How to Repair a Damaged QuickBooks Data File?
We know that you will be managing your business’s financials by yourself if you are the owner of your small or medium-sized business. For non-accounting professionals, QuickBooks software helps to make accounting procedures easy. So it becomes necessary to take care of QuickBooks data files.
These files are a huge amount of database in which your data should be in an organized format. If you lost these files or got corrupt files due to some issues, so you have to use QuickBooks repairing software.
To repair any damaged QuickBooks data file (QBW), you must be aware of its causes so that in the future you can save your data file.
How Does a QuickBooks File Get Corrupt?
QuickBooks stores your data in the file correctly and ensures that the software is able to read it correctly. Due to some issues, you can get your data file corrupted. These issues are:
- Failure of software resources such as Virtual Memory, RAM, and much more.
- Failure of hardware resources such as routers, network cables, and much more.
- Unexpected power cuts.
- The inappropriate shutdown of the system.
- Virus attack on hard drives where the database was stored.
- Bad sectors within the hard drive where the data is stored.
- If the QuickBooks data file’s size is beyond the limit.
Methods to Repair QuickBooks Data File
Here are the following five effective methods to repair QuickBooks data files:
Use Rebuild Data Tool
QuickBooks has the Rebuild Data tool itself, which automatically repairs minor data file issues.
- Navigate to the File menu, then to Utilities, and finally to Rebuild Data.
- Select OK from the QuickBooks Information window. Follow the further displayed instructions to save a backup.
- When the tool is finished, click OK.
- Navigate to the File menu. Go to Utilities and select Verify Data.
- Allow the tool to check your file for data errors.
If QuickBooks finds no problems, click OK. Now, you can keep using your company data file without any data loss.
Manual QuickBooks Data File Repair by Rebuilding Data
If you are comfortable with correcting errors manually, you can find them in the Verify Results window. Prior to the following steps, take a backup of your file. To manually correct data errors:
- Navigate to the File menu. Select Verify Data from the utility menu.
- Allow the tool to check your file for data errors.
- Click on Expand All to see the errors from the Verify Results screen.
QuickBooks Recovery Using QBQin.log File
- Locate the QBWin.log file in the QuickBooks installation directory.
- Check that Windows displays Hidden Files.
- Press Ctrl + F to open the file.
- Enter LVL_ERROR in the search box and hit Enter.
- Search for the error description in the text file’s LVL_ERROR line.
- Look up the solution to the specific error on the internet.
Combine Damaged Account and Items
- Open QuickBooks and select Chart of Accounts from the List tab.
- Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and select the damaged account.
- Click Edit Account, and then add an asterisk to the account’s name.
- Click Cancel, and then hold down the Ctrl key.
- Click New Account and then choose the account type.
- Enter the name of the damaged account and then click OK.
- Hold down the Ctrl key once more, select the damaged account, and then click OK.
- Click yes on the merge confirmation popup now.
- Steps one through eight are repeated, but this time select Item from the Lists section to merge the damaged items in the data.
Repair Using QuickBooks File Doctor
When you get data file damage issues, QuickBooks File Doctor will be helpful. File Doctor is accessible through the Tool Hub application, which is an all-in-one QuickBooks troubleshooting utility.
The following steps will show you how to download and install QuickBooks Tool Hub in order to repair data files.
- Launch QuickBooks and navigate to the Help tab to find the QuickBooks Tool Hub option.
- Install the most recent QuickBooks update, and the Tool Hub option under the Help tab.
- When you select the Tool Hub option, you will get the download page.
- When you click the Tool Hub download link, it will begin downloading on your system.
- Once the download is complete, run the “QuickBooksToolHub.exe” program setup file to begin the installation.
- Now launch it by double-clicking its desktop icon.
- Now, navigate to the Company File Issues tab. From the list of options, select QuickBooks Tool Hub.
- Click next after selecting the option to repair both company files and network issues.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to repair the company file.
After completing the previous ‘Verify Data’ and ‘Rebuild Data’ steps, you must review the logs created by QuickBooks for the data verification you just performed.
These logs will alert you to any items or transactions that are causing issues. Use this information to delete or “Delete and Replace” the corrupted files. Now, make sure you address each item down the log until you get a valid file.
How to Prevent QuickBooks Data Corruption in the Future?
- Start by reducing the file size.
- Create journal entries summarizing monthly activity prior to a client-specified dividing date.
- Remove all transactions that occurred prior to a specific date.
- Begin a new QuickBooks file with the Opening Balances option.
In Conclusion
Now you know very well how to repair QuickBooks data files, you can use built-in utilities such as the Verify Data and Rebuild Data functions, as well as a third-party tool.
You can easily select one method that meets your needs and guarantees 100% recovery of QuickBooks corrupt files.
This is because it is automated, which reduces the possibility of human errors. Furthermore, it includes a number of useful features that make the repair process simple and quick.
