How to Fix QuickBooks Error OL 232 When Updating Bank Accounts?

The OL 232 error code is a bank feed problem in QuickBooks. At times, the bank feed may not normally work in the accounting software. This error can also be witnessed when the bank accounts are being updated. The users of Intuit can understand the QuickBooks error OL 232 by focussing on its causes. With respect to the causes, implementing the right fix can be possible. To give you complete knowledge of the causes of this QuickBooks and QuickBooks Desktop error, you can read this post. Accompanied by this, you can browse through the various fixes for this error code.

You can read the following for receiving an overview of this post:

Causes of the Error OL 232 in QuickBooks

Knowing the causes of the QuickBooks error OL 232 can help you in fixing it with ease. Therefore, we have listed this error’s causes below:

• Messages such as pending alerts from your bank may not have been acknowledged by you.
• Your financial institution may have changed the service to Direct Connect.
• Bank information may not have been updated in the Financial Institutions Directory in QuickBooks.
• You may have an inactive bank account in your QuickBooks account that has online banking.
• Your Internet connection may not have been configured.
• The version of Internet Explorer being used may be outdated.
• An unsupported version of QuickBooks can result in this QB error.
• Incompatible bank files with your QuickBooks program may cause it.
• Issues with the bank accounts in your QuickBooks company file may be causing this problem.

How to Fix QuickBooks Error Code OL 232?

To fix an error like OL 232 on QuickBooks, doing away with an incompatible bank file should be the first resolving measure. At times, enabling TLS 1.2 in the Internet properties can work in removing this QB error. A simple fix for this error code can include refreshing your bank connection. Moreover, you can consider updating the name of the Financial Institution Directory file.
Interestingly, we have been able to come across more measures that can be preferred. Based on the cause of the QuickBooks error OL 232, you can apply the best measure to fix it.

Fix 1: Check If Bank File is Compatible with QuickBooks

A compatible bank file should be used to ensure that QuickBooks is able to work as usual. Since you may be using a file that is incompatible, the error OL 232 may be seen in the software. QuickBooks is supportive of the .qbo file format. Files following this format can enable you in viewing the downloaded transaction files. Other file formats may not be well-suited for the software. However, changing the format of your files can help in accessing them without seeing the error code OL 232. You can change it from the website of your bank.

• Log in to your bank’s website.
• Locate the bank transaction to download it in the “.qbo” file.
• Now, import the bank transaction to the “QuickBooks” program. 

Note: If you can easily view the file in QuickBooks, then it means that your bank’s website is causing the obstacle. The file type may not be responsible for the problem. Also, you may fail to open the file. You can try changing the file format to that of the “.qbo” file. By doing so, you will be able to avoid the QuickBooks error OL 232.

Fix 2: Enable TLS 1.2 in the Internet Properties

The disabling of TLS 1.2 can give rise to some faults in the internet settings. These faults can hinder the operations of QB and lead to the OL 232 error. Therefore, you should check the security protocol that is being used. Using Run, you can find the Internet Properties. In Security, the protocol can be checked. The option mentioning Use TLS 1.2 can be selected. The user will have to apply the changes made for saving the internet settings. 

• Push the keys shown here in one go:

“Windows” + “R” Keys

• Type “INETCPL.CPL” in “Run”. 
• In the window of “Internet Properties”, select the “Advanced” tab.

Tip: Alternatively, you can open “Internet Explorer”. Click on “Tools” and go to “Internet Options”.

• Scroll down to the “Security” section.
• Place a checkmark for “Use TLS 1.2”.
• Click on the “Apply” button.
• Press “Ok”.
• The internet settings will be adjusted now. Restart your computer.
• Open “QuickBooks” after restarting your system.

Tip: Alternatively, you can open the Internet Explorer, click on the Tools and go to the Internet Options.

• Go to the “Advanced” tab.
• Scroll down to the “Security” section.
• Place a checkmark for “Use TLS 1.2.
• Click the “Apply” button.
• Click the “OK” option.

Once you adjust the internet settings, you can restart your computer. Thereafter, you can check if the QuickBooks error code OL 232 appears.

