How to Fix Quickbooks Won’t Start Issue? – Complete Troubleshooting Guide

Trying to open the Quickbooks company file and facing Quickbooks won’t open error? If true, this article is perfect for you. You can face different errors while using the Quickbooks application and most of them can be resolved easily. But, Quickbooks won’t start error is one of the unexpected errors that a user can face. It could be a technical glitch or damaged company files.

There can be other reasons contributing to the error and that we have discussed in detail in the preceding section of the article. The article intends to provide you with all the important knowledge that you need to know about the Quickbooks won’t open Windows 10 error. Read the article till the end to know all the details.

Causes of Quickbooks Won’t Start Error

We have jotted down some of the common reasons for which you can face the Quickbooks won’t open in Windows 10 error.

• The name of the company file is longer than needed.
• The QBWUSER.INI file is missing or damaged.
• There are chances that the hard drive is corrupted.
• Also, the operating system of the device is damaged.
• In case the Quickbooks installation is incomplete or corrupted, the Quickbooks won’t open Windows 10 error can occur.
• Other than this, any kind of error with the report can lead to the occurrence of the error.
• You may be using an older version of the Quickbooks application
• Lastly, you may be using an inappropriate way to open the required company file.

Symptoms of Quickbooks Won’t Open Error

Now, to identify that your system is facing the Quickbooks won’t start error, you must know the symptoms that you need to notice. Here is the list of symptoms that you may want to look for.

• The system starts freezing periodically and frequently.
• The user is not able to open the company file on the system.
• Also, the system has started responding slowly to the inputs provided by the user through the mouse or keyboard.
• You will get an error prompt with a message that Quickbooks has stopped working or won’t open.
• Quickbooks may not be installed on the system properly.

Solutions to Troubleshoot Quickbooks Won’t Open Error

You can use different methods to fix the Quickbooks won’t open in Windows 10 error. Here are some of the possible methods that can help you to fix the error easily. Check out each method one by one.

Solution 1: Download and Run Quickbooks Install Diagnostic Tool

Quickbooks requires some basic Microsoft components like Microsoft .Net framework, Visual C++, and Microsoft MSXML to run properly on the system. So, if any of the components is broken or damaged, the Quickbooks won’t open error can occur. To fix the components, you can use the Quickbooks install diagnostic tool. Here are all the steps that you need to follow to use the Quickbooks install diagnostic tool.

• To start with, you will have to download the Quickbooks tool hub on the system and then install it on the system.
• You will then have to open the Quickbooks tool hub application and then in the tool window, click on the installation issues option.

• Now, you need to choose the option for Quickbooks install diagnostic tool.
• After this, wait for the process to complete. It may take some time to complete. When done, you will have to restart the device.
• Lastly, open the Quickbooks application and then try to open the required company file.

Solution 2: Delete the QBUSER.INI file

Now the next recommended solution to fix the Quickbooks won’t open Windows 10 error is to delete or rename the QBWUSER.INI file. It will help you to remove all the saved information and then start the application again. Follow the steps mentioned below to carry out the process.

• First, you will have to press the Windows key and E key on the keyboard together. The File Explorer window will open on the system.
• You will then have to click on the organize option and then click on the folder and search option.
• After this, you will have to click on the view option.
• Next, you will have to click on the option for advanced settings and then click on the hidden files and folder option. When done, choose the option to show hidden folders and then click on the OK option.
• Now, you will have to click on the “ my computer” and then C drive and then click on the documents option. You will then have to click on the folder with your user name and then click on the local settings. Now, click on the application data option and then Intuit option. After this, click on the Quickbooks folder.
• After this, you will find the QBWUSER.INI file in the folder. Right-click on it and choose the option to rename the file or delete it.

Solution 3: Clean Install Quickbooks

Clean installing Quickbooks means to uninstall it and then install it again on the system. You can use the Quickbooks clean install utility to carry out the process. It will delete all the damaged components while uninstalling the Quickbooks and then download the Quickbooks application again to the latest updated version.  Also, the tool will rename all the old folders and will add new install files when you install Quickbooks again.

Solution 4: Terminate QBW32.exe Process

The next recommended method to fix the Quickbooks won’t start issue is to close the QBW32.exe process. Here are all the steps that you need to follow.

• First, you will have to right-click on the Windows taskbar and then click on the option to start the task manager.
• When done, you will have to look for the process option and then click on it. Now, click on the option for the image name header. It will help you to sort all the processes alphabetically.
• Now, from the list of all the processes, you will have to find the QBW32.exe file and then click on it.
• In the end, you will have to click on the process and choose to end the process.

Solution 5: Use the Quick Fix My Program Function in Quickbooks Tool Hub

As we know that Quickbooks tool hub is an application integrated with all the Quickbooks tools and is the one-stop solution for almost all the errors, it can definitely be used to fix the Quickbooks won’t open Windows 10 errors. Here are all the steps that you need to follow.

• First, you will have to download the Quickbooks tool hub application and then save it to your most accessible location.
• When done, you will have to click on the downloaded file and open the installation window.
• Now, follow all the instructions appearing on the screen and agree to the terms and conditions to complete the installation process.
• When the installation process will complete, you can click on the icon and then open the Quickbooks tool hub application.

• Once done, you need to click on the program problems tab and then you need to choose the option for Quick fix my program.

• Wait for the tool to load on the system.
• When done, let the diagnosis complete. When the process will complete, start Quickbooks again on the system and then try to open the required file.

Solution 6: Open the Company File from Different Folder

Now, the last recommended solution to fix the Quickbooks won’t start error is to move the file to some other folder and then check if you can open the file or not. Read the steps mentioned below to carry out the process.

• First, open the File Explorer on the system by pressing the Windows key and E key together.
• Now, you will have to look for the file having the extension .qbw. In case you have stored the file on the network, you will have to look for the file on the network drive in which you have stored the file.
• After this, you need to right-click on the name of the file and then choose the copy option.
• When done, you need to open the C drive on the system and then create a new folder. Name the file as QBTEST folder. Paste the copied file in the new folder that you have created.
• Now, you will have to open the Quickbooks application and keep holding the CTRL key.
• Now, you need to click on the open existing file option and then open the file from the folder that you have created.

To Wind Up

There can be different reasons for which you can face the Quickbooks won’t start error and it can be annoying sometimes. We hope that the methods that we have mentioned above in the article will help you to fix the Quickbooks won’t open errors on your own. If you still find any difficulty in troubleshooting the error, you can seek technical help. We hope that the article was helpful.