A sudden system or QuickBooks application crash can lead to various errors and issues. The “QuickBooks company file won’t open” issue is one of them that disrupts your organization’s workflow. This issue usually occurs when your application fails to read the company file properly after a crash. It can happen due to various reasons. In this article, we will learn how to fix the “QuickBooks company file won’t open” issue. We will also see how to repair a corrupt QBW file.
What causes “QuickBooks company file won’t open” issue after a crash?
Corruption in QBW file is a major cause of this issue. But there are other reasons as well. These include:
- Damaged QuickBooks installation files
- File location issues, for example, if the company file was moved or permissions changed, QuickBooks may not access it.
- Outdated QuickBooks application
- Network issues
Methods to resolve “QuickBooks company file won’t open” issue after system crash
You may fail to open the company file after a crash, if the file format is incorrect. So, make sure it is saved in the correct file format (.QBW). Next follow the troubleshooting methods below:
Method 1-Check and Change Hosting Settings
Hosting settings should be enabled only in a server system. If, after a system crash in the workstation, QuickBooks has mistakenly enabled these hosting settings, it can lead to the “QuickBooks company file not opening” issue in a multi-user environment. To resolve this, you can check and make sure Stop Hosting Multi-user Access is enabled on the workstation. Here’s how:
- On a workstation, navigate to the File without opening the company file and then click Utilities.
- If you see the Stop Hosting Multi-User Access option, then enable it.
Method 2-Check and Update QuickBooks Application
The outdated version of your QuickBooks application is also one cause of the QuickBooks won’t open issue. You can check the product information in application to check it. If it is not updated, then click Install Now to install the updates.
Method 3- Repair QuickBooks installation files
QuickBooks installation files can get corrupt after a crash, prevent you from opening the company file while launching the application. You can run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic tool to repair installation files. To do so, first download, install and launch the QuickBooks tool hub and then follow the steps below:
- In tool hub, click Installation Issues.
- Click QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool.
- It will start scanning and repairing the installation files.
- Once it completes its task then restart your system and application. And then try to open your company file.
Method 4-Repair your company file.
If the corruption in QBW is causing the “QuickBooks company file won’t open” issue then restore it using the backup file. To do so, here are the steps:
- In QuickBooks, click File > Open or Restore Company.
- Click the Local Backup option and then select Next.
- Browse to the location of your backup company file (.qbb).
- Select a location to save the restored file and click Open.
You can even use Auto Data Recovery feature to restore the backup in QuickBooks. If you don’t have a backup file or your backup file is outdated, then you can use QuickBooks’ built-in utility – Verify and Rebuild. This utility identifies and fixes company file issues (if any).
Here’s how to use this utility:
- In QuickBooks, click File > Utilities > Rebuild Data.
- In the QuickBooks Information window, click OK.
You will see a prompt asking you to create a company file backup. Follow the on-screen instructions to create a backup.
- Once the backup is created, the tool starts rebuilding the company file.
- Wait for the rebuilding process to complete. Then, click OK.
Now, verify if there are any additional issues. For this, run the Verify Data tool. Here’s how:
- In QuickBooks, click the File option.
- Click Utilities and then click Verify Data.
- The tool will begin verifying the company file data for any remaining issues.
- If it fails to detect any issue, then click OK.
If the Verify Data tool detects any additional company file issues or the Rebuild Data tool fails to rebuild the company file data, then you can use Quick Fix my File.
- On the Tool hub, click Company File Issues.
- Click Quick Fix my File.
- The tool will start repairing the company file.
- As soon as the process is completed, click OK.
Now, try to open the company file. If you fail to open it, then use the QuickBooks File Doctor tool. Here are the steps:
- In QuickBooks Tool Hub, click Company File Issues and then click “Run QuickBooks File Doctor.”
- In the QuickBooks File Doctor window, select the company file.
- The QuickBooks prompts you to enter the QuickBooks Admin password. Enter the password and then click Next.
It may take some time, depending on your company file size. Once the scan is complete, try to open the company file.
If the company file still won’t open, this means it is severely corrupted. In such a case, you can take the help of a reliable QuickBooks repair tool, like Stellar Repair for QuickBooks. It can easily repair highly corrupted QuickBooks company (QBW) files and restore all the file components, such as data of vendors, customers, companies and employees. The tool supports QuickBooks company files of all QuickBooks versions.
Conclusion
Above, we have mentioned different ways to resolve QuickBooks company file won’t open issue after a system crash. If it has occurred due to corruption then use a professional QuickBooks repair tool, like Stellar Repair for QuickBooks. It allows you to repair corrupt QBW and QBB files with ease and without any file-size limitations. Also, it restores each bit of information stored in corrupt company file.
