QuickBooks Has Stopped Working: Why is QuickBooks Not Responding?

QuickBooks works tremendously in terms of handling your business company files. However, this software may come up with some technical errors where QuickBooks suddenly stops working. If your QuickBooks not responding when opening company files, we will help you to fix this in order to access or open your QuickBooks company files.

In this article, you are going to find simple solutions following which you can resolve this issue and make your QuickBooks account open with security.

Causes of QuickBooks Has Stopped Working or Not Responding Error

Behind every technical error in QuickBooks, there are possible reasons that your QuickBooks has stopped working or it is not responding in a way it should.

The occurrence of this kind of error is acceptable as QuickBooks is a multi-user platform so the server might get delayed and it can cause QuickBooks performance. The issue can be troubling for the users as they cannot even open a QuickBooks account.

Below are the following reasons that your QuickBooks database server manager has stopped working.

• The first and the possible cause can be when the hard drive (on which the software and data are stored) has been corrupted.
• When the QBWUSER.INI file is missing from your system or maybe it is corrupted due to some reasons.
• The company name is pretty long(Change Company Name in QuickBooks) which is causing limitations errors and, as a result, the software crashes and does not open.
• The operating system of your computer has been damaged.
• Other files of QuickBooks software might have been corrupted.
• QuickBooks desktop has not been downloaded in a correct manner or probably the installer was being corrupted.
• The window defender system or the antivirus program available on your computer is not recognizing QuickBooks as the safe software. As a result, it is restricting the QuickBooks account from launching.

The above-mentioned reasons can be the main causes if your QuickBooks is not responding and unable to launch.

Symptoms of QuickBooks Not Responding or Stopped Working Error:

Apart from its causes, you must be facing that your system is behaving inappropriately. By knowing about the symptoms, you can confirm the error that QuickBooks has stopped working, and later you can find the fix for the error based on its symptoms.

• If your QuickBooks has stopped working, your system will restart frequently.
• Your system and QuickBooks will stop responding.
• The computer system will hang or freeze the program and will not respond to the commands.
• When you try to open the company file, your QuickBooks instantly quits all at once. (QuickBooks won’t Open Company Files)
• Your computer screen constantly shows the error that your QuickBooks has stopped working.

Since you are aware of the causes and symptoms, now you have a clear understanding of why your QuickBooks has stopped working. In this situation, you can look for possible ways to get rid of this error and get your QuickBooks work again on your system.

Therefore, in this article, you will go through a few methods that will help you to kick this error away from your computer. So let us get started and try to follow the methods in sequence.

How to Fix QuickBooks Has Stopped Working or Not Responding?

To get started, you need to restart the system on which you are encountering this QuickBooks issue. After you reboot the system, you can launch QuickBooks accounting software to perform. While you launch the QuickBooks Desktop, press the CTRL key in order to open your software in safe mode.

Thereafter, you can try running a number of tools such as the QuickBooks Refresher Tool, the QBinstall tool, the QuickBooks Tool Hub, and the QuickBooks System Repair Tool.

Besides, you can rename or delete the QBWUSER.INI file, open company files from a different location, create a Windows user account, remove the QuickBooks program from Firewall, perform a clean install.

Fix 1:- Download QuickBooks Refresher Tool

If your QuickBooks has stopped working, you can use a refresher tool for QuickBooks. QBRefresher is one of the best tools to troubleshoot common errors in your QuickBooks programs. If your QuickBooks not responding after login, download and run this tool to remove errors.

Let’s follow the procedure of the QuickBooks refresher tool download:

• Ensure that the QuickBooks software is not running. If so, then close the QuickBooks program.
• Download the QuickBooks Refresher Tool and proceed the installation process.
• After the installation, you can run the refresher tool.
• Thereafter, the tool automatically diagnoses the issue your QuickBooks account is having and later it comes up with resolving methods.
• In the end, you can launch your QuickBooks account in order to verify if your problem has been fixed or not. If no, move to the next method.

Fix 2:- Use QB install Tool to Fix the Issue

In certain cases, the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool detects the error and fixes it to its great extent. The use of this software is easy. All you have to follow a few steps that the tool suggests.

Let’s find out how to do that.

• First of all, download the QBInstall tool on your computer.
• Make sure that you close all the programs running in the background.
• Then, you can start running the QBInstall tool.
• You need to keep in mind that the tool takes up to 20 minutes to scan the problems in QuickBooks.
• After the tool ends the scan process, it automatically detects and fixes the problems.
• Later, you can reboot the computer.

After the tool ends the scan process, it automatically detects and fixes the problems. Later, you can reboot the computer.

Fix 3 :- Resolve the Issue with QBWUSER.INI File

QBWUSER.INI file can bring issues to your program due to which you encounter a “QuickBooks backup not responding” error. To fix such issues, you can go to Advanced Settings to view hidden files and folders. Thereafter, you can navigate through the Windows settings to locate the QBWUSER.INI file and then rename or delete the file.

