You may encounter the “QuickBooks company file in use” error while opening your company file. The complete error message is displayed as follows:
Company File in use. Please wait.
Only one user at a time is allowed to do (a task).
This error message indicates that the company (QBW) file is already being used by another user. You may also fail to open the file if it is locked by another program/process running on your system. In this guide, you will learn the causes of the “QuickBooks company file in use” error and the solutions with stepwise instructions to troubleshoot and resolve it.
Causes of ‘QuickBooks Company File in Use’ Error
This QuickBooks error may occur due to several factors. These include:
- Conflicting processes or applications, such as antivirus
- Damaged or corrupt QuickBooks company file
- Network issues
- Incorrect file permission
- Performance issues on the system
- Storage media issues on the server system or workstation
Methods to Resolve ‘QuickBooks Company File in Use’ Error
You may fail to open the company file if there are performance issues on the system where your QuickBooks application is installed. Performance issues can occur if your system doesn’t meet the QuickBooks Desktop application requirements. So, first check and make sure your system has the required RAM or Virtual Memory and other specifications. It might also happen that some programs or processes are consuming a lot of system resources. You can find such programs or processes and close them. For this, open the Task Manager, click Processes tab, and then close the programs and processes on your system. If the issue is not related to system resources or performance issues, follow the below methods.
Method 1: Check Hosting Settings on Host System and Workstations
The “Company file in use” error in QuickBooks can occur due to incorrect hosting configuration on the workstations or host system. It usually occurs when multiple users try to access the company file in a multi-user environment. You can check and change the hosting settings on the workstations to resolve this error. Here’s how to do so:
- Open your QuickBooks on a workstation.
- Click File > Utilities.
- If Stop Hosting Multi-User Access displays on the screen, click on it and then click the Yes option to confirm.
- Close the QuickBooks.
Repeat the same steps to change the settings on all the workstations.
Follow the below steps to check hosting settings on host (server) system:
- Open the QuickBooks on your server system.
- From the File menu, click Utilities.
- Check and make sure Host Multi-User Access appears on the menu.
Method 2: Sign Out the User from QuickBooks
You can check the list of users to confirm that the specific user is no longer signed in. If a particular user is referred to in the error but the user is inactive, then sign out that user from the QuickBooks. You can view and sign out the users in QuickBooks using the below steps:
- Close and then reopen QuickBooks.
- On another PC, open QuickBooks. Click on the Company menu, hover over the Users tab, and then select View Users. This will help you view the active users logged into the company file.
- Next, find out the user referred to in the error and then sign out the user from QuickBooks from their workstation.
Note: Depending on the version of QuickBooks you’re using, the option to sign out may vary. For example, Force Sign Out or Close Session.
Method 3: Restart QuickBooks Services on Server System
The “QuickBooks company file in use” error can occur if the files are locked or conflicting with other processes on the server system. In this case, you can restart the QuickBooks services on your server system. Here are the steps:
- First, make sure the QuickBooks application is closed on all workstations.
- Next, go to the Server system, click the Start menu, and then click the Run option.
- In the Open field, write services.msc and then click OK.
- In the Services window, under the Name column, find and select QuickBooksDBXX. Here, “XX” is the version of the QuickBooks application you are using. For example: for QuickBooks 2020, the option appears as QuickBooksDB30.
- Now, click the Stop link and then click the Start link.
Method 4: Download and Use QuickBooks Tool Hub
You can download the QuickBooks tool hub and run the tools under the Program Problems tab to address and resolve the “QuickBooks company file in use” error. Follow the steps below:
- Download, install, and launch the QuickBooks tool hub.
- In the Tool hub, click Program Problems.
- Run each tool, like Quick Fix my Program and QuickBooks Program Diagnostic.
- After this, open your QuickBooks application.
Note: While the Tool Hub is a great utility, it doesn’t always fix this particular issue unless it’s tied to program-related file locks.
Method 5: Create a New User in QuickBooks
The “QuickBooks Company file in use” error can occur if there is some permission-related issue. This issue usually happens when accessing QuickBooks on workstation. In this case, you can create a new user in QuickBooks and use it to open the company file. Here are the steps:
- On the workstation, right-click on the QuickBooks icon and select Run as administrator.
- In QuickBooks, locate the Company menu, click Users, and then Set up Users and Roles.
- In the Users and Roles window, select New.
- In the field named – User Name, enter a name.
- In the Roles window, select a role, select Add, and then click OK.
- To make changes to the role, click on the Role List tab, and then click Edit. You can add or reassign permissions if required. Then, click OK.
- Close the User and Roles window.
- Now, sign out of QuickBooks on the workstation and then use the login credentials of the newly created users to sign in.
Method 6: Repair your QuickBooks Company File
If corruption in the QuickBooks company file is the cause behind the “QuickBooks company file in use” error, then you can restore the file from backup. Use the following steps:
- In QuickBooks, click File > Open or Restore Company.
- Click the Local Backup option and then select Next.
- Browse to the location of your backup company file (.qbb).
- Select a location to save the restored file and click Open.
If you have not created backup, then you can use the built-in utility in QuickBooks – Verify and Rebuild. This utility identifies and fixes company file issues (if any). Here’s how to use this utility:
- In QuickBooks, click File > Utilities > Rebuild Data.
- In the QuickBooks Information window, click OK.
- You will see a prompt asking you to create a company file backup. Follow the on-screen instructions to create a backup.
- Once the backup is created, the tool starts rebuilding the company file.
- Wait for the rebuilding process to complete. Then, click OK.
Now, verify if there are any additional issues. For this, run the Verify Data tool. Here’s how:
- In QuickBooks, click the File option.
- Click Utilities and then click Verify Data.
- The tool will begin verifying the company file data for any remaining issues.
- If it fails to detect any issue, click OK.
If the above tool fails, then you can use the QuickBooks File Doctor tool. If nothing works, then you can use a specialized QuickBooks company file repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for QuickBooks. It can help you repair and recover your QBW file data.
Conclusion
Above, we have shared some proven methods to troubleshoot and resolve the “QuickBooks company file in use” error. You can check hosting settings and active users on the company file to resolve the error. If corruption in the company file is triggering the QuickBooks to throw this error, then you can take the help of a reliable QuickBooks repair tool, like Stellar Repair for QuickBooks. It can easily repair highly corrupted QuickBooks company (QBW) files and restore all the file components, such as vendor, customer, company, and employee data. The tool supports QuickBooks company files of all QuickBooks versions.
