QuickBooks Won’t open – Common Causes and Possible Solutions

QuickBooks won’t open is a commonly sighted issue by users, disrupting their working routine. The technical glitch can frustrate a person and thus requires effective remedies to resolve. That is why we have curated a comprehensive guide to understand the error in-depth and stepwise procedure to fix the issue yourself.  QuickBooks is well-equipped accounting software that provides valuable solutions to its small and medium-sized business owners. In order to keep the program up-to-date, the user must download regular updates released by Intuit. But, many times, the application may fail to start on your system due to unidentified reasons.

QuickBooks Won’t Open a Company File Error?

It can happen when Windows encounter an internal glitch, or a virus enters the computer system. Also, if you click on the QB icon continuously without breaks, it may take more time to open up due to the rush of commands. Common symptoms of the problem include – a frozen QB screen, tabs are greyed out, QB opening but do not load or display a blank screen, etc. This advisory blog is meant for you if you are going through the same situation.

QuickBooks Won’t Open due to various reasons. To better understand these and find the most applicable ways to resolve the problem, ring our +1 800-579-9430 and consult one of the QB specialists straight away.

Top Reasons Why QuickBooks might not Open Correctly

Here are the common roots of the “QuickBooks has stopped responding” error. Since this is an application malfunction, many other activities not listed below could trigger the same –

• If the name of the company is longer than the specified criteria, it may result in a frozen QB screen.
• A damage in the QBWUSER.INI file can trigger the problem. Also, if it is missing from the device,it will meet the same fate.
• A corrupted computer hard drive may lead QuickBooks Desktop to stop working.
• Sometimes, a damaged QB installation or program file also causes problems in the overall performance of the application.
• Working on an outdated or problematic version of the Windows operating system can cause QB not to open.

Related article to read — How to resolve QuickBooks not responding

What Should I Do When QuickBooks Won’t open?

Let us have a look at the solutions which are helpful in fixing the “QuickBooks Desktop doesn’t start” error right from the root –

Resolution 1 – Restart the system

Restarting the system can help you prevent QuickBooks Desktop won’t open issues because restarting can help you install all the downloaded updates.

Resolution 2 – Mend the QBWUSER.INI File by Renaming it

A damaged QBWUSER.INI file can be fixed by making changes in its name. This way, a newer version of the file is created, and all the previously opened company files are erased –

• Right-click on the Windows icon and choose File Explorer to open a new window.
• Navigate to the folder in which the files for QB are stored. If you are unable to locate the folder, try pasting this location in the search panel – Users [Your username]/ AppData/ Local/ Intuit/ QuickBooks [year].

Note: In case of Unable to find the AppData Folder in the user folder, then you need to turn on show hidden folders.

• Find the QBWUSER.ini file in the folder, right-click on it and select Rename.
• Type .old at the end of the file’s name to change it to – QBWUSER.INI.OLD.
• Next, you need to look for the Entitlement file – EntitlementDataStore.ecml and rename it too.
• Launch QB Desktop on your screen and try to run a sample company file.
• Once the program is able to open the sample file, switch to your primary company file.

Resolution 3 – Grant Admin Access Permission to QuickBooks

A QuickBooks user must have full access to operate on the device. For this, you need to manually provide the rights to the user and check if this resolves the problem –

• Terminate the QuickBooks Desktop window.
• Tap on the Windows icon and go to the search bar in the Start menu.
• Write Control Panel and press the Enter key to open a new window.
• Here, click on the User Accounts option, and when directed to another screen, locate QBDataServiceUserXX (XX is the year version) in the given list of programs.
• Choose to Change the account type and hit the Administrator button.
• Further, you need to click on Change Account Type and tap on Apply to save the changes.
• You must follow the same procedure if you have multiple versions of QuickBooks Database Server Manager installed on the system.