• As the first step, ensure that you are on your local desktop. Then, you can press Windows+E in order to open the computer window.
• At this point, you can look for the Organise tab and choose the option. After this, you can select the Folder and search options.
• Now you can click on the View tab.
• In the Advanced Settings, you can enable the Show Hidden Files and Folders option. This option is available under the Hidden Files and Folders options and then hit the OK button.
• After this, you can go to My Computer then select Drive C. Then, go to Documents and Settings > (Enter Your Username) > go to Local Settings > Application Data > then click on Intuit to go to QuickBooks (Year).
• Now at this point, you can find the file named QBWUSER.INI. Here, you can either rename or delete the file from the system.

If your QuickBooks 2013 not responding, then you can remove or rename the QBWUSER.INI file to get rid of this error.

Fix 4: Download QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool

By running QuickBooks Install Diagnostic tool, you can easily repair numerous issues related to the QuickBooks program and company files. If you encounter QuickBooks not responding on Windows 10 or 7, you should download QuickBooks Install Diagnostic tool.

Use these instructions to download and run the QuickBooks install tool on your computer:

• Download “QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool”.
• Then, keep the download file on your computer.
• After that, close all the windows or programs that are opened currently.

Thereafter, you can run the “QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool”. The whole process may take up to 20 minutes. Once the process is finished, you can reboot your system to reflect changes.

Tip: Instead you can use QuickBooks Tool Hub as this serves multiple tools. By doing so, you can fix unexpected errors and repair QuickBooks company files. All you have to do is launch the QuickBooks Tool Hub, click on the Installation Issues tab located on the left, and then hit the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool button.

Fix 5 : Use QuickBooks System Repair Tool

If your QuickBooks database server manager has stopped working, you can then simply use the QuickBooks repair tool to get the issue resolved.

• Download the QuickBooks repair tool.
• Save the file in a local folder on your desktop.
• After that, you can shut down all the running programs and then install this tool.
• As the process may take 20 minutes approximately to run a scan, you need to wait here once it is done.
• Lastly, you can restart the console to get things working.

Fix 6: Turn off the Antivirus program

As mentioned earlier, your computer’s antivirus program might not recognize the QuickBooks software due to which it does not respond. In this case, you can simply disable it.

• Before turning off the antivirus, you can restart your system.
• If the error displays on your screen, you need to make sure that the antivirus program is turned off.
• After disabling antivirus service, your QuickBooks account may start responding.

By following the above-mentioned methods, you may resolve the common errors in your QuickBooks accounting software. There can be many reasons that your QuickBooks has stopped working. But fixing the issue can be done easily if you have the proper knowledge of its causes and symptoms.

Fix 7: Move QuickBooks Company File from Different Location

If QuickBooks not responding on startup then you can move the company files to another folder so that you can access it easily. To do so, you can create a new folder, paste the data after copying from the original folder, and then try accessing the company files

For your better understanding, we have given the steps below:

• Make a new folder by clicking right on the desktop screen.
• Now, open the folder that contains QuickBooks company files.
• Copy the company files by using the “Ctrl + C” keys.
• Now, open the “New Folder” you have just created.
• Then, paste the file using the “Ctrl + V” keys.
• After that, hold the “Ctrl” key until you see the “No Company Open” window on your screen.
• Click the “Open a Company File”’ option.
• Click the “Next” button.
• Now, browse the new folder in which you stored the company file.
• Click the “Open” button.

This way you can open the QuickBooks company file from the new file location without conflicting any error message QuickBooks has stopped working. Make sure that you perform this method on a device on which your QuickBooks company files are hosted.

Fix 8: Create a New User Account on Windows

Apart from QuickBooks, Windows user accounts can also create conflicts due to which you may encounter QuickBooks not responding on Windows 7 or 10. Using the Windows account with no admin rights can cause such issues.

Therefore, in this method, we will show you how to create a new Windows user account with administrative privileges.

• Launch “Control Panel”.
• Click on the “User” icon.
• Choose the “Create New User Choice”.
• Click on the “Administrator” as a user type.

After creating a new account, you can log out from the account. Then, restart your computer and log in to the Windows account. Make sure you use the correct login credentials. Once done, move your QB company files to the desktop. As the last step, you can try opening QuickBooks and accessing your company file.

Fix 9: Run QuickBooks Tool Hub

If QuickBooks not responding to opening the company files then you should run QuickBooks Tool Hub. It helps you to fix a number of errors related to your program and company files.

Before proceeding further, you need to download the tool on your computer so that you can perform it to repair issues. Follow these steps:

• Close your QuickBooks programs if opened.
• Download the “QuickBooks Tool Hub” file” from the trusted sources on your computer.
• Save the “QuickBooks tool hub .exe file” on a specific location so that you can find it easily.
• After this, double click the “QuickBooksToolHub.exe” file to open it.
• Now, follow the prompts given on your screen to agree to the conditions.

