QuickBooks is an accounting suite offering various mercantile objectivities in one arena those are bookkeeping, taxation, payroll, inventory, etc. Meanwhile, such a huge platform from time to time freezes out of inherent reasons and puts a halt to our work. Now the question for our efficient user might be how to reduce such instances and have a swift system.
In this blog, we will explicate the reasons behind QuickBooks freezing up and the troubleshooting steps to resolve QuickBooks Desktop freezing up.
To know more, read this blog till the end and execute the steps thoroughly.
Highlighted Factors:
- QuickBooks Desktop Freezes When Opening – Explained!
- Why QuickBooks Freezing- reasons
- What to do when QuickBooks Freezes?
- How to close QuickBooks when frozen?
- Point to consider before resolving the error
- What are the ways to unfreeze QuickBooks Desktop?
QuickBooks Desktop Freezes When Opening – Explained!
The QuickBooks will start getting frozen when the users start working on their reports and also when trying to insert transactions. It might be possible that there is a shortage of space to run the software or that must be encountering issues related to window files. This hampers the performance of work and might harm company files. It also creates a fresh off-screen window that runs in the background, and it won’t get close even if you try to shut it down.
What are the reasons behind QuickBooks Freezing up?
Every time you open QB, it gets frozen, which can be very irritating at times and can also lead to file damage and data loss. Such a situation can also come up when QuickBooks freezes while printing. In that case, it becomes easy to identify the cause. But there are some other reasons too which might trigger the error. Some of them are listed below:
- The User’s company name might be exceeding the limit.
- Must have used corrupted hard drives for software installation.
- Working on damaged or old & expired Operating systems might lead to this error.
- Company files exceeding the maximum size can be the reason.
- One of the reasons can be damaged user references & DDF files.
- Settings of the internet and firewall might be improper.
- A ruined QBWUSER.INI file can lead to an error.
- Background applications are taking up too much space.
- Problems related to the installation of QuickBooks, i.e., damaged or corrupted.
- User access control getting enabled can be one of the reasons.
Symptoms & signs of QuickBooks Desktop Freezing up
One of the most faced issues by users is QuickBooks desktop freezes when opening. Some of the symptoms related to the error are mentioned below:
- QuickBooks might respond slowly to the keyboard inputs and become inactive, and also the system will start hanging.
- It might be possible that an active window can start crashing very often.
- The users’ system gets shut down after QuickBooks freezes.
- After QuickBooks starts freezing, accounting tasks might get complicated, and the system’s performance will begin degrading.
Why is QuickBooks freezing?
QuickBooks, in general, is an efficient software. It is not supposed to freeze but if it’s the case, then users may follow the given steps for a quick recovery.
- If the windows operating system is outdated
- The business file is larger than the maximum size limit
- Missing QBUSER.INI file
- The company name is too lengthy
- If the DDL and your preference file get damaged somehow
- I there is any corruption or damage to program files
- Firewall/Internet Security is too restrictive
What to do when QuickBooks freezes?
If the user wants to unfreeze the QuickBooks Desktop, there are several ways by which it can be solved. Some of them are cited below:
- Restarting or relaunching QuickBooks
- Install the QuickBooks Tool Hub
- To unfreeze QuickBooks, use a Task Manager Tool
- Another way is to create a portable company file
- The users can install the Diagnostic Tool
Point To Consider Regarding How To Unfreeze QuickBooks
Create a company file backup
Create a backup of your company file to avoid any kind of data loss in between the troubleshooting process. The steps are mentioned below:
- Right-click on the QuickBooks.
- Go to the file, and click on the backup company file.
- Now, hit on creating local Backup.
- At last, follow all the instructions provided on the screen to create a backup of your company file.
What are the ways to unfreeze QuickBooks Desktop?
Here are some of the best solutions that will help you to unfreeze the QuickBooks Desktop. Execute the steps accordingly for the best possible results. Make sure that you clear all the background processes going on your desktop before proceeding with the steps. Then, try the solutions provided below as per the cause:
SOLUTION 1 – Erase the cache from the Internet Explorer
The performance of the QB desktop becomes slow and inactive when the cache in the IE takes too much space and is not deleted for a long time. To erase the cache from Internet Explorer, try the following steps mentioned below:
- To begin with, right-click on Internet Explorer.
- Now, go to the gear icon and then click on the Tools menu.
