Fix QuickBooks Desktop won’t Open Error With this Guide

You must be wondering why the QuickBooks Desktop won’t open error suddenly appears. What happened that the QuickBooks Desktop application suddenly stopped responding? This has happened to QuickBooks users, and given the frequent pop-ups of this QuickBooks error, we shared some top-rated solutions that should be enough to fix the QuickBooks desktop issue.

This blog has covered the common causes of the error and the top-rated solutions to fix it. Walk through this guide and have your error fixed.  

Common Reasons behind the error: QuickBooks Desktop won’t open

There are various reasons behind the error that QB Desktop won’t open

• The company file name may be too long.
• Your hard drive may be corrupt.
• You might be using a damaged Windows operating system.
• Either your program files or your QuickBooks Desktop installation might be damaged.
• Your QBWUSER.INI file might be damaged or missing. 

Solution 1: From your QuickBooks Tools Hub, Run Quick Fix my Program

Step 1: Install QuickBooks Tools Hub

• Close your QuickBooks desktop application.
• Now, from Intuit’s official website, download the latest version of the QuickBooks Tool Hub. 

• As of now, QuickBooks Tool Hub 1.6.0.8 is the latest version. 
• Save the downloaded file in a short file path. For example, you can save your Tools Hub file on your desktop.

Note:- If you already have QB Tool Hub in use, check its version. Click on the Home tab, and you will find it at the bottom. 

• Open the file (QuickBooksToolHub.exe) you must have downloaded in the above step.
• Continue with the on-screen instructions to install and agree to the terms and conditions.  

Note:- In case you did not find any shortcut icon, search for QuickBooks Tool Hub and open the program.

Step 2: Run Quick Fix my Program

• Click on the Program Problems in the Tools Hub.
• Click on Quick Fix my Program.

• Launch QuickBooks Desktop and open your data file.

Step 3: Run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool 

• Launch the QuickBooks Tool Hub, and click on Installation Issues.
• Click on QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool.

• Once the tool finishes its process, restart your PC.
• Launch QuickBooks Desktop.
• Open your data file. 
• Update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest version. 

Note:- This would help you in getting the latest fixes and up-to-date security updates. 

Solution 2: Check and confirm if the issue is with your program or the file.

Your company file could be damaged or corrupted. In this case, you are required to check if it is QuickBooks or your company file.

Step 1: Open your file with all the Windows programs closed 

• Launch QuickBooks Desktop.
• In the No Company Open tab, choose your company file.

• On your keyboard, press and hold ALT, then click Open.
• Until the file opens, do not let go of the ALT key.
• If the sign-in screen appears, release your ALT key, enter your login credentials, then press and hold ALT and click OK.

Step 2: Suppress your QuickBooks Desktop application

• Press and hold the Ctrl key and then double-click on your QB Desktop icon. 

Important:- Make sure not to let go of the Ctrl key until you see the No Company Open window, QuickBooks freezes, or an error.

• Choose your company file and open it. 

Solution 3: Repair your QuickBooks Installation

• Run a repair and replace all damaged installation files.
• Launch QuickBooks and open your data file.

Solution 4: Re-install QuickBooks Desktop

Remove and then reinstall QuickBooks Desktop

Step 1: Remove QuickBooks

• Click on the Windows Start menu.
• In the search box, type Control Panel and open the program.
• In the Control Panel, click on Programs and Features or Uninstall a Program.

• Now you can choose the QuickBooks Desktop version you want to remove from the list of programs.
• Click Uninstall/Change > Remove > Next.

Step 2: Again, Install the QuickBooks Desktop 

Once you are done with Step 1, install the QuickBooks Desktop software. When you proceed with the installation, QuickBooks will automatically install the new folders and rename the old ones.

Solution 5: Manually uninstall the QuickBooks application and rename the installation folders.

• Remove your QuickBooks application again.
• Click on the Windows Start menu.
• In the search field, look for File Explorer and open it.
• Fetch the folder that has your company files. This must be your QuickBooks folder.
  • C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks (year)
  • C:\Users\(current user)\AppData\Local\Intuit\QuickBooks (year)
  • C:\Program Files\Intuit\QuickBooks (year)
  • 64-bit version C:\Program Files (x86)\Intuit\QuickBooks (year)
• Right-click on the company file folder and rename it.
• Add the extension .old at the end of the folder name.
• Doing so would prevent QuickBooks from opening the folder during reinstallation.
• Now, you can reinstall the QuickBooks Desktop software.
• While renaming the folder, if you get an access error message:
• Click the Windows Taskbar, then open the Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab.

• Now, to sort the list, select the Name column header.
• Select the following processes and click on End Process for each:
  • QBDBMgrN.exe, 
  • QBDBMgr.exe, 
  • QBCFMonitorService.exe, 
  • Qbw32.exe. 

If a message appears with the phrase, “WARNING: Terminating a process can cause undesired results…“, click on Yes. 

Solution 6: Rename the QBWUSER.ini file

• To rename this file, you need to open the folder that contains the QBWUSER.ini file. 
• Users [Your user name]AppDataLocalIntuitQuickBooks [year].
• Now, right-click on the QBWUSER.inin file and click on Rename.
• Add extension .old at the end of your file QBWUSER.ini.old
• Now, rename the file EntitlementDataStore.ecml.
• Relaunch the QuickBooks Desktop application. 

In case you find that the program opens after renaming the files QBWUSER.ini or EntitlementDataStore.ecml, give it a try and open a sample company file.

Conclusion

If you are able to open a sample company file but fail to open the original company file, we would suggest copying the original company file to a different location that would be easy to reach. We recommend a local folder and not a network location. If you easily open your company file, it simply means that there is an issue with the folder permissions or a damaged folder. If you failed to open the sample company file or the QuickBooks won’t start, the application that you installed is damaged.

Finally, we hope that the issue “QuickBooks Desktop won’t open” is resolved. In case you are still struggling with it, we would like you to contact our senior QuickBooks specialist at +1(866)500-0076.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the error that QuickBooks Desktop won’t open?

The error QuickBooks won’t open is an application issue that has stopped working, and the user won’t be able to open it.

What are the reasons behind the error that QuickBooks won’t open?

There are multiple reasons, including a damaged or corrupt company file, a damaged hard drive, a long company file name, or the QBWUSER.INI file being missing. 

What is the QBWUSER.ini file?

The file QBWUSER.ini is a configuration file for QuickBooks Desktop that has user-specific settings.