Quickbooks for Mac, repair a file that won't open

Hi there, MrTom4.

Thanks for dropping by the Community, you can try the Rebuild Data tool. It works universally with QuickBooks Desktop for Windows and Mac. Here's how:

Repair your company file using the Rebuild Data tool:

The Rebuild Data tool is built-in to QuickBooks Desktop and automatically fixes minor company file data issues.

1. Go to the File menu, then hover over Utilities and select Rebuild Data.
2. On the QuickBooks Information window, select OK. Follow the onscreen steps to save a backup.
3. Let the tool repair your file. It may take some time. QuickBooks may seem stuck, but as long as you can move your mouse, the tool is working.
4. When the tool finishes, select OK.
5. Go to the File menu. Then hover over Utilities and select Verify Data.
6. Let the tool check your file for data issues.

If QuickBooks doesn't find any problems, select OK. You can keep using your company file. You don't have any data damage. If QuickBooks finds an issue with your company file, select Rebuild Now.

If that doesn't work you can try rebuilding the data manually:

If you’re comfortable manually fixing your errors, you can find the errors you can fix from the Verify Results window. Before you get started, make sure to backup your company file.

To manually fix data errors:

1. Go to the File menu. Then hover over Utilities and select Verify Data.
2. Let the tool check your file for data issues.
3. From the Verify Results screen, select Expand All to see the errors.
4. For the steps to fix the error, select See Online Article. If the error doesn’t have an article, contact support for help repairing your company file.

Please note that with QuickBooks 2013 you may experience issues as the product has been discontinued which can result in issues. I hope this helps and if you have any other questions, feel free to post here anytime. Thank you and have a nice afternoon. 

Hi, Nick_M. When I go to File and hover over Utilities the Rebuild Data option is grayed out because I can not open the file, which is why I get the error I posted in the first place.

"The document "x" could not be opened. The file isn't in the correct format."

So now what do I do? How can I run the Rebuild Data tool without opening the file?

Hi @MrTom4,

I'll provide insight into what you can do in your situation.

You can move your original company file to a different directory, then proceed to open it in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac. If the issue persists, you can restore the backup company file you mentioned. 

Follow the steps:

1. Under the QuickBooks menu, select Preferences.
2. Choose Backup.
3. Tap Reveal Backup Folder, then double-click the folder where you save your backup files.

To continue, open this article: Restore your backup company file for QuickBooks Desktop for Mac. Scroll down and look for Step 2: Restore your backup company file.

In case you wish to proceed and convert your company file to Windows, check out this article: Convert a QuickBooks for Mac file to QuickBooks for Windows.

Drop a comment below if you need further assistance. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Ok, so what I gather is that the answer to my original question is, no, you cannot repair a Quickbooks for Mac file that will not open due to being slightly damaged. Why didn't anyone just say that?

What a shame, it looks like most of the information from the past 15 months is in there even though the computer may have turned off abruptly damaging a small portion of the file.

I've already tried to open and convert it in 2015, 2016, and 2020. While trying to update the file Quickbooks crashes.

Hi there, @MrTom4.

I want to make sure you'll be assisted throughout the process of updating your company file. With that being said, I recommend contacting our Quickbooks Desktop for Mac Support Team. They can further check on your company file and they can also stay with you on the process to make that everything is successful.

Here's how to contact our support team:

1. Open QuickBooks, then go to Help.
2. Select QuickBooks Desktop Help, then click Contact Us.
3. Enter a brief description of your issue, then select Let's talk and then choose a way to connect.

Also, check our support hours and contact us at your most convenient time.

Let me know if I can be an additional help. Have a good day!

@MrTom4 

Ask Intuit Data Service to fix it. Otherwise, you may purchase a 3rd party file repair service.

Are there any new solutions?  I'm having the same problem and I'm using QB 2022 (for Mac).  I have three company files I manage and only one is having the problem.  I have tried what you suggest and nothing has worked.  I have a backup file from 10/26 that will open, but once the file is closed, the file is corrupt.

I know this hasn't been an easy process for you, Abacus2006. 

I appreciate all the efforts you've performed to get this resolved.

Did you encounter any error messages after closing the file? This will help us determine the cause of this.

