QB-Flow Standalone

How to Download and Run the QB-Flow Standalone Executable

Overview

The QB-Flow executable allows you to automate QuickBooks updates seamlessly. Follow this guide to download the standalone .exe and run it using PowerShell outside of Nerdio.

Step 1: Locate Your Customer ID

Before proceeding, ensure you have your Customer ID. This is included in the Welcome Email sent to you after subscribing to QB-Flow. Keep it ready, as you will need it to run the executable.

Step 2: Download the QB-Flow Executable

The QB-Flow executable can be downloaded using the following steps:

  1. Open PowerShell as an Administrator.
  2. Copy and paste a script below into the PowerShell console:
  3. Without Logging will output to the console
  4. With logging will output to c:\windows\temp\qbflow_%time%

Without logging output

# Enter your Customer ID, which can be found in your Welcome Email after subscribing to QB-Flow
$customerid = "Your_Customer_ID"

# URL to download the QB-Flow executable
$QBUpdateURL = "https://flowdevsblob.blob.core.windows.net/qbflow/QB-flow.exe"
# Destination path for the QB-Flow executable
$QBdestination = "C:\Windows\Temp\qb-flow.exe"

# Create a WebClient object to download the file
$webclient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
$webclient.DownloadFile($QBUpdateURL, $QBdestination)

# Execute the QB-Flow application with the Customer ID as an argument
Start-Process $QBdestination -ArgumentList "/customerid $($customerid)" -NoNewWindow -Wait
Removing public desktop icons

Article explaining this switch: here

# Enter your Customer ID, which can be found in your Welcome Email after subscribing to QB-Flow
$customerid = "Your_Customer_ID"

# URL to download the QB-Flow executable
$QBUpdateURL = "https://flowdevsblob.blob.core.windows.net/qbflow/QB-flow.exe"
# Destination path for the QB-Flow executable
$QBdestination = "C:\Windows\Temp\qb-flow.exe"

# Create a WebClient object to download the file
$webclient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
$webclient.DownloadFile($QBUpdateURL, $QBdestination)

# Execute the QB-Flow application with the Customer ID as an argument
Start-Process $QBdestination -ArgumentList "/customerid $($customerid) /deletepublicdesktop" -NoNewWindow -Wait

With Logging

# Enter your Customer ID, which can be found in your Welcome Email after subscribing to QB-Flow
$customerid = "Your_Customer_ID"
# Log File Location c:\windows\temp\qbflow_%time%
$LogFile = Join-Path "c:\windows\temp" ("qbflow_{0:yyyyMMdd_HHmmss}.log" -f (Get-Date))

# URL to download the QB-Flow executable
$QBUpdateURL = "https://flowdevsblob.blob.core.windows.net/qbflow/QB-flow.exe"
# Destination path for the QB-Flow executable
$QBdestination = "C:\Windows\Temp\qb-flow.exe"

# Create a WebClient object to download the file
$webclient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
$webclient.DownloadFile($QBUpdateURL, $QBdestination)

# Execute the QB-Flow application with the Customer ID as an argument
# The call operator (&) launches the EXE; *>&1 merges stdout + stderr
& $QBDestination '/customerid' $CustomerID *>&1 | Out-File -FilePath $LogFile -Encoding utf8

Write-Host "Output captured to $LogFile"
With Logging - /deletepublicdesktop
# Enter your Customer ID, which can be found in your Welcome Email after subscribing to QB-Flow
$customerid = "Your_Customer_ID"
# Log File Location c:\windows\temp\qbflow_%time%
$LogFile = Join-Path "c:\windows\temp" ("qbflow_{0:yyyyMMdd_HHmmss}.log" -f (Get-Date))

# URL to download the QB-Flow executable
$QBUpdateURL = "https://flowdevsblob.blob.core.windows.net/qbflow/QB-flow.exe"
# Destination path for the QB-Flow executable
$QBdestination = "C:\Windows\Temp\qb-flow.exe"

# Create a WebClient object to download the file
$webclient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
$webclient.DownloadFile($QBUpdateURL, $QBdestination)

# Execute the QB-Flow application with the Customer ID as an argument
# The call operator (&) launches the EXE; *>&1 merges stdout + stderr
& $QBDestination '/deletepublicdesktop' '/customerid' $CustomerID *>&1 | Out-File -FilePath $LogFile -Encoding utf8

Write-Host "Output captured to $LogFile"
  1. Replace <Your_Customer_ID> with your actual Customer ID.
  2. Press Enter to run the script. This will:
    • Download the QB-Flow executable to C:\Windows\Temp\qb-flow.exe.
    • Run the executable with your Customer ID as an argument.

Step 3: Verify the Execution

Once the script executes, QB-Flow will automate the QuickBooks update process. If there are any issues or error messages, check:

  • Your Customer ID for accuracy.
  • Internet connectivity.

Step 4: Additional Tips

  • Run as Administrator: Ensure you open PowerShell with administrative privileges to avoid permission issues.
  • Check Logs: QB-Flow may generate logs for troubleshooting. Check the folder where the executable resides for any log files.
  • Repeat as Needed: If you need to rerun QB-Flow, simply execute the script again or re-run the .exe directly with your Customer ID.

Support

For assistance or troubleshooting, contact:

  • ‍Client Support: clientsupport@flowdevs.io

Verifying a Successful Run

QB-Flow doesn't pop a "success" dialog when it finishes. Instead, there are two reliable signals you can check on the endpoint:

  1. The log file exists. QB-Flow writes a log to C:\Windows\Temp\qbflow_<yyyyMMdd_HHmmss>.log on every run. If a recent log is there, it ran.
  2. The QuickBooks installer folder is empty (or no longer contains the latest .msi / .cab files). This is intentional. The QuickBooks updater uses the presence of those files as its trigger to apply an update. QB-Flow removes them after applying the release so Intuit can't re-trigger the same update outside your scheduled window.

Do not open the QuickBooks Update window to verify a run

The QuickBooks Update window inside QuickBooks Desktop is not a passive status screen. Simply opening it can re-enable Intuit's automatic update service in the background, even if you never click "Update Now." That's the exact behavior QB-Flow is built to prevent.

If you want to confirm QB-Flow ran, check the log file. That is the source of truth, not the in-app Update window.

Quick verification checklist

  • Recent log present at C:\Windows\Temp\qbflow_*.log ✔
  • QuickBooks installer folder empty or pruned of latest installers ✔
  • Nobody opened the QuickBooks Update window during or after the run ✔

If the log is missing entirely, the script never executed. The usual culprits are AV blocking the signed executable, or a firewall blocking the download URL: https://flowdevsblob.blob.core.windows.net/qbflow/QB-flow.exe.


‍

New Client Information

Looking for detailed information about Customer IDs, pricing, and billing?

View Page