Utilized by businesses varying from small to large-scale, QuickBooks provides all of its services, such as recording transactions, paying bills, etcetera, with the highest proficiency. Although the software is a market favorite, being user-friendly, and has great perks, yet it comes across some glitches just like any other technology. One of the glitches that QuickBooks often faces is the “QuickBooks is unable to open Company File” error message.
Being a common error, it may usually occur due to various reasons. One of the main causes of the error is the possibility of some damage to your company file, enabling you to open it. This will cause hindrance in your work, which is why it is important to resolve the issue. But, with incompetent information, the user tends to panic. So, for that purpose, we have cumulated all the necessary information, beginning with what the error is.
Sometimes, QuickBooks enables user access to the Company File. There are many possibilities such as a damaged file, using incorrect extensions, incorrect file location, etcetera that can cause the error. It is signified with a dialogue box, containing the error message, appears on your screen in the following way-
Why the QuickBooks Unable to Open Company File
There are various reasons that may cause the bug you are currently facing. Below is the list of all those possibilities.
- A damaged Company File.
- An issue with the location of the extension of the file.
- Opening the file on an incorrect version of QuickBooks.
- The error can also happen due to a conflict with the QBW.TLG file.
- The method of opening the file is inappropriate or not correct.
Some Other QB Errors Responsible For The Occurrence
Given below is the list of QB errors that may be causing the issue besides the reasons above.
- Some of the errors related to the -6000 series are -6000, –6123, -6144, or –6189, 816. And also, there is an error related to code 6000 -77.
- HX0X errors, for instance, H202, H303, or H505, happens because of internet network problems. One can attempt to fix it with the QuickBooks File Doctor.
- QuickBooks unable to present a Company File because it occurs as a Read-Only type file.
- There were some unrecoverable error messages.
- Error 3371: Could not initialize license properties. It involves the QuickBooks installation problem.
Points To Remember, Before Solving the Issue
Before we move on to the solutions in order to fix the issue, it is important to keep the following points in mind.
- The user needs to check if whether the QuickBooks Software is updated to its latest version or not.
- Make sure that your QB Desktop program has not been corrupted.
- When opening your QuickBooks software through the icon on the desktop, press the Ctrl key, and hold it. If the program still does not open or fails, the main concern would be the QuickBooks Desktop.
- Also, do verify if only a single system is hosting the QB Company File. As a user, you need to turn off the hosting in every computer except for the server. For that-
- First, go to the File menu.
- Then, select Utilities from the option and choose to stop hosting multi-user access.
- Lastly, verify to continue.
How to Enable the QuickBooks to Open Company File
There are various methods available for you to fix the error. However, the decision to choose the best method should depend upon your requirements. Also, follow through with the steps deliberately for the best results.
Method 1: Update QuickBooks
The very first step you can do is to update the QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release. This will not only solve your error but also brings lots of tips and tricks to debug the future bugs you might have to face.
Method 2: Rename .TLG and .ND Extensions
- First, open the folder where the Company File is located.
- Next, right-click on the Transaction Log file and rename it to ‘OLD.qbw.TLG‘. Repeat the process for the .ND file.
- Finally, open the Company File, as this will automatically craft the .TLG and .ND files.
Note: It is required for the user to not remove the .TLG files. If the possibility of recovering some lost data occurs, the files can be used in the future. Additionally, this will prevent the situation from happening again. So, when the user is moving the data from one place to another, they should copy the transaction log file with Company File.
Method 3: Check the File Extension And Properties
- First, open the folder where the Company File is.
- Next, right-click on the Company File icon and select Properties.
- Now, verify if the Type of File is QuickBooks Company File, along with the size of the file, which should be at least 7 MB.
- Then, click on Advanced and check if the boxes for Compress and Encrypt are unchecked.
- Finally, click OK to finish the process.
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Method 4: Open the QuickBooks Company File Directly
- First, press and hold the Ctrl key, followed by a double-click on the QuickBooks software icon.
- Continue pressing the key until the no window QuickBooks file opens.
- Next, when the program opens, verify if only one system hosting the Company File. If not, shut the other servers that are accessing the Company File.
- For Single User –
- First, go to the file and select Utilities, and click on stop hosting multi-user access.
- When a message appears on the screen, select Yes.
- Finally, the Company File will close and a message will appear on your screen. Select Yes.
- For Multi-User – This error points out that one or more computers are wrongly set-up. For that-
- The error message pops-up on the screen of every client.
- Go to the no company open window>>File>> Utilities.
- The user can affirm the host multi-user access menu option is being displayed. The client computer keeps the hosting multi-user access from happening, demonstrating that they already are hosting multi-user access.
- Next, select stop multi-user access hosting on the system of any client and follow the prompts in order to stop hosting.
- Finally, try opening the problem file again. A login window will appear on the screen.
- For Single User –
Note: It is important for the user to keep in mind that if they are opening a .QBB, .QBX, or a .QBM file, they will be given the option to choose the location for the restored file.
Method 5: Allow QuickBooks Window to Open Automatically
With this, the user can prevent unnecessary windows from opening automatically in the Company File.
- First, select the Company File on the No Company Open window.
- Then, press the ALT key and click open. (Note: If a login window appears in QuickBooks software, then type the password, and after that, press the ALT and OK. Keep holding the ALT key until the company file opens.)
If you are not able to open the Company File without an error, then follow the steps below.
- On the Edit menu, select Preferences.
- After that, select the Desktop View and hit the Don’t Save The Desktop option.
- Finally, click on the OK button.
Method 6: Switch the Company File Location
- First, open the Windows Start Menu.
- Type in the file explorer in the search bar and open it.
- Now, look for the folder containing the Company File and then, right-click on the file. Select Copy and then, paste it anywhere on the screen.
- Next, right-click on the copied file and then, select Rename.
- After that, open the QB software. Go to the File menu and select open or restore company.
- Finally, select the Company File and open it.
Method 7: Rename the Company File’s Name
- Start the QuickBooks Company file folder location.
- Right-click on the file.
- Click on the Rename option.
- Rename the file name.
- Make certain that the new name appears not to exceed 3 letters.
- If potential in case of.TLG, rename it as strong.
- And after renaming the file name make sure that an icon appears or a 3 letter extension is added to the file.
We hope the information provided in the blog was helpful and you were able to resolve the QuickBooks Unable To Open Company File. However, if you were not able to do so, you can contact our team of experts on our toll-free number. They will gladly help you and guide you through everything. Also, if you have any other issues or queries regarding QuickBooks, you can get in touch with the team.