As we all know, the QuickBooks Desktop application is prone to various errors and issues, such as company files and network connectivity. To help you in such critical situations, Intuit introduced its users with QuickBooks File Doctor back in 2012. The process of downloading and installing has been completely changed. Previously, users had to download File Doctor separately from Intuit’s official site. However, now you can directly access the tool by downloading Tool Hub, which serves as a hub for multiple tools, including the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic tool, designed to handle various installation errors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to downloading and installing the QuickBooks Desktop File Doctor tool, providing an easy-to-follow process.
Utilizing the QB File Doctor helps handle issues such as company files, multi-user networks, and connectivity. However, downloading and running the tool by following this guide can be complicated. In such conditions, you must connect with the team of technical experts for help at +1-(855)-955-1942.
What is the QuickBooks Desktop File Doctor Tool?
QB File Doctor is a free built-in tool integrated with QuickBooks to help users to identify and rectify issues like company file data damage, Network related issues, and update errors. However, the tool is best utilized for resolving 6000 series errors that are mostly related to the company file. The tool identifies the damage and corruption and repairs the issues.
You can download the QBFD tool from an external source if you are using an older version of the application and if the File Doctor Tool is not available with the application itself.
Important Note: Intuit has recently made changes to how you can access the troubleshooting tools for QuickBooks. Previously, you had to download the tools like QuickBooks Install Diagnostics Tool, Clean Installation Tool, Refresher Tool, and QB File Doctor separately from different download pages. However, now Intuit has introduced QuickBooks Tool Hub, a single utility that makes it much easier to access all of these QB tools in one place. So, you can now access use QB File Doctor Tool directly from Tool Hub.
List of Advantages that QB Desktop File Doctor Offers
Before downloading and using the QB File Doctor, you must be aware of the benefits that the tool can bring to you. These benefits of QBFD 2023 are listed below:
- The tool helps you to save your time and effort by resolving issues on its own without manual actions.
- It helps you to identify and troubleshoot various file issues and diagnose network-related issues.
- The tool also fixes data corruption while scanning files and folders.
Errors You Can Fix by Running QB File Doctor
As discussed above, you can utilize the File Doctor tool to fix the most common errors that you face when accessing the company file locally or over the network.
However, the tool also helps to fix the H series errors and other related ones; let’s get familiar with them.
| QuickBooks 6000 Series Errors | QuickBooks Error 6094 | Different Types of H Series Errors | Other Errors |
| QuickBooks Error 6000 832 | QuickBooks Error 6210 | QuickBooks Error H202 | Network Related Errors |
| QuickBooks Error 6000 95 | QuickBooks Error 6123 | QuickBooks Error H505 | Installation Errors |
| QuickBooks Error 6000 80 | QuickBooks Error Code 6073 | QuickBooks Error H303 | Error in Updating QuickBooks |
| QuickBooks Error 6000 77 | QuickBooks Error 6189 77 | QuickBooks Error H101 | Multi-user Mode Errors |
| QuickBooks Error 6190 | QuickBooks Error Code 6147 0 | Other H series errors | Damaged Company Files |
The tool also fixes payroll-related issues, such as blank or missing employee, customer, or vendor lists, that arise because of data corruption.
Factors to Consider Before Downloading and Running QuickBooks File Doctor
You must consider the list of factors below before running the QB File Doctor.
- Make sure your QuickBooks is updated to the latest release. However, if you have already installed a previous version on your system, remove it and install the latest version to get all the updated features.
- If you are using the 2015 version of QuickBooks, you will get an inbuilt file doctor tool. However, we recommend you download the external QuickBooks Tool Hub File Doctor instead of using the built-in one.
- The File Doctor requires using the Microsoft 3.5 .NET Framework on Windows 10 OS.
- You can only use the file doctor on Windows operating systems.
- Make sure to log in as an administrator while using QBFD.
- Keep your computer connected to a strong network connection.
- The file doctor requires a company file smaller than 2 GB to diagnose the issues.
- Use only one QuickBooks version for effective functioning.
Steps to Download, Install, and Run QB File Doctor
As discussed above, the standalone version of QuickBooks File Doctor download is no longer available. You need to download and install the QuickBooks tool hub to utilize it. Below giver are complete set of instructions on getting the tool hub and downloading the File Doctor, along with the instructions to run it.
Step 1: Download and Get the Latest Version of QuickBooks Tool Hub Installed
- Close QuickBooks Desktop.
- Go to the official Intuit site and download the most recent version (1.6.0.3) of Tool Hub.
- Once this file is downloaded, save it to an easily accessible location (like the Download or QuickBooks files folder).
Note: If you have already installed Tool Hub, ensure you are using the latest version of it. To check which version you use, go to the Home page of Tool Hub and check the version at the bottom of your screen.
- Open the file you recently downloaded (QuickBooksToolHub.exe).
- Follow the instructions displayed on your screen and agree with the terms and conditions.
- Once installation is done, go to the home screen of your computer and double-click on the tool hub’s icon to open it.
Note: If you can’t find the tool hub’s icon, go to the Windows Start menu, search for QuickBooks Tool Hub, and select the program to open it.
