QuickBooks Unrecoverable Error When Opening or Working on QB

You might run into a QuickBooks Unrecoverable error when opening a company file, working on it, or trying to save it. This error category encompasses a range of numerous error codes, each consisting of ten digits in an XXXXX XXXXX format.

These errors often occur as a sudden crash or freezing of the QuickBooks application, accompanied by an error message stating that QuickBooks has encountered an unrecoverable error and needs to be closed.
The reasons for the unrecoverable errors can be anything, such as multiple windows left open during the previous file closure, data damage in the company file, incompatibility between QuickBooks and the operating system, or damaged Microsoft components.

However, it is essential to explore the underlying causes of this error in depth. In this blog, we will explore all the possible scenarios that can lead to an unrecoverable error in QuickBooks Desktop. By addressing them, you can effectively resolve and prevent such errors from occurring in the future.

Different Instances of Unrecoverable Error in QuickBooks Desktop

There are various instances when you would find that QuickBooks closes unexpectedly, crashes, freezes, or suddenly stops working, accompanied by an unrecoverable error. Let us look at some of these instances when you might see the unrecoverable error in QuickBooks Desktop.

• When you try to open or close a company file.
• While you shut any open window in a company file.
• It also occurs when you try to create a backup, a company file, or a portable file.
• Another instance is when you download a payroll update.
• When you open any window in QuickBooks (such as the Homepage, Company Snapshot, Reports, Transaction)
• Unrecoverable errors in QuickBooks may occur while running verify or rebuild utility, saving a transaction, sending payroll via Direct Deposit, or using the Open Previous Company feature.
• It can also occur when you click on any menu option, button, or link in QuickBooks.

Let us now dive into the root causes of the unrecoverable error in QuickBooks Desktop before we go ahead and resolve it.

Related Post: How To Resolve QuickBooks Rebuild Error 213

Reasons Why You Get An Unrecoverable Error in QuickBooks

You may receive an unrecoverable error, such as QuickBooks error code 19062 00238 while opening or working on your QuickBooks Desktop for the following reasons.

• You may get this error if the Windows is missing the QuickBooks updates.
• There might be some damage to your data.
• Your computer has some internal issues.
• There is damage in the QuickBooks program or installation files.
• Windows is missing important Microsoft components that QuickBooks requires to run.

However, the list of reasons given here is not exhaustive and the error might be caused due to other factors.

Some QuickBooks Desktop Unrecoverable Error Codes

The error code on your screen will be a ten-digit number in the format XXXXX XXXXX. Here are some common QuickBooks Desktop unrecoverable error codes.

Note: QuickBooks error code 2147221164 while trying to run a tax form worksheet on MS Excel is a runtime error, not an unrecoverable error. 

Expert Recommended Solutions for QuickBooks Unrecoverable Error Codes

Now, let us move to effective methods to resolve the QuickBooks unrecoverable error when opening company file, working on it, or saving it.  Firstly, update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release. Moreover, create a backup of your company file. Once you are done with it, it is time to start with the troubleshooting steps.

1. Open QuickBooks Desktop With All Windows Closed

QB re-opens all the windows that were left open when you last closed your company file. Suppose you have left a large report or several windows open. In that case, QB will open them automatically the next time when you launch it, and you will see an unrecoverable error on startup. To avoid this, you need to open your file with all windows closed.

1. Open the QB Desktop application.
2. Then, in the No Company Open window, select your company file.
3. Now, press and hold the Alt key on the keyboard, and hit Open. Do not leave the Alt key until your file opens. When QB asks you to sign in to your account, then only release the Alt key and enter the password. 

Check if this resolves unrecoverable error in QuickBooks Desktop. However, if the issue persists, move to the next step.

2. Identify the QB User Profiles That Are Affected

Note: If you don’t have multiple users who can access the company file, you can proceed to the next solution to fix the QuickBooks Unrecoverable Error.

