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Connect Square Terminal with Virtual Terminal or Square POS

Who is this article for?
  • Sellers and team members with the checkout permission to use Virtual Terminal, and account and settings permission to configure hardware settings. Set permissions in the Square Dashboard.
  • About connecting Square Terminal to Virtual Terminal or the Square POS apps

    Virtual Terminal allows you to quick charge or build itemized carts — all from a web browser on your laptop or desktop computer. Virtual Terminal is ideal for remote billing or taking card payments over the phone.

    Square Terminal is a hand-held POS device with a built-in receipt printer and a powerful battery designed to last all day with no wires.

    You can connect Square Terminal to the Virtual Terminal in Square Dashboard to accept in person payments from your laptop or computer. You can also connect Square Terminal to the Square POS apps to use as a buyer-facing display and payment point.

    Before you begin

    To connect your Square Terminal to the Virtual Terminal, you need a Square Terminal and access to your Square Dashboard. Learn how to Set up Square Terminal. You can connect one or multiple Square Terminal devices at a time. As long as your Square Terminal and computer are both connected to the internet (on the same or different networks), you can use them together to create sales—no matter how far apart they are. Once you’re done using your Square Terminal with the Virtual Terminal, you can disconnect it to take payments as a standalone point of sale.

    You are not able to connect a mobile Android or iOS device to Virtual Terminal in Square Dashboard.

    To connect your Square Terminal to the Square POS apps on a mobile device, you need a Square Terminal and access to your Square POS app. The Square POS apps can only connect to one Square Terminal at a time.

    You are not able to connect Square Terminal to mobile devices using Square Appointments or the Square Invoice app.


    You have two options for connecting Square Terminal as a customer display to take payments:

    • Connect Square Terminal to Virtual Terminal in Square Dashboard.

    • Connect Square Terminal to a mobile device in the Square POS apps.

    Once your Square Terminal is connected, you can configure the settings.

    You have two options for configuring your connected Square Terminal settings:

    • Configure settings from Square Dashboard

    • Configure settings from Square Terminal

    Step 1: Connect your Square Terminal

    You can connect your Square Terminal to the Virtual Terminal in Square Dashboard or to the Square POS apps on a mobile device.

    Connect Square Terminal to Virtual Terminal from Square Dashboard

    1. Sign out on your Square Terminal. Tap ≡ More > Sign out > This device only.
    2. Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Payments > Virtual Terminal.
    3. Click Settings > Devices > Add a device.
    4. Enter a nickname for your Square Terminal and select a location.
    5. Click Create.
    6. Make note of the device code on Virtual Terminal.
    7. On your Square Terminal, tap Sign in > Use a device code.
    8. Enter the device code and tap Sign in.
    9. Once the pairing is complete, your Square Terminal will display Powered by Square and the Virtual Terminal will display Square Terminal Paired.
    10. Click the X or Done to go back to the Devices page.

    Connect Square Terminal to a mobile device from the Square POS apps

    1. Sign out on your Square Terminal. Tap ≡ More > Sign out > This device only.
    2. Open the Square POS app on your mobile device.
    3. Tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware.
    4. Tap Square Terminal > Connect Square Terminal.
    5. Enter a nickname for your Square Terminal and select a location.
    6. Tap Continue.
    7. Make note of the device code.
    8. On your Square Terminal, tap Sign in > Use a device code.
    9. Enter the device code and tap Sign in.
    10. Once the pairing is complete, your Square Terminal will display Powered by Square and your mobile device will display Connected.
    11. Tap Done to go back to your Square POS app and start accepting payments.
    Device codes will expire after five minutes. If your device code expires before you complete the pairing process, you'll need to generate a new code by following the same steps again.

    Step 2: Access and configure the connected Square Terminal settings

    You can access your settings on the connected Square Terminal whether it is paired to Virtual Terminal or the Square POS app on your mobile device.

    1. From the Powered by Square screen on your Square Terminal, swipe from the left-hand side of the screen.

    2. You should see Checkout, Settings, and Support.

    3. Under Settings, you can configure your:

      • Wireless network

      • Display and sound options

      • Accessibility for talkback or magnification

      • Printer

      • Other general settings, including date and time, device names, and language.

    Configure checkout settings from Square Dashboard if your Square Terminal is connected to Virtual Terminal.

    1. Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Payments > Virtual Terminal.

    2. Click Settings > Devices.

    3. Toggle ON/OFF the options under Terminal Checkout.

    Step 3: Disconnect your connected Square Terminal

    You can disconnect your Square Terminal by manually signing out from the connected Square Terminal or from the Square POS app on your mobile device:

    Disconnect Square Terminal from Virtual Terminal

    1. From the Powered by Square screen on your Square Terminal, swipe from the left-hand side of the screen.
    2. Tap Account > Sign out.
    3. You can always reconnect Square Terminal to Virtual Terminal on your computer at any time by re-entering the same device code or generating a new one.

    Disconnect Square Terminal from your mobile in the Square POS app

    1. Open the Square POS app on your mobile device.
    2. Tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Square Terminal.
    3. Tap Disconnect from this device.
    4. Tap Disconnect to confirm. Square Terminal will disconnect from POS automatically.
    5. If the disconnection fails, Square Terminal will continue to display the Powered by Square screen, and you’ll need to manually sign out by swiping from the top left side of the Square Terminal screen to reveal the menu, then tap Settings > Account > Sign out.

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