CLOSING QB PROGRAM

[NEI]

I just upgraded to QB Desktop Pro 2019 yesterday.  I was told to NEVER close out by using the X at the top right of my screen.  I just did that on my laptop after I backed up my files to that device.  I was told if I ever close out accidentally by that method, I should contact tech support because I could corrupt my file.  So what next?

[Angelyn_T]

Hi there, @NEI.

Thank you for posting here in the Community. I'm here to help share information about closing QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

There are two ways to close QBDT, the first is by clicking on the X button at the upper right corner of the QuickBooks homepage. The second method is by going to the File menu, and selecting on Close Company. Once done, go back to the File menu, then select Exit. 

Both ways safely close QuickBooks and the company file, the only difference is, when you close QuickBooks using the X button, once you open it again, QBDT will automatically bring you to the login screen of the last file you've opened. On the other hand, if you close QuickBooks by closing the company file first, you can log in as a different user or switch to another company file.

Please let me know if you have any other questions about closing QBDT, I'm always here to help you. Have a great day ahead!

[Rustler]

File>exit is the same as clicking the red X

File>close company

THEN

file>exit or red X

[Dakota98]

We found out in February that our company file is corrupt, but never had any warnings/errors until we tried importing our Accountant's changes. I have been working with the Quickbooks Data Recovery team & they are saying that all of our backups are also corrupt. When I asked how they went corrupt or how we are supposed to know, I was told to never use the X in the upper right-hand corner to close, always go to File, then Close Company/Logoff. By clicking the X, we caused our files to go corrupt. Now I am really confused because you are saying it is ok to click the X?! So what is the truth here?!?!!

[Anonymous]

Hi there, @Dakota98,

It's great to have you back here in our forum. Allow me to share some clarifications about closing your company file.

There are a number of reasons (internal or external factors) with the data corruptions in QuickBooks. I agree with Rustler and Angelyn_T. Closing the company file both ways does not cause corruptions on your company file. Instead, it is a precaution to prevent your file from being corrupted.

Leaving QuickBooks open leaves you vulnerable to data file corruption. Should your network connection go down and QuickBooks assumes you are still connected problems with the data file will begin to appear.

You may want to check this article to know more about the data damage in QuickBooks: Top data damage errors in QuickBooks Desktop

As always, I'm just a few clicks away if you should have any questions or need help with QuickBooks. I'm your personal QuickBooks guide. All the best!

[smore]

---

Both ways safely close QuickBooks and the company file, the only difference is, when you close QuickBooks using the X button, once you open it again, QBDT will automatically bring you to the login screen of the last file you've opened. On the other hand, if you close QuickBooks by closing the company file first, you can log in as a different user or switch to another company file.

I would like to disagree. This is what I have found:

If I delete an item, then close using the X button, this item will NOT show up in ListDeletedQuery

If I delete an item, then close using File -> Close Company/Logoff this item WILL show up in ListDeletedQuery.

[kar3k]

As a precaution to anything you login with, you should always log off first before closing the program. 

We were told to never close with 'X' as well. So the question is why is it even there?

I could understand if you closed the program while logged in, can create potential problems. But I've practiced closing the company file first, then I can hit the 'X' button, and we haven't had the same problem since (*knock on wood*)

[chbirder]

I do not have QB open but when I click on the icon to open QB I get a message to close all for an update. 

[MaryLandT]

I can provide the steps on how to open QuickBooks with no issues, chbirder.

When you start QuickBooks, it is already running and starts instantly. When QuickBooks runs in the background, it's identified as a process (QBW32.exe) in the Windows task manager.

You can turn off the preference using the instructions below and re-open the program:

1. Right-click the taskbar and select Start Task Manager.
2. Go to the Processes tab and click the Image Name tab.
3. Select the QuickBooks processes one by one and click End process.
4. Make sure only QuickBooks processes are ended and then close the Task Manager.
5. Exit out of SmartVault from the system tray.
   
   

If you're getting the same results, the upgrade didn't go through. You may need to go to the upgrading process again. Check out this link to learn what's new and improved in the system: Release notes for QuickBooks Desktop 2019

I'm adding this link for other troubleshooting steps: QuickBooks Desktop doesn't start or won't open.

Get back to me if there's anything else I can help you with QuickBooks. I'm always glad to help you.

[LorraineMc]

Our company uses enterprise desktop. Clicking the close button, instead of the company, corrupts the user and they cannot log back in. A new user has to be created. This is a terrible flaw. Has anyone else experienced this? I am not working directly on the troubleshooting but have been told that we will have to shut down QB for a few days while QB cleans the company file. I fear it would just happen again, after the file is cleaned. This just does not make any sense that a close button would trigger these results. 

[ReymondO]

Good day, @LorraineMc.

 Thank you for bringing this up in the QuickBooks Community. 

There might be data damage in your company file. This is the reason why you're unable to log in back after clicking the close (X) button. 

Let's run some basic troubleshooting steps to clear this out. To start, update QuickBooks Desktop to its latest release. Doing this will keep your software up-to-date and fix some minor data issues.

1. Go to the Help menu and select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Click the Update Now tab. 
3. Select Get Updates to start the download.
4. When the download finishes, restart QuickBooks.
5. Once prompted, accept the option to install the new release.

If you're still getting the same result, I recommend running the Verify and Rebuild Data tools. Verify Data self-identifies the most commonly known data issues within a company file. On the other hand, Rebuild Data resolves most data integrity issues that were verified. 

Please browse through this article: Help Articles. This link contains a lot of information and steps that you might use in the future. 