Fix 3: Create a New Test File to Download Bank Feed Transactions

At the time of downloading the bank feed transactions, the error 232 in QB may be getting triggered. To view the downloaded transactions, a new test file can be created. Prior to viewing them, the transactions will have to be downloaded. For doing so, you can select the File menu in QB. Use the New Company option and go to Start Setup/Express Start. You can opt for Bank Feeds and then start making a new test file to escape the QuickBooks error OL 232. Later, the transactions relating to the bank feed can be downloaded.

• Open the “QuickBooks” program.
• Go to the “File” menu.
• Then select the “New Company” option.

• Click on “Start Setup” or “Express Start”.
• Now, set up the “Bank Feeds” for the account that is affected. Go to “Bank Feeds.” 
• Select the “Banking” option.
• Choose “Set up Bank Feeds for an Account”.
• Pick your bank.

Note: You may be setting up the bank feeds for the first time. You need to press the “Enrollment Site” link. Request the sign-in credentials. Those who are already enrolled can enter the “Banking ID” and “Password” for connecting the bank server with the QuickBooks account.

• Download your transactions now.

Note: The error should not be emerging this time. However, on finding this error even after performing this fix, you will be suggested to connect with your bank. It will assist you in detecting and resolving the problem.

Fix 4: Merge Account with the Old One

We will direct you to merge your account with an older one in QuickBooks. Usually, when such a measure is taken, it is simpler to fix the OL 232 QuickBooks error code. For merging the account, you can first locate it in Chart of Accounts or COA. The Edit Account option can be accessed by right-clicking on your account. 

To know what is to be done further, you can browse through the following directions:

• Begin with creating a new account. Go to the “Chart of Accounts” menu.
• Right-click on the account that is affected.
• Select “Edit Account”.
• Now, copy the account name.
• Edit the name by adding the asterisk (*) sign at the end of the account name.
• Go to “Bank Feeds Settings”.
• Select the “Deactivate All Online Services” option.
• Press “Ok”
• Click on the “Save & Close” button.
• Now, create a new account in the “Chart of Accounts”.
• Paste the account name that you copied before while setting up your account name.
• Close the file and reopen it.
• To merge your account with the old account, open “Chart of Accounts”.
• Right-tap on the account with an asterisk.
• Select the “Edit Account” name.
• Now, delete the asterisk.
• Select the “Save & Close” button.
• Click on the “Yes” button.

The bank feeds can be set up after this procedure. You will be requested to verify whether the transactions are getting easily downloaded. 

Note: Failure in editing or merging your new account with the older one can indicate that the QuickBooks company file is corrupt. The file can be repaired via QuickBooks Tool Hub. Then this procedure can be implemented again.

Fix 5: Refresh Your Bank Connection

To avoid any kind of conflicts with the bank account, you can disable online banking for inactive bank accounts. Thereafter, you can refresh the bank connection. Eliminating the QuickBooks error code OL 232 will be easier by refreshing it. Access Company in QB and select Chart of Accounts. Tick the box for Include Inactive. After this, the inactive account can be disabled. You will have to follow a few more directions to successfully refresh the bank connection.

• To find the inactive bank accounts, go to “Company”.
• Choose “Chart of Accounts”.
• Select the “Include Inactive” box. 

Note: You can identify the account with a lightning bolt sign as it indicates that the account is set up for online banking.

• Now, find the inactive bank account from the list.
• Disable the inactive account. If there is no inactive account, then you can skip this step.
• To deactivate the online service, right-tap on the inactive account.
• Opt for “Edit Account”.
• Click on the “Bank Feed Settings” option.
• Now, select “Deactivate All Online Services”.
• Click on the “Ok” button.
• Tap on “Save & Close”.
• Close and reopen the file. 
• Make sure that there is no mark of a lightning bolt. 

Note: During the setup, press the “Ctrl” key whenever an option is chosen. The key need not be pressed when you are adding information. The information of your bank will get refreshed.

Fix 6: Disable an Affected Account and Set Up Online Banking

While using multiple accounts for online banking, one of them may be affected. This may be causing the error OL 232 in QB and also causing interference with the online banking operations. The affected user account can be disabled and then you can set up online banking. 

Reading further, you can see the instructions for applying this fix to Windows and Mac computers.