Let us identify the users affected to know if the unrecoverable error is limited to a few users. You can identify the affected users using a different login credential to open the same company file. If the QuickBooks unrecoverable error code occurs in a specific user, in that case, that user credential might be damaged. If so, you can recreate the damaged user by following the below-given steps:

(i) In case a regular user profile is damaged

• Go to the Company menu, and from there, select Set Up Users and Passwords followed by Set Up Users.

For Enterprise users: Go to the Company menu> Users> Set Up Users and Roles.

• Select the Add User option. Further, enter the username and password and click Next.

Note: Make sure not to use the damage

• You can customize the user per your needs and then, click Finish.
• Go to the File menu and select Close Company/Logoff.
• Finally, log in to the company file using the new login credentials.

(ii) In case the admin user is damaged

In this scenario, you need to run the QuickBooks File Doctor from the QB Tool Hub to fix the QuickBooks Unrecoverable Error. However, if this doesn’t resolve the error and you continue to encounter it, move to the next step.

3. Suppress Your QuickBooks Desktop When Opening

When QuickBooks launches with many windows on startup or re-opens any window left when the user closes the company file, you are more likely to face QB unrecoverable error. Therefore, you should seek to open the company file while suppressing QuickBooks desktop.

Step 1: Suppress the Desktop while starting QuickBooks

• Hold the Ctrl key and double-click on the QuickBooks icon.
• Further, hold the Ctrl key until the No Company Open window displays on the screen.

Step 2: Suppress the Desktop while opening a Company File

• Select the desired company file from the No Company Open window.

• Then, hold the Alt key and select Open.
• Leave the Alt key whenever a prompt appears for your login information. Then, enter your username and password. However, if the prompt doesn’t appear, then don’t release the Alt key.
• Moving ahead, hold the Alt key and click OK. 

Note: Don’t release the Alt key until your file is entirely open.

• Lastly, QuickBooks will display a blank screen. If you can highlight the QuickBooks menu by just hovering over it, it means that your company file is completely open.

4. Open a Sample QuickBooks Company File

To find out if the QuickBooks unrecoverable error is with your company file or with QuickBooks itself, you can try opening a sample company file.  To do so, you can proceed with the below-given steps:

• Select Open a sample file option from the No Company Open window.
• Further, click on any sample file available on the list.

Expected Conclusions:

• If you get a QuickBooks unrecoverable error code while opening the sample company as well, you must skip the solution after the next one for troubleshooting the data damage in the company file as the problem is not a damaged company file.
• However, you might have saved the company file in the location where your company file is present. Thus, the possibility that the folder where the company file is stored is still open. We advise you to try the next solution – copy the company file to a different location, open it from there, and check if this resolves the issue. Suppose it doesn’t skip the solution that follows after it to troubleshoot data damage in the company file and move to the next one. 
• If the sample file opens without an issue, it signifies that either your company file or the folder that stores your company file is damaged. We will see how to address that in solutions that follow.

5. Copy the Company File to a Different Location

First, you should copy your file to a different location and try to open it from there. This is to identify if the folder having the company file is damaged. It will also help you know if your file exceeded the file system path limitation.

• Right-click on the Desktop, and select New > Folder. Name this folder as QBTEST.
• Then, open the folder in which you have saved your company file. Right-click the file and select Copy.
• Paste the company file into the QBTEST folder and then open it from there.

(i) If the error does not appear while opening the company file from a different location as well, then the folder that stores the company file is damaged, or the path to the folder is too long. In that case, you need to create a new folder to keep your file.

(ii)If the QuickBooks unrecoverable error appears even when opening the company file from a different location, it signifies that the company file or your QuickBooks installation is damaged.

6. Troubleshoot Data Damage in the Company File

However, if the unrecoverable error when opening a QuickBooks Desktop file on a workstation persists, you need to resolve the data damage in the company file. To do so, there are a few things you can do:

• Close your QuickBooks Desktop and then verify and rebuild company data. Now, relaunch QuickBooks Desktop and check if the unrecoverable error is resolved.
• If the error persists, you can restore an earlier version of the QuickBooks company file by restoring a recent backup. However, this might cause you to lose all the progress you made since the last backup. 
• If you do not want to restore a backup or the unrecoverable errors persist even after that, you can use QB Auto Data Recovery to recover lost data. 

