QuickBooks Won’t Open Company File: Simple Solutions to Fix It

Summary: This blog will help you resolve ‘QuickBooks Won’t Open Company File’ issue. It will discuss error messages you may encounter when accessing or opening a QuickBooks Company (QBW) file. Also, it will describe steps to troubleshoot the issue manually. If you suspect corruption in the Company file, use a QBW file repair tool to access your data for QuickBooks 2021 or lower versions quickly.

When trying to access or open a QuickBooks company file, the file might not open. Or, you may see warning messages including the ‘-6000 series’, or the ‘C series errors,’ etc. Sometimes, you may even experience QuickBooks crashes when opening the company file.

Error messages you may get when accessing or opening a QBW file are as follows:

Below are a few error messages you may receive when QuickBooks attempts to access the QBW file.

Figure 1 – Error Code (-6000 -301) [Image Credit: Intuit]
Figure 2 – Error code (-6073 -99001) [Image Credit: Intuit]
Figure 3 – Error Code (-6073 -816) [Image Credit: Intuit]
Figure 4 – QuickBooks Unrecoverable Error [Image Credit: Intuit]

Read This: How to fix QuickBooks® Enterprise Error 3371?

Figure 5 – QuickBooks Error 3371 [Image Credit: Intuit]

What Causes QuickBooks Won’t Open Company File Issue?

You may be unable to company file in QuickBooks desktop due to the following reasons:

Also read: Top 10 reasons for QuickBooks won’t open company file

How to Fix QuickBooks Won’t Open Company File Issue?

Perform the following steps in the given order to diagnose and fix the issue:

NOTE: Before troubleshooting these steps, make sure you are using the latest updated version of QuickBooks (QB). If not, update it to the latest release. Proceed with the steps below if the problem persists.

Step 1: Check the type of file you’re opening

QuickBooks® Desktop uses different file types to store data. For opening a company file (QBW), you need to ensure that the filename ends with ‘.qbw’ extension. However, you cannot open other file types like backup data files (QBB) and portable files (QBM) by using the .qbw extension.

Step 2: Check if the issue is with company file or QuickBooks program

Verify if the problem is with the file or the program. For this, press the Control key and double-click on the QuickBooks icon to open the program. If it does not open, resolve the QuickBooks® not opening issue. But if the program opens, try opening a sample company file. Proceed with the next step when the file opens.

Step 3: Close QuickBooks and try opening the company file

If the above solution fails, perform the following:

Figure 6: Close Company File (Image Credit: Intuit)

NOTE: You can also choose to exit QuickBooks to close the company file.

This may help you open the file. If not, move on to the next step.

Step 4: Verify that only one user can access the file

NOTE: Skip this step, if your QBW file is not hosted on a network or if you don’t use a multi-user mode.

Verify that only one PC can access the company file in a multi-user environment. If multiple users are using it, you will need to turn off hosting in other PCs, and here’s how:

Figure 7: Stop Hosting Multi-User Access (Image Credit: Intuit)

Step 5: Move the file to your Windows Desktop

Issues in the QBW file’s location may be preventing it from opening. Move the file and open it from there. Here’s how:

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Locate the folder with your company file.

3. Right-click the company file, and click Copy.

4. Paste the file on your Windows desktop and rename it.

5. Open QuickBooks®, go to the File menu, and choose Open or restore company.

6. Select and open the company file that you copied on the desktop.

If the copied company file does not open, skip to the next step. If it opens, then the issue is with your file location. If so, perform the following:

1. Move the copied file back to the original folder and use it as your main company file.

2. Rename the original .qbw file you copied.

TIP: To know you don’t need to use the original file, add the word “old” to its name.

Step 6: Stop reports and several windows from opening

When QB closes with ‘open windows’, it automatically re-open the same windows again. Follow these steps to prevent them from opening automatically:

  1. Open QB Desktop.
  2. In the QuickBooks No Company Open Window, select the company file, and press ‘Alt’ key.
  3. Now, click Open. If you get a login window, release the Alt key and provide the login information.
  4. Press the Alt key again, and then click OK.
  5. Hold the Alt key until the file opens.

Step 7: Open the file using the right QuickBooks® version

Open the file by using the same QB version that last opened it. If you’re unaware of the version, follow these steps:

  1. In Windows, find and select the company file on your device.
  2. Right-click the file, and select Properties.
  3. In the Properties window, click the QuickBooks tab.
  4. A dialog box will be displayed showing the previously used version.

Proceed to the next step if the above steps fail.

Step 8: Check file properties

Take a look at the properties of your company file:

  1. Go to Windows Explorer
  2. Right-click the company file, and then choose Properties.
  3. In the Properties window, select the Advanced tab.
  4. Make sure that the file size should be at least 7 MB, and it should not be encrypted or compressed.

Step 9: Repair Your QuickBooks Installation

Try opening your QBW file on another computer. If it opens there, it is a problem with your QB installation on the first computer. In that case, try opening the file from the first PC after following these steps:

  1. Run the QB Install Diagnostics tool.
  2. Repair your installation files.
  3. Perform a clean installation of QuickBooks Desktop.

Try Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software to Troubleshoot this Issue

If none of the above steps work, the chances are that there is corruption in the company file. Use Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software to repair a corrupt QBW file, without making any changes to the original file. It also helps recover all components of the QBW file, such as employees, vendors, company, and customers. The software can also fix all types of errors like 6000 series error codes, unrecoverable errors, etc. in QuickBooks data files. You can download this QuickBooks® file repair software to repair QB files created in versions 2021 till 2007. It also supports data recovery from the backup (QBB) file.

Plus, it offers a preview of all the recoverable data hosted in the data files. The solution can effectively recover QuickBooks® data files of multiple country editions, including USA, UK, South Africa, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the steps covered in this blog will help you resolve the ‘QuickBooks won’t open company file issue. If none of them works, the QBW file is likely corrupt. In that case, use Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software to repair the QBW file. Feel free to provide feedback on whether our troubleshooting guide was able to help you.

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