Option 1: Disabling Affected Account and Establishing Online Banking on Windows

Via Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks, the Include Inactive option has to be selected. Open Lists and choose Chart of Accounts. Then disable the user account. Now, you can set up online banking in QB on your Windows system. This should work in getting rid of the QuickBooks error OL 232.

The complete procedure is 10-step long. You can read it here:

• Navigate to “Chart of Accounts”.
• Click on the “Include Inactive” checkbox.
• Go to the “Lists” menu.
• Click on the “Chart of Accounts” option.
• Right-click on the account that you wish to disable.
• Select “Edit”.
• Open “Bank Settings”.
• Choose “Deactivate All Online Services”.
• Push the “Ok” button.
• Click on “Save & Close”.

Option 2: Turning off Affected Account and Preparing Online Banking on Mac

On your Mac computer, you can click on COA in QuickBooks. Opt for Include Inactive and head to Lists. Select the option of Chart of Accounts. Then disable the account that is affected. Later, you can start setting up online banking in the accounting software.

• In “QuickBooks”, tap on “Chart of Accounts”.
• The checkbox for “Include Inactive” has to be selected.
• Head to the “Lists” menu.
• Make a selection for the “Chart of Accounts” option.
• Click on the account that you want to deactivate.
• Press the “Pencil” icon to edit the details.
• Select “Download Transactions”.
• The option of “Not Enabled” has to be selected.
• Hit the “OK” button.

This fix would have helped you in disabling the bank feeds. Once they have been disabled, online banking can be set up for every account. 

Fix 7: Use Verify Utilities and Rebuild Utilities Processes in QuickBooks Desktop

Reconfiguring the utilities of QuickBooks Desktop can work as a definite measure for the error OL 232 in the software. There are 2 major processes involved in the reconfiguration of the utilities. First, the process of Verify Utilities has to be started. After this, the Rebuild Utilities process can be launched. The error code OL 232 should stop showing up when these processes come to an end.

• To run “Verify Utilities”, start “QuickBooks Desktop”.
• Visit “File”.
• Click on “Utilities”.
• Choose the “Verify Data” option.
• Press “Ok”.
• Push “Ok” one more time when no issues with the data have been found by the software. You will be suggested to select “Rebuild” when QuickBooks highlights any problem with the data.
• To run “Rebuild Utilities”, go to the “File” option.
• Opt for “Utilities”.
• Choose the “Rebuild Data” option.
• Click on the “Ok” button.
• Press “Save” to generate a backup.
• Once the process is finished, click on the “View Results” button.

Note: It may happen that certain users of QB may still be facing the error OL 232 in QuickBooks Desktop after performing this measure. In our opinion, you can contact your bank for rectifying the error code.

Fix 8: Update the Name of the Financial Institution Directory File

Financial Institution Directory file name needs to be updated if you are bothered by banking errors like OL 232 in QB. For updating the name, the fidir.old file can be visited. You can right-click on it for selecting the option to rename it. For renaming the file, fidir.old can be preferred. 

Along with the remaining directions of this fix, the path that can be used for visiting the Financial Institution Directory File has been provided as follows:

• Visit the location mentioned here:

“(C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks 20XX\Components\OLB\branding\filist)”

• Look for the “fidir.txt” file and right-click on it.
• Select the “Rename” option.
• Enter the name as “fidir.old”.
• Now, right-tap on “QuickBooks”. Choose the “Save Link as” option.
• Save the file on your desktop.
• Right-click on “fidir.txt” and select the “copy” option. 
• Then press the “Windows + E” keys at the same time. This will open “Computer”. 
• Look for the “Filist” folder. Paste the name here.

The setup of your account will be complete now. The name of the Financial Institution Directory File will have been changed.

Fix 9: Repair QuickBooks

QuickBooks often bring issues related to the program and company files. The error 232 is one such issue. Here, we will show you to repair the QuickBooks program. This process includes the uninstall and reinstall processes. Thus, we will first guide you in removing the software from your computer. Then we will help you in installing it again. This fix will be the most suitable for the users of Windows 8.

• On your keyboard, these keys have to be pressed at once:

“Windows” Key + “E” Keys

Note: Alternatively, you can open the “Computer” tab on Windows 8.