- Scroll down to the safety drop-down menu, and choose Delete browsing history.
- After that, check whether the temporary internet files and cookies box is marked or not.
- Finally, hit on delete.
SOLUTION 2: From the Tool Hub, run Quick fix my program.
When QB stops responding, running Quick Fix my program will help users in repairing all programs files promptly. Follow the steps mentioned below:
- First, start by opening the QuickBooks tool hub.
- Next, move your cursor to the Program Problems and click on it.
- Now, click on the first option Quick Fix my programs button located on the right side of the screen.
- It might take some time to finish and fix the issue; wait patiently.
- After the task gets completed, restart your computer system.
SOLUTION 3: Change the name of the QBWUSER.INI file
Modifying the name of the QBWUSER.INI file can resolve the issue of QuickBooks freezing up. So below are the steps to change the name of the file:
Important: You must allow the hidden file and folders to show by following the steps:
- From the file explorer, click on the view tab.
- Now, click on the hidden items.
- After that, exit QuickBooks and go to my computer.
- From there, select C: Drive, and hit on the search option.
- On the search box, type QBWUSER.INI and press OK.
- Right-click on the file, and from the options, hit on rename.
- Add the word.LMN and hit Enter key.
- At last, restart QuickBooks.
SOLUTION 4: Modify the names of DDF and DAT files
- To begin, close the company file from all the systems.
- Search for the company directory and change the DAT file name (add OLD to it).
- After that, remove all the files containing the DDF extension.
- Now, go to the same directory, right-click on the company and confirm to store payments.
- In the end, take the printout of the same.
SOLUTION 5: Use QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool
Using QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool can fix the error as it helps diagnose issues regarding the component in the QB desktop.
- First of all, download the QuickBooks Install Tool.
- Now, if required, store the file on your desktop.
- After that, close all the programs and right-click on the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool.
- The process might take some time to finish; wait accordingly.
- At last, verify all the components are correctly stored, and restart the computer.
SOLUTION 6: Run rebuild data utility or verify for data damage
QuickBooks might take time to open up whenever there is data damage in the company file. To fix it promptly, the user needs to verify the data utility if any damage is found and rebuild the data utility to fix it.
- First, go to the File menu, and select utilities.
- Now, hit on the verify data option and if the tool indicates damages, come back to the file menu.
- After that, click on the rebuild data and tap on OK.
- The tool takes some time to fix the issue; wait for it.
- After the task gets finished, hit on OK.
- At last, run the verify data utility again to make sure that there is no damage present.
SOLUTION 7: Create a portable company file to unfreeze QuickBooks
QuickBooks can compress your company file into a copy that is portable. Through this file format, it becomes simpler to send via an email or external storage device. To create a portable company file, the steps are mentioned below:
- From the file tab, click on create a copy.
- Further, choose portable company file and tap on next.
- Decide the location where you want to store the company file.
- In the end, click save and then OK.
To Restore the Portable Company File
- Go to the File menu, tap on open or restore company.
- From there, choose to restore a portable file and then hit next.
- Now, select .qbm or portable copy, and then open it.
- Go to where you want to restore the file and then tap next.
- Select the location to restore the portable file.
- At last, hit on save.
Important: You can rename the portable file every time you want to avoid overwriting your existing file.
How To Close QuickBooks When Frozen?
It is not a complex task to close QuickBooks when it’s frozen for whatever the reasons might be. While closing is one task, repairing is another task. For shutting the application your only option would be to use a Task Manager Tool.
If you don’t know the entire steps, you may follow these steps:
- Open your Task Manager and make a note of all the actions to start
- Now select the QuickBooks accounting software
- Below, click on the finish task button
- Close the Task Manager now
How do I fix QuickBooks not responding?
If you are in the midst of QuickBooks not responding, then you don’t need to worry.
- Run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostics tool from the Tool Hub
- Launch QuickBooks Tool Hub
- There on select Program Problems
- Select QuickBooks Program Diagnostic Tool. Start tool run.
- When it finishes, restart the computer and relaunch the QuickBooks application.
Postscript
We hope that by now you’re able to comprehend why the QuickBooks Desktop freezes. At times, when QuickBooks freezes in the right networks. A freezing QuickBooks creates an extra burden during work hours. This also damages the company data file. There are multiple ways how to unfreeze QuickBooks. To prevent data loss or further complications, you may take assistance from this blog or simply call 1800-280-5969.