Learn How to Run the QB File Doctor Utility
Running the QuickBooks File Doctor tool is quite simple after the installation of Tool Hub. Follow the stepwise instructions below to run the File Doctor in QuickBooks.
- Open the Tool Hub and select the Company File Issues menu.
- Choose the Run QuickBooks File Doctor option. It will take some time to open the tool; wait until then.
Note: In case this tool won’t open, go to the Windows Start menu and search for the QuickBooks Desktop File Doctor.
- In the QuickBooks File Repair tool, choose your company file from the dropdown menu. If you didn’t find the company file, click on Browse and Search to find your file.
- From the options, select Check your file (only the middle option) and then click Continue.
- Enter the QuickBooks admin password to provide the admin access and click Next.
The file doctor will now fix the company file and network connection issues by running a quick scan. This scan time depends on your company file size and can take up to 10-15 minutes. Once the scan is complete, launch QuickBooks and open your company file.
Possible Outcomes After Using the QDFD Tool
After running QuickBooks File Doctor won’t open to address company file and network issues, you’ll receive results on your screen. You need to review each of these results and fix issues accordingly. Below, we’ll discuss each result in detail with detailed instructions on how to proceed.
1. Hosting mode is off
The file doctor will show “hosting mode is off” when the server is not set to host the company file. It means you must turn on hosting so you can access the company file over the network.
In case you are not aware of the hosting mode, you must know that it allows workstations to access the file on the server computer.
Steps to turn on the hosting mode on your server computer:
- Open QuickBooks and select the File menu.
- From the Utilities dropdown, select Switch to multi-user mode.
Once it’s done, retry accessing the company file saved on the server.
2. Folder containing the company file is not writable or is not shared
The folder containing the company file must have the necessary permissions to be shared with other users. Otherwise, workstations cannot access the data file in a multi-user network. Therefore, check the folder and Windows access permissions before you host the company file.
If this is not the case for you, proceed to the next section.
3. No network connectivity
QuickBooks requires at least one functional TCP/IP adapter, and the local machine’s hostname must be resolvable. This ensures proper communication and connectivity within the network environment.
Running the IPConfig tool can be helpful to verify and fix your server computer’s TCP/IP configuration.
Follow these instructions to run the IPConfig tool:
- Tap the Windows key on your keyboard to launch the Start menu.
- Type CMD in the search field and press Enter.
- From the search results, select Command Prompt.
- Type ipconfig in the command prompt window and then press Enter.
Here is a list of the most common IPConfig commands that you can utilize to troubleshoot network connectivity issues.
Command | Description |
| ipconfig | basic TCP/IP information |
| ipconfig /all | detailed TCP/IP information |
| ipconfig /renew | Renew the IPv4 address for all network adapters |
| ipconfig /release | Release the IPv4 address for all network adapters |
If you are not encountering this error message, proceed to the next issue.
4. Network problem: IP reverse lookup has failed
This issue states that your Windows cannot produce an IP address from a hostname nor reverse the IP process. A reverse DNS lookup is necessary to return the hostname of an IP address. So, to ensure that IP reverse lookup is working, you need to turn off the Windows-based DNS servers.
If your Windows produces an IP address and you still are unable to access the company file in multi-user mode, read more about troubleshooting the issue HERE.
5. QBCFMonitorService/QBDBMgrN not running, or the Firewall is Blocking QuickBooks
You might encounter errors if your Windows Firewall blocks the internet access required to run QuickBooks or some crucial program files. Additionally, disabled or misconfigured QBDBMgrN and QBCFMonitorService programs can trigger issues hosting the company file in the network.
In order to resolve the issues, ensure that QBDBMgrN and QBCFMonitorService programs are running on your computer and both are properly configured. Also, ensure that the Windows firewall isn’t blocking the network connection.
At last, to verify the stability of the network connection, ping your server from a workstation. A successful ping indicates that the workstation can communicate with the server, ensuring smooth QuickBooks operations and multi-user access.
To Sum It Up!!
QuickBooks File Doctor is an invaluable tool that automatically finds and fixes the company file and network connectivity issues. Hopefully, the information provided above in this article helped you download and run the QBFD to handle such issues. However, there are situations in which you might get stuck because of some technical issues. In that case, do not hesitate to connect with our QuickBooks experts at Data Service Solution. Call the Toll-free number +1-(855)-955-1942 and get the required help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ans: QB File Doctor is freeware and can be downloaded without any upfront charges. All you need is an internet connection, and you can download it to any device.
Ans: While QuickBooks File Doctor is a powerful tool, it has some limitations:
1. The tool only supports QB Desktop for Windows and does not work with QB Online or QB Desktop for Mac.
2. It may not fix all types of company file corruption or network issues.
3. The repair process can be time-consuming, and it depends on your company file size and the complexity of the issues.
Ans: There are two different types of QB File Doctor Tool:
1. Stand-alone version: This is used on the server and you would also require to install the QB database server manager for hosting purposes.
2. Built-In version: It is available in all later editions of QuickBooks 2015.
Ans: The inbuilt version of QB Doctor Tool comes with limited accessibility and can only be accessed in QuickBooks 2016 Desktop and later released updates. While the stand-alone version can be used for hosting servers, connectivity, and network-related problems. But it can only be accessed after activating the QB Database Server Manager (DBSM).
