for your QuickBooks Backup file (.QBB).
- Select the location to save the restored file and rename the company file to avoid overwriting. Click Restore.
- Click Cancel once you are prompted for the password. QuickBooks displays the following message: “Restore was successful, but the file cannot be opened without a password.”
- QuickBooks creates a .QBW file named as specified in Step #3.
Passware Tip: Check the official QuickBooks Support portal for instructions on converting a .QBB file to .QBW. You can use a MAC .QBB file to transfer your QuickBooks Mac data to QuickBooks Desktop for Windows. - Run QuickBooks Key on the .QBW file to remove or recover the password.
I have a QBM file. How do I remove password protection?
To get access to your QuickBooks portable company file (.QBM), convert it to the .QBW type first. After creating a portable company file (.QBM), restore it on the destination computer. QuickBooks will decompress and rebuild your company file. This process may take a few minutes. Follow these steps:
- Select the File menu then choose Open or Restore Company.
- Select Restore a portable file then choose Next.
- Browse to the location where you saved the portable file.
- Select the portable file then choose Open.
- Select Next.
- This will open a Save Company File As window.
- To avoid overwriting your existing company file, rename the company file by typing a new name in the File name field.
- After renaming the file, select Save. QuickBooks converts the portable file to a regular company file with a .QBW extension.
- Check the file size. If the file has more than the target limit above, then go back and repeat the process and remove as much data as possible. The .QBW file created from the portable company file might be smaller than your condensed .QBW file. This is normal.
- Run QuickBooks Key against the created .QBW file to remove or recover the password.
How do I use QuickBooks Key?
Once Passware Kit or QuickBooks Key launches, click “Browse” and locate your .QBW file.
Wait for the software to reset the passwords and create an unprotected copy of your .QBW file. The decryption is performed instantly. Passware Kit displays the account names, resets the passwords, and creates an unprotected copy of the file. For QuickBooks 2006-2024 for Windows, Passware Kit sets a sample “Passware12345!” password to open the unprotected file.
You can open this unprotected copy in QuickBooks. In some cases, you might need to enter the exact account name as shown in Passware Kit (example: “Admin”) and leave the password field blank or use the password generated by Passware Kit.
How do I recover the original password in QuickBooks Key?
During the decryption process, Passware Kit patches the original QuickBooks file to create an unprotected copy. In this case, some sensitive data, such as SSNs, may be corrupted or lost. The only way to access this data is to find a password for any account. Once password is found, Passware Kit creates an unprotected copy with the correct sensitive data inside. To recover the missing password, click the “recover” link in the warning message:
Choose an account (if present) and specify the password recovery settings in accordance with the information about the missing password.
NOTE: If the “Recover a password for any account” option is selected, Passware Kit stops the recovery process once it recovers the password for any account, and it creates an unprotected copy of the file that includes sensitive data.
If you need to recover other passwords, start the QuickBooks decryption process from scratch and select one or more account(s) from the list.
QuickBooks Key did not create the unprotected database, but it asks me to recover the password first. What should I do?
Your database was likely created with QuickBooks 2019-2022 for Mac using a special encryption scheme. To create an unprotected copy, you need to know or recover at least one account password using Passware Kit.
Drag and drop the file in question and select the account(s) to recover password(s) from:
If the ‘Recover a password for any account’ option is selected, QuickBooks Key will check passwords for all accounts in the file. Customize password recovery settings based on the information known about the lost password(s).
As soon as one or more passwords are found, Passware Kit updates the database, generates passwords for other user accounts, and creates an unprotected copy of the file. If you need to recover other passwords, start the QuickBooks file decryption and recovery process from scratch and select a different account from the list.
QuickBooks Key displays a “Slightly damaged” or “File Unsupported” message. What should I do?
The most likely reason is that your database is corrupted. Please check that your QuickBooks file can be opened using Intuit QuickBooks software and that you are prompted for a password to continue.
Additionally, make sure that your QuickBooks file is of supported format using our overview table.
For further recommendations, please contact Support with the details of the problem.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.