• Click on the “Uninstall the Program” option.
• Right-click on “QuickBooks”.
• Select “Uninstall”.
• Press “Next” in the “Installation” window.
• Tap on “Repair”.
• Click on the “Finish” button.
• Start your Windows system again.
• Launch “QB” and check for the problem.

Fix 10: Edit Preferences in FIDIR.TXT File

By setting the preferences of the Fidir.txt file to Read Only, you may be able to fix the QuickBooks error code OL 232. To edit the preferences, you can open the fidir.txt file. Following this, you can locate the Properties tab. The Read Only option will be available here. You can select it to complete this fix.

• Locate the “FIDIR.TXT” file using this path: 

“C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks 20XX\Components\OLB\branding\filist”

• Visit the “Properties” tab.
• Here, check the “Read only” option.

Fix 11: Verify the Hidden Accounts

In this section, we will recommend you to verify the hidden accounts for QuickBooks when the error OL 232 is seen. With online downloads, the hidden account can be seen. The download may not have been supported by your bank. This may be causing the OL 232 error in QB. Using the option of Tools, the hidden accounts can be verified.

• Click on “Tools”.
• Verify the list of accounts.
• Now, select “Show Hidden Accounts”.
• Click on the “Edit” button.

After following these steps, you can go to the online services in order to ensure that there is no hidden account available with the online service.

Fix 12: Reactivate the Account

Sometimes reactivating your account can help you use QuickBooks error-free. So, when problems like the OL 232 QuickBooks error are observed, your account should be reactivated. In the software, you can go to Tool and view the Add Account tab. In Account Type, make a suitable selection. Then run Advanced Setup followed by selecting your bank name.

Let us now look at the other steps of this fix by scrolling below:

• Click on “Tool”.
• Select the “Add Account” tab.
• Choose the “Account Type” such as “Checking” and “Saving”.
• Go to “Advanced Setup”.
• Pick your bank name.
• Click on the “Next” button.
• Add the “Username” and “Password”.
• Hit the “Connect” button.
• Look for the account at the bank.
• Then ensure that you reactivate the account from the list.
• Now, connect the account with the existing bank account.
• Click on the “Next” button.
• Hit the “Finish” button.

Once you connect the new account with the existing account, you can reactivate the bank account easily. Then, you can verify if the error persists.

Fix 13: Check if the Updates have Failed

When updating the QuickBooks programs, the process may get interrupted. As a result, the update may fail from getting completed. Thus, it may remain pending in the list. This may create problems while accessing the online services and display the QuickBooks error code OL 232. The update summary can be checked and the pending/failed updates can be installed.

To check the update summary, you can follow these steps:

• Click on “Tool”.
• Go to the “Update Summary”.
• In case you see the account with a red question mark, it signifies that the updates have failed. To deal with this, you can finish the account update. 
• Restart your computer after the updates have been installed.

Tips to Prevent the QuickBooks Error OL 232

It has been shared by some QuickBooks users that they were able to fix the error OL 232. However, after some time, this QuickBooks error emerged again. To ensure that the same doesn’t happen with you, we have mentioned 7 tips below. You can read them to prevent this error in the future.

• Creating a backup of your QuickBooks company file prior to fixing this error will be useful.
• Match the pending downloaded transactions to ensure that this error doesn’t occur again.
• Log in to your bank’s website through the web browser (outside of QuickBooks). Make sure that you don’t have any pending alerts.
• See to it that the Windows Firewall does not block the connection to QuickBooks.
• Avoid using an unsupported version of the accounting software. Upgrade it when required.
• Update Internet Explorer to the latest version when it is used for running QB.
• Ensure that there is no error in the Bank Feeds Classic Mode.

Final Observation

Bank feed errors such as the code OL 232 can emerge when you are using QuickBooks or its versions. Corrupted company files of QB tend to form such an error code. In addition, when the bank file is not compatible, this error can be experienced. For ensuring that the error doesn’t appear again while using the software, you can repair the corrupted company files when you find them. Likewise, compatible bank files should be preferred. The fixes given in this post would have assisted you in resolving the error OL 232. You can also keep these tips in mind to prevent the error.

For reading about more such issues, you can check out this post on how to fix QuickBooks error OL 332. Along with that, you may prefer reading how to void a check in QuickBooks Online.