Before you do so, ensure that you had saved a local backup of the company file when we advised you – before beginning with the troubleshooting. If you are not confident about resolving data damage yourself, you can reach out to a QB consultant for assistance. If these steps didn’t help you fix the QuickBooks unrecoverable error, then you can perform the instructions given in next steps.

7. Run the Quick Fix My Program from the Tool Hub

To run the Quick Fix My Program utility, you first need to download and install the QuickBooks Tool Hub (1.6.0.5). Moreover, you must try using the Tool Hub on Windows 10, 64-bit as it is recommended by experts.

This will help you fix QuickBooks Desktop unrecoverable error that you might come across while using the QB application. Once installed, you have to run the Quick Fix. It will run a quick repair on your program and shut down any background process that QuickBooks might use.

• In the QuickBooks Tools Hub, select Program Problems.
• Select Quick Fix My Program.

Now, try launching QuickBooks Desktop and sign into the company file. If you continue to face an issue, move to the next step.

8. Repair the QuickBooks Desktop Application

If the above step fails to get rid of the unrecoverable error QuickBooks Desktop, you should try troubleshooting the program and files of installation and Microsoft components. However, before you do so, close the QuickBooks company file.

(i) Repair QuickBooks Program

Let us now first repair the QuickBooks Desktop program.

• Launch QuickBooks Tools Hub and go to the Program Problems tab.
• Choose QuickBooks Program Diagnostic Tool.

Allow the tool to run for a while and repair the QuickBooks program. Restart the program and check if this resolves the issue. Otherwise, move to the next step, which is to repair QuickBooks installation.

(ii) Repair QuickBooks Installation

Now, let us repair the QuickBooks Desktop installation, which includes installation files and Microsoft components.

• Launch QuickBooks Tools Hub and go to the Installation Issues tab.
• Choose QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool.

Allow the tool to run and repair QuickBooks installation. Once it is done, you will need to restart the computer for the changes to take effect. Finally, open QB and log into the company file. If yet the unrecoverable error persists, let us manually repair the Microsoft .NET Framework, which QuickBooks requires to run.

9. Manually Repair Microsoft .NET Framework

You can repair the Microsoft .NET Framework manually by following the steps given below.

• Click on the Windows icon and type Control Panel. 
• Go to the Programs and Features and select Uninstall a Program option.
• Then, click on Turn Windows features on or off.
• Further, you need to check .NET Framework 4.5(or later) and 3.5 SP1 settings as per the below-specified conditions: 

Case 1: If .NET Framework 4.5 (or later) and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 checkbox isn’t marked

• Turn on .NET Framework 4.5 (or later) and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 by marking the checkbox.
• Then, click OK to save the changes.
• At last, restart your computer.

Case 2: When the .NET Framework 4.5 (or later) and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 checkbox is marked

• Select the checkbox to turn off .NET Framework 4.5 (or later) and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. 
• Further, save the changes by clicking on OK.
• Then, restart your computer.
• When you’re signed in back into Windows, follow the steps to turn on .NET Framework 4.5 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 again.

Now, restart your computer and launch QB. Sign in to the company file and check if the unrecoverable error in QuickBooks Desktop is resolved. If you continue to face it, let us repair the QB from the control panel.

Read More: Causes and fixes for QuickBooks save as PDF not working

10. Repair QuickBooks from the Control Panel

Windows allows you to repair programs from the Control Panel. This is a powerful way to repair QuickBooks Desktop.

• Close QuickBooks Desktop and all its processes running in the background.

Note: To close QB processes running in the background, open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Now, right-click on a QuickBooks process and choose End process. Do so for all the QB processes running.

• Now, launch the Control Panel.

