Parts of Screen Blacked Out QB 2020 Pro

Hi, Nanette.

It's nice to have you here on the Community forum. I'm here to help with fixing your QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) screen.

As an initial step, I recommend closing, then reopening QuickBooks. Once done, update your QBDT to the latest release to fix some common issue with your file.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Help menu and select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Go to the Update Now tab. You can select the Reset Update checkbox to clear all previous update downloads.
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.

From there, review your screen and see how the pages look like. Just in case you're getting the same result, you can proceed with running the Quick Fix my Program tool from the QuickBooks Tools Hub. For your reference, you can open this link: QuickBooks Desktop fields display black instead of white.

Once everything is corrected, you can continue working with QuickBooks as before. As additional guides, you can also skim through the topics from our help articles: Help articles, video tutorials, and more.

Please let me know how else I can help you with your QuickBooks Desktop screen by adding a comment below. I've got your back, and I'm always here to provide additional assistance. Keep safe!

I just encountered the same thing - some lines on my forms have turned black..

I closed then re-opened and the problem seems to have fixed itself.

I do have a "Critical Alert" in red saying Support for your QB and Internet Explorer11 has ended.  Upgrade QB now.

Upgrade is different than Update, correct?  I don't really need to upgrade as I use QB minimally for my business; i.e. creating purchase orders, item receipts, etc. No payroll, no emailing, no accounting.  

I find whenever I update anything - programs, phones, etc I run into issues so I usually don't update.

Do you know if this could be the reason my 'blackout' occurred?  And do you recommend updating anyway?

Thank you,

Donna

@Donna in Mystic   Be careful.  They will tell you to update, and that will actually upgrade you to the new version and you will be charged a LOT more, monthly. 

They are ending the stand alone versions, where you are good for 3 years.  I've seen posts on here where people are having to pay more than $500 now, because they have upgraded.  And just fyi, the cost WILL go up EVERY year.  

Keep what you have, for as long as you can, especially if you don't need payroll and such.  

 Hello there, Donna.

I'm joining this thread to add clarification and provide steps on how we can fix this matter.

Upgrading and updating are two different things. QuickBooks update means the system downloads and installs the latest updates when available. Upgrading your QuickBooks means getting a new supported version of QuickBooks.
 

Can you share what QuickBooks Desktop version you're using? If you're using QuickBooks 2020 or an older version, I'd recommend upgrading your QuickBooks. It fixes the critical alert prompted in your company file. Here's how:

1. Go to our website page:
2. Select your product and version (2021 or higher).
3. Click Search.
4. Click Download.
   

Once done, I'd recommend checking these articles for more details about Internet Explorer 11.0:

• Warning that Internet Explorer 11.0 is required when it is already installed.
• Use our built-in browser in QuickBooks Desktop.

Updating the program to the latest release shouldn't lead to some issues. Since you run into issues when doing the update, we can download and install QuickBooks Tools Hub:

1. Close QuickBooks.
2. Download the most recent version (1.6.0.3) of the QuickBooks Tool Hub. 
3. Save the file somewhere you can easily find it (like your Downloads folder or Windows desktop). 
4. Open the downloaded file (QuickBooksToolHub.exe) and follow the on-screen steps to install and agree to the terms and conditions.
5. Double-click the icon on your Windows desktop to open the tool hub once the installation is complete.

If you require assistance with other QuickBooks-related tasks, you can review this article: Help Articles for QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT). It contains our general QuickBooks information.

If you have any further questions concerning the program, please comment below. I'll be available for you.