Quickbooks Desktop - Red exclamation mark and reminder to restart to install updates won't go away

Welcome to the Community, @Develop_Admin.

I'll help you get rid of the red exclamation mark for the critical reminder to restart and install updates for QuickBooks Desktop.

This is an unusual behavior of QuickBooks Desktop. I recommend running Verify/Rebuild tool scan data issues and self-resolves them and allows your QuickBooks software to refresh the data. 

If the issue persists, you can use the Clean Up Company Data utility. Before doing so, make sure to follow the guidelines below:

• Create a backup copy of your data file: Although Clean up data creates a backup, it is recommended that you create a separate backup to protect you against permanent loss of data.
• Choose the compress database option. This option often repairs any damaged lists on the file.
• NEVER cancel the cleanup data utility. To avoid data damage beyond repair, do not close or stop the qbpos.exe process.

Here's how to use the Clean Up Company Data utility:

1. From the File menu, select Utilities, then choose Clean Up Company Data.
2. Put a check mark on the Compress data box and select OK after the warning message.
3. In the Proceed with Cleanup window, select Cleanup and wait until the cleanup ran completely.
4. If you get an error, run a second clean up with compress data option checked.

Here is an article for the detailed steps: Use the Clean Up Company Data Utility.

You can then refer to this article when restoring company files: Restore a backup of your company file.

Feel free to click the Reply button below if you need further assistance about critical reminders in QuickBooks Desktop. I'm always here to help. Have a great day.

Thanks for the reply @Ethel_A .

Unfortunately, after completing the verifiy and rebuild below, rebooting the computer, etc. we're still seeing the reminder with the red exclamation mark and the message to restart to install updates.

We've triple-checked that there aren't any updates available and have even installed updates again checking the "Reset Updates" message box.

What would you suggest next in your attempt to resolve?

Thanks much.

Hi there,

I appreciate you getting back and providing updates when following the steps above. Since the issue persists, let's repair QuickBooks using the QuickBooks Tool Hub to get rid of the reminder. The tool hub is a built-in tool that automatically detects and fixes data damage issues within QuickBooks.

To do this, you'll have to download and install QuickBooks Tools Hub, then run the Quick Fix my Program.

1. Download the most recent version (1.6.0.3) of the QuickBooks Tool Hub. 
2. Locate the file you downloaded (QuickBooksToolHub.exe).
3. Follow the on-screen steps to install and agree to the terms and conditions.
4. From the tool hub, click Company File Issues.
5. Choose Quick Fix my File.
6. Click OK when it completes and launch your QuickBooks.

For more details how to run the repair tool, see this article: Repair your QuickBooks Desktop for Windows.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment below if you have follow-up questions or concerns. I'm always here to help.

So...this is still an issue. It's April 2024. Done all the suggested fixes. Problem recurs. I know you want to abandon us because we refuse to use your online product. That is not a solution. We've all paid for this. Fix it.

Thanks for joining the thread and sharing your experience about the issue, @kgmagnuson.

I definitely understand your frustration about persistent red exclamation mark issue. I also appreciate the efforts you've made to resolve it through the troubleshooting steps you've taken.

Since the issue persists despite your attempts, I recommend reaching out to our QuickBooks Support Team. They have the expertise to thoroughly investigate your account and provide an appropriate solution to address this problem. Here are the steps to get in touch with them:

1. Open QuickBooks.
2. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help/Contact Us.
3. Click Contact Us.
4. Give a brief description of your issue, then select Continue.
5. Sign in to your Intuit account, select Continue, then Continue with my account.
6. We'll email you a single-use code. Enter your code and select Continue.
7. Click to chat with us or Have us call you.

Whether you’re a new or experienced user, I recommend visiting this resource hub: QBDT User Guides. It contains articles and PDF links that'll help you get familiar with the product to maximize your business success. 

I'm dealing with that issue again myself.
I had it happen back in 2022 I believe and it took hours on several days to finally get some one who was able to help me fix it.  I spent an hour yesterday trying to get help (first several attempts dropped before I got to talk to support) with it but wasn't successful, they had me use the tool hub to try to fix a couple things but even after restarting the computer it didn't fix the problem.  I've also noticed that the help menu in QuickBooks Desktop seems to have quit working, when I click the QuickBooks Desktop Help/contact us or the Contact us menu items and it does nothing.
It is really frustrating that we are now paying six times as much for the software/service and the functionality is declining and getting support is so much more difficult.

I acknowledge you’ve had to deal with this kind of error message once more in QuickBooks Desktop. I'm here to assist with your concerns.

From the picture you showed, you'll have to click Restart Now to install all the updates. However, since you've already contacted our technical support and the issue persists after performing the recommended troubleshooting steps, I recommend getting in touch with us again. You can reconnect with our representative using this link. This way, we'll be able to securely check your account and will investigate this issue. Once you're in, simply select QuickBooks Desktop and follow the onscreen instructions.

Furthermore, you can directly dial the number in this article: Contact QuickBooks Desktop Support.

Furthermore, if you desire to personalize any report, you may refer to the following article: Customize reports in QuickBooks Desktop.

If you have other queries regarding your QuickBooks account, looking forward to your response. I'll be here to help you.

I did finally manage to connect with a call back this morning and it appears the steps that finally fixed it for me was to outside of Quickbooks search download quickbooks desktop and go to the site

then part way down the page go to the downloads and updates link
fill in the form
and then download the patch. (Get the Latest updates)
it downloads the qbwebpatch.exe

once downloaded, run that as admin
once that is all finished, reboot
Then go into Quickbooks to see if it fixed the problem.  It didn't.
get out of quickbooks and I believe I rebooted again.
Then open quickbooks as administrator
Then Manually go into Help>Update QuickBooks Desktop>Update Now tab
Then Check reset updates

Then click Get Updates
Then when that finishes get out of quickbooks and restart the computer again.
Then start quickbooks as administrator again once rebooted.
-----At this point I said no, the error is still showing and the agent had to put me on hold so she could go talk to a supervisor because they didn't know what to do next--- 
While I was on hold, the error message just went away.  So I guess the tip here is to perhaps wait a minute after quickbooks appears to be fully started before deciding it didn't work.

Thanks for getting back to this thread, @tclynx.

I'm glad to know that you were able to successfully perform a manual update for your QuickBooks Desktop to resolve the issue.

Please let me know if there's anything else you need help with other concerns. Have a great day!