Resolution 4 – Execute a Repair from the QuickBooks Tool Hub

The QuickBooks Tool Hub might come in handy when QuickBooks just won’t open, as it is known to delete the common bugs inside your application. This is how you can make the best use of the tool –

• First, you need to download the latest version of QuickBooks Tool Hub, which is available on Intuit’s website.
• Save the QuickBooksToolHub.exe file on your desktop for quick access.
• Double-click on this file and follow the upcoming instructions to complete the installation of the application.
• Launch the Tool Hub and hit the Program Problems button.
• Choose to Quick Fix my Program and allow some time for the program to scan QB.
• After process, press the Problem Problems tab again.
• This time, you need to select the QuickBooks Program Diagnostic Tool.
• Wait for 15-20 minutes for the tool to diagnose and fix the issues.
• Later, reboot your system and access QBDT.

Resolution 5 – Terminate QBW32.exe file to Fix QuickBooks won’t open

Terminating QBW32.exe certainly help you to resolve the QuickBooks desktop not opening issue and the steps are below:

• Press altogether CTRL + Shift + ESC key to start Task manager application.
• Click on Processes Tab.

• Scroll down until you don’t find QBW32.exe process.
• Select QBW32.exe process and Click on End proces button.
• Restart the computer and try to open QB desktop again.

Recommend to read — QuickBooks not updating error

Resolution 6 – Suppress your QuickBooks Desktop App

If the QuickBooks desktop is crashing while opening the company file then you can try this solution step to open the QuickBooks company file by suppressing

• Double click on QB Desktop Icon to open.
• Press Ctrl button and Hold until the QuickBooks No Company file window not appear.
• Select the data file which you want to use.

Resolutions 7 – Use QuickBooks Tool Hub

QuickBooks Tool Hub is the tool to resolve QuickBooks not opening type issue easily. To carry out troubleshooting steps follow the below-listed guide.

• Click on Below Download now button to download Tool Hub

• QuickBooks Tool Hub installation wizard will appear and click on Next.

• Next, Click on Yes to agree on Intuit software terms and conditions.

• After that select, the location where you want to install by default location to install Tool Hub is C:\ Program files \ Intuit \ QuickBooks Tool Hub and Click on Next.

• Click on Install Button to begin the installation process.

• Next, Click on Finish.
• Double click on QuickBooks Desktop to start Tool Hub.
• In Tool Hub select the QuickBooks won’t open Tool.
• This will take around 10 to 15 minutes to repair all components.

Resolution 8 – Ensure QuickBooks Registration on the Device

If QuickBooks is facing trouble opening, ensure its registration on the device. Try to open the file after verifying the registration status as follows:

1. Open QuickBooks and press the F2 key to launch the product information window.
2. At the right of the license number, you will see the registration status of QuickBooks.
3. When you’re already registered, you will see the words displayed so you’re good to go ahead. 

What to do if QB is not Registered?

If QuickBooks doesn’t display active registration, do the following:

1. Close the product information window by pressing OK. 
2. Then, choose the Help option > Activate QuickBooks.
3. Execute the on-screen instructions to complete verification and finish activating the program.

Resolution 9 – Start QuickBooks Database Manager Service Again

The communication management between QuickBooks and the company file gets handled by QuickBooks Database Manager Service. Problems in this service can prompt QuickBooks won’t open error. Thus, restarting it can resolve your issue, which you can initiate as follows:

• Launch the Run Window by pressing Windows + R keys together.
• Here, type services.msc and tap OK.
• From the list, locate QuickBooks Database Manager Service and right-click on it to reach its properties.

You will find a Stop button to end these services. Press to stop and then restart the service.  

Still Facing QuickBooks won’t open Problem

Finally, we have reached the end of our blog, in which we have talked about the practices you must follow when QuickBooks won’t open. Hopefully, you were able to gain something from the above information, and the issue is fixed once and for all. Nevertheless, if QB continues not to respond, we recommend you get this checked with our pro-advisors over a call at 800-579-9430.

FAQ’s