Restoring a QB for MAC file on QB for Windows (Desktop)

dsliesse · ‎September 07, 2021

For months a client and I have had trouble exchanging QB files. We only need to file to go one direction, so I can prepare a tax return, so that eliminates one source of frustration.

Anyway, the client follows the instructions for sending a file from the Mac to a Windows computer. I get the .qbb and .dmg files, but when I try to restore I always, without fail, get the following message:

Company file in use. Please wait.

Followed a few seconds later by:

Another QuickBooks user (Unknown user) is currently performing a task which must finish before you can continue. QuickBooks will continue automatically when the other uer's task has completed.

We recommend that you continue to wait for the other user to finish. You can, however, press the ESC key to quit QuickBooks rather than keep working. If you choose to quit, QuickBooks will close your data file and shut down.

(What the messages don't say is that if I want to start QB again I have to go to Windows Explorer and double-click on a QB file, or else the same messages pop up again because it tries to default to the last file I had open even if it never opened.)

Anyway, I've done plenty of searching and can't find this issue addressed anywhere. Are we missing a step? Is my client doing something wrong in preparing the file (this person is quite intelligent and knows how to follow instructions, so if that's the case it likely means the instructions are wrong)? Is it an error message, like those I associate with another major software publisher, that says one thing but means something completely different?

Rubielyn_J · ‎September 07, 2021

I appreciate you for adding detailed info and the error message of your concern, @dsliesse.

Let me chime in and help you restore your file in QuickBooks Desktop.

Usually, these errors occur when another user is doing a QuickBooks task that's limited to one user at a time, even in multi-user mode. In that case, you can start your job as soon as the other user finishes.

If the error consistently refers to a specific user only, please perform the following steps:

Have the user with the error close and reopen QuickBooks on their workstation.
On another workstation, open QuickBooks and go to the Company menu and select Users, then View Users.
Let the user with the error sign out of QuickBooks on their workstation.
Go back to the list of users. If he no longer appears as logged in, you should be able to do the task without the error.

If you're sure the error isn't because of another user, these messages usually can also indicate performance issues. Examples involve network issues, database issues, conflicting programs, and a server or workstation that doesn't meet the system requirements for QuickBooks. To fix this, please follow the steps provided in these articles:

Additionally, you can also review this resource: Fix locked file errors in QuickBooks Desktop. It also covers some insights on how to fix Database Server Manager settings.

If you need clarifications or help with other things in QuickBooks Desktop, please let me know. I'll show you a thing or two when you get back here. Stay safe and have a good day.

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dsliesse · ‎September 07, 2021

Thanks, Rubielyn. You didn't answer the question directly, but you did make something click in my brain.

The error message itself made no sense simply because nobody else would have a reason to be in that data base, which didn't yet exist because I was trying to restore the backup. There are only three of us in the office today (normally just two), and I know what data bases they were working in.

The problem, as it turned out, is that I needed to be in single-user mode! That's not stated in the error message, nor is it stated anywhere in the instructions, so it never occurred to me. Just about anything else that needs to be done in single-user mode tells me so when I forget to switch -- another reason not to think of it.

Thanks for your help!