QuickBooks Desktop won’t open or Doesn’t Start – How to Fix?

Most mid and small-sized businesses rely on QuickBooks for managing their financial records. But imagine what would be the consequences when you want to enter your financial data into QuickBooks, but your QuickBooks desktop doesn’t start. Well, often, your QB application may take endless time to open or might not start because of several reasons like compatibility or installation issues. This is because it requires specific system requirements to function properly, and when these are not met, your QuickBooks Desktop won’t open. You may also face other issues with your system and company files when this happens with QuickBooks, and thus, its timely resolution is necessary. For the same purpose, we have curated this blog, so go through it till the end and carefully follow the steps given to rectify this issue.

Are you stressed because your QuickBooks won’t open the company file or QuickBooks has stopped working? Then reach out to our technical experts at +1-(855)-955-1942 for a quick solution.

What Exactly Is QuickBooks Desktop 2023 Won’t Open Error?

The QuickBooks Desktop won’t open term refers to a specific issue where the QuickBooks Desktop application fails to start or open properly. Thus, instead of the expected startup, you may face a frozen screen or encounter an error message saying, “QuickBooks desktop won’t open or doesn’t start.”  This issue prevents you from accessing the company files, conducting financial tasks, and utilizing the other features and functionalities of QuickBooks Desktop.

Main Reasons Behind Why You Can’t Open QuickBooks Desktop

It might be possible that you can’t open QuickBooks Desktop even several minutes after the command appears on the screen. Well, there might be several reasons behind it. Below we have listed all the possible causes that result in the QuickBooks desktop won’t open error:

• There might be a possibility that your system hard drive is damaged and thus restricts you from accessing QB software,  and you can’t open QuickBooks Desktop.
• The name of your company file might be too long or consist of some special characters.
• An outdated operating system that triggers QuickBooks won’t start an issue.
• Impartial or incorrect installation of the QuickBooks application can also trigger this issue.
• If your product registration file (QBWUSER.INI) is corrupted and you are unable to open QuickBooks Desktop.
• Corrupted Company Files can also lead to this issue.

What do I do when QuickBooks won’t open?

A few steps before moving ahead to resolve the QuickBooks Won’t Open Error in Windows 10 are given below. You need first to implement the following steps, then move ahead:

• Update your application to the latest version when you find that you are having trouble opening QuickBooks.
• Then make a backup for your company files. You can refer to the steps to back up your files from our blog here.
• Then turn off the hosting systems.
• Rename the company file and make sure it has no more than 65 characters in its name.

After this, you can opt for the troubleshooting ways given here to fix the QB desktop won’t open issue.

Ways to Fix QuickBooks Desktop Doesn’t Start Issue

To use the QuickBooks application at the earliest, look at the below-mentioned effective resolution methods. Implementing these methods will help you to resolve the QuickBooks Desktop won’t open error: 

Note: Sometimes, the QuickBooks Desktop icon won’t open if you have clicked on it multiple times. So kindly allow QuickBooks some time to load before you continue further.

Solution 1: Use the Quick Fix My Program

You can run the Quick Fix My Program if you face the QuickBooks Desktop won’t open issue while using the QuickBooks Desktop program. It will shut down any running background processes that QuickBooks may be using. Further, it will also initiate a quick repair on your program to resolve the QuickBooks not opening issue.

1. Download and Install the QuickBooks Tool Hub (the latest Version).
2. Now, Open QuickBooks Tool Hub and Go to Program Problems. 
3. From there, you need to tap on the Quick Fix My Program option and wait for the tool to complete the scan.
4. Once done, you can open the QuickBooks Desktop application and then the company file.

Solution 2: Suppress the QuickBooks Desktop Application

As mentioned above, you may face this issue if your company file has been damaged. In that case, this step will help you to know whether the QuickBooks application or your company file has the issue. For that, your previous file might get opened by QuickBooks.

1. First, you should Press and hold the Ctrl key, then click twice on the QuickBooks Desktop icon. (Note that you should not release your hand from the Ctrl key until you see the “No Company Open” window; otherwise, it will freeze the QuickBooks or give you an error.)
2. Now, Go to a company file to select Open.

You May Also Read: Resolve Common QuickBooks display issues

Aren’t you able to resolve QuickBooks won’t open after Windows 10 update even after following the above solutions? If yes, you can jump to the below-given resolution methods.

Solution 3: Run the QB Install Diagnostic Tool When QB Won’t Open

If you come across any issue while installing the QuickBooks software, it will restrict you from opening the accounting application. To fix it, you may run the QuickBooks install diagnostic tool from the Tool Hub by following the steps mentioned below.

1. First, Open the QuickBooks Tool Hub, then tap on Installation Issues.
2. After that, Click on the QB Install Diagnostic Tool and let it run. However, it might take some time (nearly 20 minutes) to complete the process.
3. When the tool gets the process finished, you have to restart your computer.
4. Lastly, start the QuickBooks Desktop application, open your company file, and check if the QuickBooks Desktop won’t open error persists or not.