Let us know if you run into issues again or if you have other questions about QuickBooks. I'm just one click away to assist you. Have a great day.

[LorraineMc]

Thank you Raymond for your response. I cannot confirm if the Verify and Rebuild Data tools has been done, but have to assume it has been. We are at the stage that Quickbooks is going to clean the company file. Once that is done, after not having access to QB for days, is there a guarantee that this will resolve the issue entirely? If someone inadvertently uses the close button can the corruption cycle begin all over again? (And I assume a power failure would have the same impact as clicking the close button)

PS - this all started recently when we upgraded to accept credit card payments. It was very stable previous to this and the staff had ALWAYS used the close button instead of close company. 

[ReymondO]

Thank you for getting back to me, @LorraineMc.

Yes, updating QuickBooks to its latest release and using the verify & rebuild data tools should fix the issue. Closing the program by clicking the X button shouldn't create this error. 

However, if you're still getting a similar result, I'd recommend reaching out to our customer support. This way, they can check your company file and trace where might this issue is coming from. Just to follow these steps to connect with them:

1. Go to the Help icon and select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. Click Contact Us.
3. Write your concerns in the description box, then select Continue.
4. Select which one of the support options you'd like to use.

Please check out our support hours to ensure that we address your concerns on time.

Let me know how it goes by commenting below. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Keep safe and have a great day.

[Mark H1]

I too had a similar problem. At the first of 2022 we wanted to change from Quickbooks Desktop to Quickbooks Online. When we tried to use the Export Data to Quickbooks Online built into Quickbooks, it would stall and never complete. We were told that our data file was corrupted and we had to pay Intuit Data Service to fix it. We were desperate because we had to get payroll out so we paid up. So instead of going to Quickbooks Online, I was talked into signing up for Quickbooks Hosted (more $) which runs Quickbooks Desktop on an Intuit server that we log into via RDP. 

Today I started getting an error message when exiting Quickbooks. It said something about "unrecoverable error" but it went away so quickly (< 2 seconds) I couldn't respond to it. I called QB Data Services and they told me what you were told - always log out of the company file before exiting the program. 

Personally I find this a horrible design flaw in QB. A basic programming tenet is that a user should not be able to do anything in their normal course of work that could break the data. In this case, exiting QB should automatically log out of the company file before exiting the program.

[NicoleFeng]

Hi 

We upgrade quickbook to 2022 pro plus desktop in May. Ever since then, we occasionally ran into "unrecoverable error" situation. I found some help about use "Alt" key when opening up company file by "forcing the unclose file to be close". It works somehow and lets me open quickbook. However, it happens so frequent and it really annoys. And the truth is, without knowing what is really going on (what really cause the issue" scares us. Please do you know the answer? Thanks!

[ZackE]

Thanks for joining this thread, NicoleFeng.

Since QuickBooks is showing an unrecoverable error, I'd recommend troubleshooting initially with the Verify Data utility. This identifies known issues within company files and informs users if their Rebuild Data tool needs to be used afterwards.

Here's how it's used:

1. Click Window, then Close All.
2. In your top menu bar, go to File.
3. Choose Utilities.
4. Select Verify Data.

In the event its results show a "Your data has lost integrity," message, this indicates there's damage in your file. You can use the Rebuild Data utility to fix it. For specific errors, there may already be a resource for them on our support site.

If it displays a "QuickBooks detected no problems with your data," notification, or you've searched our help articles and didn't find any existing resources about the specific error it displayed, you can move on to troubleshooting with our QuickBooks Tool Hub:

1. Close QuickBooks and download a copy of the utility's most recent version, then run it.
2. Follow along with your on-screen steps to complete installation and agree with our terms and conditions.
3. Once it's installed, double-click its icon to open the tool hub. If you can't find your app, perform a search in Windows for "QuickBooks Tool Hub" and select the program.
4. Access your Company File Issues tab and use the Quick Fix my file and QuickBooks File Doctor tools to troubleshoot your company file. In the event you need additional assistance, choose File Dr Help.

In the event your books continue displaying unrecoverable errors, you'll want to get in touch with our Customer Care team.  They'll be able to pull up the account in a secure environment, conduct further research, and create an investigation ticket if necessary.

Please don't hesitate to send a reply if there's any questions. Have a lovely day!

[NicoleFeng]

Thanks Zack. We have talked to Quickbook CS and ran the Tool Hub. It seems ok now, we will keep monitor it. 

[Tori B]

Hey there, @NicoleFeng. 

Thanks for getting back to us and letting us know that you contacted customer support and used the tool hub. I'm happy everything is back in working order. 

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. We are always here to lend a hand. Take care! 

[hmax]

There is a quickbooks program that is open an I can't close it.  It won't even let me look at it - it is completely frozen and keeps telling me to to close the QBs file that is open - but I can't even do that!  HELP!!

[4Gal]

@hmax 

Run the Task Manager (hit CTRL+ALT+DEL keys) to find the program and force to close it.

[LeizylM]

I understand the sense of urgency that arises when you're unable to close the QuickBooks Program, hmax.  I'm here to guide you through the steps on how to sort this out. 

I agree with 4Gal, we can forcibly close QuickBooks from the Task Manager to remove the stuck message box. 

Here's how:

1. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL, then open Task Manager.
2. Highlight QuickBooks, then click End task.
   

I've added this article in case you need to learn more about keyboard shortcuts for doing things more efficiently: Shortcut Keys.

Don't hesitate to click the Reply button below or post again if you need further help in managing QBDT. I'm always here to help you out. Take care and have a great day!