As you follow these steps, the tool will be downloaded and installed on your computer. Thereafter, you can run it to perform. For that, you can double-click on the tool icon.

Tip: If you encounter program problems then you can hit the Quick Fix my program. This is a basic method that you can perform at first. This process may take a minute to repair your program.

Fix 10: Delete QuickBooks Program from Windows Firewall

To prevent the “QuickBooks online not responding” error, we suggest you remove QuickBooks software from the Windows Firewall. To do so, you need to set the Inbound Rules and Outbound Rules in Windows Firewall settings.

Follow the instructions given below:

• Click the “Start” button.
• Search for the “Windows Firewall” using the search bar.
• Click on the “Windows Firewall” when you see it in the result.
• Click right on the “Inbound Rules” from the “Advanced Settings”.
• Select the “New Rule”.
• Then, hit the “Next” button from the “Programs”.
• Now, click on the “This Program Path”.
• Select a file location for QuickBooks.
• Click the “Next” button.
• Choose the “Allow the Connection”.
• Click the “Next” button
• Make sure that all the options are checked.
• Hit the “Next” button.
• Add the name for the new rule.
• Click the “Finish” button.

Once you are done setting up the rule for inbound, you can follow the same steps for creating the outbound rule. All you have to select the outbound rules option from the Advanced settings. This will for sure fix the QuickBooks has stopped working error.

Fix 11: Reinstall QuickBooks using Clean Install

To start with this clean install process, you need to collect the product information, uninstall the QuickBooks Desktop, and then reinstall the compatible version of the QuickBooks program on your computer. Also, this will not let affect your accounting data as the data is not involved in this.

If QuickBooks has stopped working when opening, you probably will not be able to access your program properly. In this scenario, you can perform a clean install. This process includes reinstallation of your QuickBooks program.

Here are the steps for that.

Collect the Product Information

• Download QuickBooks installer based on the QuickBooks version.
• Note down the license number of your QuickBooks program. This can be found on your QuickBooks software packaging. If you purchased the QuickBooks software online then you should check it in your email that contains the product information.
• Also, note down the QuickBooks year and version.

Remove QuickBooks Desktop from Control Panel

Once done collecting all the essential product information, you can continue removing the QuickBooks program from your computer:

• Search for the “Control Panel” using the Windows search bar.
• Click on the “Control Panel” when you find it in the result.
• Now, hit the “Uninstall a program” option.
• Switch to the “Programs and Features” option.
• Then, hit the “Uninstall a Program” option.

• Now, click on the “QuickBooks” program from the list of all programs.
• Then, select the “Uninstall/Change” button.
• Click the “Remove” option.
• Click the “Next” button.

Once you are done uninstalling the QuickBooks program, you can reinstall it. Later, you can check if you can easily access the program and company files.

Fix 12: Rename the QB.INI File

The QBWUSER.INI file can cause your programs to work efficiently. As a result, you see a “QuickBooks launcher has stopped working” error. By renaming the file, you can fix internal issues that cause your program.

• Use “Windows + E” to open the computer window.
• From the “Organize” tab on the left, select the “Folder and search” options.
• Now, click on the “View” tab.
• Switch to the “Advanced Settings”.
• Select the “Hidden Files and Folders” option.
• Click on the “Show Hidden Files and Folders” options.
• Click the “OK” button.
• After this, you can go to My Computer then select Drive C. Then, go to Documents and Settings > (Enter Your Username) > go to Local Settings > Application Data > then click on Intuit to go to QuickBooks (Year).
• Click right on the “QBWUSER.INI” file.
• Then, select the “Rename” option and change its name to “EntitlementDatastore.ecml” file.

As you change the name of the QBWUSER.INI file, you can easily launch QuickBooks programs without confronting any errors.

Fix 13: Use QuickBooks System Repair Tool

The QuickBooks System Repair tool can be used to repair your program. If QuickBooks not responding when opening company files then you can download this tool to remove errors.

• Download the “QuickBooks repair tool”.
• Save the download file in the local folder.
• Then, shut down the programs that are currently opened and follow the on-screen instructions.

The process may take up to 20 minutes to scan your device. Once the process is finished and your program is repaired, you can restart your device to verify the error.

Closing Up

It is common to face issues related to the QuickBooks program. There can be numerous reasons behind this. But fixing the issue can be done easily if you have the proper knowledge of its causes and symptoms. If QuickBooks has stopped working after login, you can perform the methods we have given above.

Learn more about QuickBooks errors and repairing tools in the following guides:

• How to Fix Quickbooks Error Code H202?
• How to Use Quickbooks Password Reset Tool?

Frequently Asked Questions