Let's restore another backup of the file. This helps us check if this is the cause. 

If the issue persists, I'd recommend contacting our QuickBooks Support Team. They're equipped with tools to investigate the issue. It'll also allow them to submit a ticket to our engineering team to alert them about the issue if necessary.

Here's how:

1. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Help.
2. Choose Contact Us.
3. Give a brief description of your issue, then select Continue.
4. Select to Chat with us or Have us call you.

To know their availability, please check our support hours.

Drop a comment below if you need further assistance. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. 

@Abacus2006 

How big is your file size?

60.3 MB.

I tried to condense the file, but it still closed and then the file was corrupt.

The error is on start up of the file.  I restored from the most recent backup first, and that backup was corrupt.  I went to the day before and the file opened.  I did the rebuild.  Once I closed it and opened it back up, the file was corrupt.

Thank you for coming back and sharing that information, Abacus2006.

Since you're unable to open the file due to an error, it's indeed best to contact our QuickBooks Support Team by following the steps outlined by my colleague @CharleneMaeF above. That way, our team can look into this further and open a ticket for this issue.

You're welcome to get back to this thread and let me know how this goes. I'll be checking your response. Have a great day!

@Abacus2006 

Your file size is fine and there's no need to condense it at this time. Consider installing the trial version for QBD 2023 to upgrade your file. If the same error persists, your file is corrupted. You should chat with Support and ask the Data Services team to fix it. Otherwise, you will have to purchase a third-party file repair service.

I have the exact same problem. The file seems to corrupt itself upon reopening. I have a backup from about a week ago that I can restore, but like you, it re-corrupts when I close and reopen it. So frustrating. Have you gotten anywhere? 

FYI I have another install on a laptop that's not doing this, so I don't think it's inherently something in the file that's corrupt. The data also has no issues when I verify/rebuild. 

Hello there, @juliepascal. I am aware that this procedure has not been simple for you. 

I appreciate everything you did to ensure that this worked out. 

It is preferable to get in touch with our QuickBooks Support Team by following the instructions provided above by my colleague CharleneMae_F since you cannot open the file due to an error. This will enable our team to investigate this further and create a ticket for this problem.

Keep on posting here if you need anything else. We'll respond as soon as we can. 

I've been having the same problem ever since the latest update that it wanted me to install the other day. (QB Mac 2020 v19.1.14 R15.1).

File says corrupt, so I pull an old file off of my backup server - it will open the backup file ONCE and then when I close, it is corrupt again...so now I have to go through this process just to view my information, and I can't make any changes because it goes corrupt every time.

Same problem on the laptop.  I think this update broke the software somehow... this is VERY frustrating.

@IntuitBrooks 
Fyi

@LukeJ wrote:

I've been having the same problem ever since the latest update that it wanted me to install the other day. (QB Mac 2020 v19.1.14 R15.1).

 

File says corrupt, so I pull an old file off of my backup server - it will open the backup file ONCE and then when I close, it is corrupt again...so now I have to go through this process just to view my information, and I can't make any changes because it goes corrupt every time.

 

Same problem on the laptop.  I think this update broke the software somehow... this is VERY frustrating.

---

I have quickbooks 2016, I have a file that is not loading and I cannot get to the file utility menu

@JohnB140 

Can you open the sample file?

I can open other file, just not this one

I ran into the same issue. In my case QB2021 crashed and the file wouldn't open after. I had about 6 solid hours work gone since the last backup. It was allot of work. I couldn't let it go so I started digging.
I happened to find a hidden directory that had quite a few backups, one about an hour before the crash.
In the hopes this helps someone else the path is:
~/Library/Application Support/com.intuit.QuickBooks2021
This directory for me is about 7.3GB but the files in there barely add up to 60MB. So I opened up PathFinder to see the hidden files and sure enough there were a ton of directories that start with a "." (so they're hidden by default). I opened the one that was closest to the crash time and sure enough there was a backup file in there and from the looks of it all the data was there.

For those who don't have PathFinder you can see hidden files in the finder by typing [command] + [shift] + [.] while in the directory -- That's command shift period.
Hopefully this helps someone else hang on their hard work.
-Mano