Getting Started

First-time setup

On first launch you connect a database, then create your first administrator.

1. Open Settings → Database and choose a connection:
• SQLite (portable) - a single local file, simplest, no server.
• SQL Server - enter Server/hostname, Instance name (or Port), Database name and login. Tick "Trust server certificate" for a local/self-signed server.
2. Click Test connection, then Save and connect. The app creates the database if needed and runs all migrations.
3. It seeds an Australian chart of accounts, GST codes and currencies.
4. Create the first administrator (username + password). That account receives the System Administrator security card (full access).

Signing in & Windows sign-in

Sign in with your username and password. If two-factor authentication (2FA/TOTP) is enabled on your account, you'll be asked for the 6-digit code from your authenticator app.

To link your account to Windows so you skip the password prompt

1. Go to Settings → Users and open your user.
2. Tick "🪟 Allow Windows sign-in (no password prompt)".
3. Leave "Windows username" blank to match your account's Username above, or enter it explicitly (e.g. jsmith or DOMAIN\jsmith) if your Windows login differs.
4. Save the user.

Next time you launch the app it signs you in automatically. If it doesn't (e.g. you want a different user on that PC), click "Sign in as … (Windows)" on the login screen to sign in as the current Windows user, or enter a username/password manually.

To switch users: click "Sign out" - this stops the automatic Windows sign-in until you next log in, so you (or a colleague) can sign in as someone else on the same PC.

Separate windows (pop-out)

Click the ↗ button in the top bar to open the current page in its own window - handy for a second monitor, or keeping Journals open beside Bank Reconciliation.

All windows share the same login and the same database. When you save in one window, the others refresh automatically; if you're in the middle of typing, they show a small "↻ Refresh" notice instead of interrupting you. A full app restart still requires you to sign in.

Companies & company numbers

Use the company dropdown in the top bar to switch the active company. Each company has its own accounts, contacts, invoices and reports.

Add or edit companies in Settings → Company. Every company has a number (1, 2, 3…) which prefixes account codes in displays - e.g. account 1-1020 shows as 1.1.1020 (company 1, account 1-1020). This makes accounts easy to tell apart across companies. New companies are numbered automatically.

Software updates & choosing a version

By default the app checks for updates shortly after launch and installs the latest on restart (you'll see a green "ready to install" banner).

If you'd rather control this, go to Settings → System → Software Updates:

• Turn OFF "Automatically download & install updates" to stop auto-updating.
• Click "View all versions" to see every available release with a Download button, so you can stay on a version you trust or move to a specific one.

Taskbar shortcut - keeping it pinned

AcctApp uses a stable Windows App User Model ID so the taskbar pin survives auto-updates and reinstalls - you should only need to pin it once.

To pin the shortcut:

1. Launch AcctApp so its button appears in the taskbar.
1. Right-click the taskbar button → "Pin to taskbar".

If the pin disappears after an update it means the app was reinstalled to a different folder than the original. To fix it permanently:

1. Uninstall AcctApp, then reinstall - keep the default installation folder (do not change the path during setup).
1. Launch the newly installed app, right-click the taskbar button → "Pin to taskbar" once more.

From v8.1.3 onwards the App User Model ID is explicitly set to "au.com.acctapp.desktop". As long as the installation folder does not change between updates, the pin will persist automatically.

Contextual tips

Contextual tips are "what to do next" banners that appear on certain pages to guide you through common workflows - for example, how to receive a purchase order, create a bill from a receipt, or apply a prepayment.

Each tip has an ✕ button to dismiss it individually. A "Don't show tips" link turns off all tips at once.

To turn tips back on:

1. Go to Settings → System.
1. Find the "Contextual tips" card.
2. Click "Turn on tips & reset dismissed" - this re-enables all tips, including any you previously dismissed.

The card also shows the current on/off state at a glance.

AcctApp Butler - smart suggestions

The AcctApp Butler is a built-in AI assistant that watches what you're doing and proactively suggests relevant help topics - like a knowledgeable colleague tapping you on the shoulder.

How it works

After you spend a short time on a page without navigating away, the butler card slides in from the bottom-right corner. It shows a single, relevant tip for that page - for example, on Bank Reconciliation it might point you to the CSV import; on Invoices it might highlight the Pay Now link feature.

Clicking "Show me how →" opens the Help Centre with that topic's search pre-filled.

Dismissing suggestions

• Click ✕ on the card to dismiss that specific suggestion. You won't see it again.
• Click "Not now" to dismiss and try again later.
• To turn the butler off entirely, go to Settings → System → AcctApp Butler and click "Turn off butler".

Turning the butler back on

1. Go to Settings → System.
2. Find the "AcctApp Butler" card.
3. Click "Turn on butler & reset dismissed" - this re-enables all suggestions, including any you previously dismissed.

The butler only suggests one thing at a time, never interrupts you while you're typing, and remembers which suggestions you've already seen.

Light / dark mode & app name

Toggle light/dark with the ☀/☾ button in the top bar (remembered per machine). Rename the application system-wide in Settings → System → Application Name.