QuickBooks Error 41 – Why It Occurs and How to Fix It?

admin
September 26, 2023
Fact checked by
Narayan

QuickBooks is the biggest start of the finance and account industry. It is the most trusted and reputed product that is used by everyone out there; be it an individual, a small business mid-sized business, or a huge enterprise, QB serves everyone as per their needs and budget. QuickBooks also includes the integrated PDF converter to make the file or data sharing easier and faster. But while using the QuickBooks PDF converter, sometimes users encounter error 41. So, this article is all about “QuickBooks Error 41”. The guide includes all the necessary information, so sit tight and read carefully, so that you can fix error 41 without any additional help.

What is QuickBooks Error 41?

QuickBooks offers regular updates for free, but sometimes the QB updates affect its features and functioning. If you recently received an update and you are installing the QB PDF converter right after installing the update, you may come across QuickBooks 41 Error. And, the reason for receiving this error is, when you begin the installation of the PDF converter after an update, QB tries to use the print driver activation code of the older version in the new version and this disturbs the functioning of QB, and results in QB Error 41.

In a nutshell, the license version used by PDF Driver does not match with the current version of QuickBooks, and this attracts Error 41.

Though this error is temporary but serious as it can freeze the software until you perform the manual troubleshooting. Therefore, we have curated the most effective solutions to QB Error 41 in a list.

Reasons for QuickBooks Error 41:

We have already discussed the major cause of the error, but here below we will walk you through the other possible reasons. Without understanding the reasons, you can’t proceed with the troubleshooting steps, so make sure you give it a thorough read.

If you have plenty of applications opened on your computer along with QB, you are likely to have Error41
If you haven’t manually exited the QuickBooks software, but it has been automatically shut-down.
When QuickBooks crashing further induces the error 41
The freezing of QB is another reason
When there is something wrong with the installation of new QB software or uninstallation of the older one.
Issues with Windows update
The slow performance of your computing machine.
This error is also very common if you have recently encountered Blue scream error of death or currently having that

The solution to QuickBooks Error 41:

As we have discussed the reasons above, now we will find the solutions using reasons as to ground and try to fix the QuickBooks error 41. Even if you can’t detect the reason, you can try the troubleshooting ways one by one and stop when you find the effective one.

Method 1: Restart your computer:

This tactic is something we are using for ages and it hasn’t lost its effectiveness till now. This one-for-all solution can do wonders, even in the toughest technical glitches. When there are plenty of applications opened on your device or you got the Blue screen error of death, restarting is the panacea.

We will now see how to perform the restarting:

Though it will turn-off all the applications running the background, close the applications that are opened on the front-end
Now click on the Windows icon and then click “Power”.
Select the option “Restart”
Your device will restart and a new session will start.

Important tip: If you are having BSOD, you need to shut down the device direct from the power switch and then start again.

Method 2: Fix the Printing Permissions

After restarting the next thing you can try is correcting the printing permissions and for this follows the steps that are given below:

Go to the Control Panel of your printer
Now right-click on the option “Microsoft XPS Document Writer”.
Select “Printer Properties” from the list of options, or just “properties” in Windows Vista
Choose “security” from the options and then select “Everyone user group”
If you can’t find it, follow the steps given below:

Go to “Add” and then “Everyone”
Click on “Allow”>> “Print” and then OK
Now run the command “C:\Windows\System32\spool” in the Windows Explorer
After running the command, go to “Printers” and then “Properties”
Go to the “Security” tab and then open “Edit”
Click on “Add”
If there are full local service has full control, enter it
Click OK and then create a PDF file.

Method 3: Install the “Fix Tool” on your computer:

The “Fix Tool” is very useful to get rid of QuickBooks Error 41. This tool can be downloaded from the official website of the manufacturer. Follow the steps given below:

Download this tool and complete the installation
After this, click on “Scan”
Once the scanning is completed, click on “Repair”
Now restart your software

If the issue isn’t resolved yet, go to the next method.

Method 4: Turn-off the Loading Program

Open the Start menu and then type “MSConfig” from the search bar
Now, from there you need to open “System Configuration Utility”.
Open the “Services” tab and then go to “Disable All”
If the option doesn’t turn to “Grey”, check “Hide All Microsoft Services”
Now, go to “Start-up” and then go to “Disable All”
Click “OK”
Turn-off everything and then restart your computer
If you see system- configuration on your screen, click OK on the “Don’t show this message again”, to verify it.
When the machine reopens, open QuickBooks again to check if the issue has been fixed.

Method 5: Uninstall the “USB Composite Device” and Reinstall it

If no solution works for you, there is the last yet effective way to get rid of the issue. These 5 methods are usually enough to fix the QB Error 41. So, let’s move to the final method of recovery, just follow the steps given below to re-install the “USB Composite Devices”:

Go to the Start menu and press Windows+R to open the Run dialog box
Now enter “devmgmt.msc” and press “Enter”
“Device manager” will open on after this
To the right of the USB, (Universal Serial Bus) controllers, and click on the (+) sign
Find the “USB Composite Device” and right-click on it
Click on “Uninstall” and on the next window click OK
Remove the USB cable from the port and then again connect it to your computer
Now the re-installation will begin.
Again connect the USB cable to the port and then “Found New” on the screen will appear
Once the icon appears on the screen, right-click on it
Click on “Print Test Page” and a self-test page will be printed from the Windows
Close all windows open on your device and then restart your computer.

The steps may look quite long and the method seems tiring, but they are very easy to perform and very much effective to troubleshoot QB Error 41. Make sure you follow the steps in a consecutive manner as mixing the steps will do no good.

Every method of recovery has its own pros and thus you should try every method, to find your gem. There is no problem without a solution, and neither the QuickBooks Error 41. Make sure you don’t lose your patience and follow the steps very carefully without rushing to find the solution.