• To do so, press the Windows key on your keyboard and type in control panel. Now choose Control Panel.
• Go to Programs and Features.
• Locate and select QuickBooks Desktop in the list of installed programs.
• Now, choose Uninstall/Change, followed by Repair, and then Next.

Allow the repair process the time it needs to complete.

• Once done, restart the computer.

Finally, open QuickBooks Desktop and check if the unrecoverable error you faced is resolved.

11. Create a New Windows Administrator Profile

In case a user profile or inadequate permissions cause an unrecoverable error when logging into the company file, try making a new admin user. Now, try to run QuickBooks operations with this administrator profile.

Windows 10

• Click on the Windows icon, go to Settings> Accounts> Family & other users> Add someone else to this PC.
• Then, click on the I don’t have this person’s sign-in information option.
• Further, Add a user without a Microsoft account.
• Enter the name of the new account and click on Finish.
• Now, choose the newly created account and click on Account Type.
• Lastly, click on Administrator, followed by OK.

Windows 8.1

1. Simultaneously press the Windows + R keys to open the Run window.
2. There, type Control Panel and click OK.
3. Further, select User Accounts> Manage another account> Other accounts > Add an account.
4. Now, select Sign in without a Microsoft account followed by the Local account option.
5. Enter the user name, password, and password hint. Once done, select Next.
6. It will take you back to the Manage Other Accounts screen. There, select the newly created account, then Edit.
7. By default, the new user is set to the standard user. 
8. Lastly, select the Administrator option from the drop-down menu and click OK.

Windows 8 and 7

1. Open the Run window by pressing the Windows + R keys simultaneously.
2. There, type Control Panel and click OK.
3. Further, select User Accounts> Manage another account> Create a new account.
4. Now, enter the name of the new account.
5. Once done, select Administrator, followed by the Create Account option.

Windows Servers:

Windows Server 2012

1. Open Server Manager in the first place.
2. Go to Tools and select Computer Management, then Expand Local Users and Groups and Groups.
3. Open the Administrator Properties window by double-clicking on the Administrator Groups. Then, Select Add.
4. Further, enter the account you want to add to the local admin groups in the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups window. 
5. At last, click OK.

Windows Small Business Server 2011 and 2008/R2

1. Run the Windows SBS (2011/2008) console and select Users and Groups.
2. Go to the Users tab and select Add a new user account to run the Add a New User Account wizard from the Tasks pane.
3. When prompted, enter the required details and select the role for the new user.
4. Further, enter a password for the new user.

Note: You must know that you won’t be able to continue without adding a password. Thus, make sure to meet the complexity requirements.

• Select Add User and follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
• At last, click on Finish.

12. Clean Install QuickBooks Desktop

However, if comprehensive troubleshooting doesn’t resolve the QuickBooks unrecoverable errors, only a fresh start can help. This means you need to reinstall QuickBooks Desktop. However, you cannot do so in a conventional way, as this might not get rid of errors. Instead, you need to clean install QuickBooks Desktop.

Conclusion

We hope the troubleshooting solutions mentioned in this blog have helped you understand what leads to a QuickBooks unrecoverable error and how to fix it. Follow the instructions given in this guide carefully. However, if you find yourself stuck or have a query regarding troubleshooting or QB errors, we recommend that you contact our experts in QuickBooks Data Repair.

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Oriana Zabell

Oriana Zabell, a professional cloud engineer, has over three years of experience in desktop, online QuickBooks support and troubleshooting. She is currently working as a cloud hosting consultant with Asquare Cloud Hosting. She loves to read and write about the latest technologies such as cloud computing, AI, DaaS, small businesses, manufacturing. When not writing, she is either reading novels or is indulged in a debate with movie fanatics.

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Unrecoverable Error In QuickBooks Desktop: General Troubleshooting Steps

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QuickBooks Unrecoverable error code mainly occurs due to missing Windows, QuickBooks updates, & Computer issues. Hence, read the entire information as we explained quick scenarios & solutions to learn how to fix QuickBooks unrecoverable errors.

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Oriana Zabell

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AsquareCloudHosting

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