Solution 4: Repair your QuickBooks Desktop Installation

You might get QuickBooks Desktop won’t open error while using, installing, or updating the QuickBooks application. At this time, You need to run the repair tool first. It will help you fix some common errors like QuickBooks closing when opening a company file. Further, you may also run it by following the below-given steps:

Note to Remember: Before you proceed with the below-mentioned steps, make sure you have created a backup of your company file. Along with that, you must also restart your computer and ensure that no programs affect the repair process. After that, continue with the steps below.

1. First, tap on the Windows icon and then go to the Control Panel option. (If you’re a Windows 8 or 8.1 user, then you need to search the Control Panel in the Windows Start menu.)
2. After that, click on Programs and Features, followed by Uninstall a Program option. However, if you do not see the Programs and Features option, then click on Programs instead. Afterwards, select Program and Features.

3. Now, choose QuickBooks from the given list of Programs, and then click on the Uninstall/Change option.
4. Further, click on Continue> Repair and then Next.

Note: You must understand that the repair process might take some time. Its duration depends on your system’s performance and the size of your company file. Thus, you must leave your system running for a while and return once it’s done.

5. Moreover, to complete the repair process, you would need to restart your computer. And once done, click on Finish.
6. Lastly, also make sure that you update your QuickBooks application as per the latest release. This ensures that you get the most recent fixes and security updates.

Still stuck with the QuickBooks Desktop won’t open error? Well, in that case, you must follow the below-listed solutions.

Solution 5: Run the Clean Install Tool from the Tools Hub

Many times, you might find that the QuickBooks desktop won’t open due to damaged program files. In such a scenario, you need to run a basic reinstall when the same issue affects more than one of your company files. However, if that doesn’t work, you may do a clean install by using the QuickBooks Clean install tool. It resolves all such issues that restrict you from opening the company file, display and template problems, and a few other situations. The QuickBooks Clean Install tool renames your old install folders automatically for you. It allows QuickBooks to add new install files when you reinstall. By this, your company files will not be removed.

Solution 6: Delete the QBWUSER.INI File and Re-register the QB Desktop Application.

By deleting the .ini file, you can get rid of QuickBooks Desktop won’t open error. It will remove the product registration information, and thus, the user can register QuickBooks once again by following the below-given steps.

1. First, move to the Local C:\ Drive and then open the Users folder.
2. Now, you need to search the folder with your user name, followed by opening the AppData folder in it.
3. After that, double-click on the Intuit folder under the Local directory of your system and open the QuickBooks[year}] folder.
4. There you need to search for the QBWUSER.INI file and delete it.
5. For the next step, you need to go to the Desktop option and right-click on the time displayed in the screen’s bottom right corner.
6. Then, click on Adjust Date/Time and set the date if it’s not correct.
7. Afterwards, click on the Apply and OK buttons.
8. Then, open QuickBooks Desktop again and select Help.
9. Now, click on Activate QuickBooks and choose the Begin Activation option.
10. Next, enter your product validation code and then click on Next to register it.

Solution 7: Access the Company File from a Different Location to Resolve the Issue

1. The first step involves hitting the Windows + E keys.
2. It will open the Windows Explorer window.
3. Then you need to look for the .qbw file there.
4. After that, you need to look for a file location on the network server. Make sure to look for the Network drive on which the data file is located.
5. Then, click right on the file and then select copy.
6. Then, make a new folder in the C: drive and rename it as Qb Test.
7. Then, open the newly created folder and paste the company file into it.
8. Lastly, open the company file while pressing the Ctrl key and access the company file you just copied.

Solution 8: Run QuickBooks in Windows Safe Boot Mode to Resolve the Issue

Running QB in Windows safe mode will help you confirm that no other application is interfering with QuickBooks.

1. To do this, first press the Windows + R keys and then type the text MSConfig in the Run box.
2. Then, hit Enter or OK and open the System Configuration Utility.
3. Then, under the General tab, you need to mark the Selective Startup option and click Apply followed by OK.
4. You need to restart your Windows and run QuickBooks once all the changes are saved.
5. If your QuickBooks works more normally than before, it indicates that some other program installed on your Windows operating system is interfering with QuickBooks. You must get rid of it before it creates another issue.

Get Professional’s Help To Fix QuickBooks Desktop Won’t Open Error!

We hope the above-mentioned troubleshooting solutions helped you resolve the QuickBooks desktop won’t open error. However, there might be a possibility that none of the above methods would have worked in your favor, and thus, you’re still stuck with it. Well, in that case, we would suggest you give us a call at QuickBooks Data Service Solutions Helpline Number +1(855)-955-1942.

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