Fix QuickBooks Error ‘Connection has been Lost’
Summary: Problem in Internet settings, incorrect folder permissions, or firewall configuration are a few reasons that may prevent you from accessing a QuickBooks® Company File. This leads to QuickBooks Error ‘Connection has been Lost’. Read the blog to check out some quick hacks to fix the QB error. You may also try using a QuickBooks repair tool to restore the Company file when nothing else works.
Contents
- Possible Reasons behind QuickBooks Error ‘Connection has been Lost’
- How to Resolve the QuickBooks ‘Connection has been Lost’ Error?
- Verify if QuickBooks® is Updated
- Restart QuickBooks®
- Restart your System
- Test Network Connectivity
- Check if Portable Device is Connected
- Turn off Power Management Settings on the Server
- Download the QuickBooks® Tool Hub and run QuickBooks® File Doctor
- Use a Reliable QuickBooks® Repair Software
- Precautions to Avoid QuickBooks Error “Connection has been Lost”
- Conclusion
Any problem or difficulty in accessing a QuickBooks® Company File (QBW), while opening or using that file on QB desktop, may result in the following error:
“The connection to the company file has been lost. QuickBooks must close immediately. Any unsaved data will need to be re-entered.“
Possible Reasons behind QuickBooks Error ‘Connection has been Lost’
- QuickBooks is not up-to-date
- Network connectivity issue
- The folder, where the QBW file is saved, needs additional permission
- Anti-Virus or firewall is interfering with QB
- Power saving options are enabled
- Company file is damaged (corrupted)
Read this: QuickBooks Company File Repair – All There is to Know
How to Resolve the QuickBooks ‘Connection has been Lost’ Error?
Here are some simple hacks that may help fix QuickBooks® ‘connection to the company file has been lost’ error:
Note: Before attempting these hacks, try restarting the Database Server Manager or moving the company file to a different folder to fix the error.
Verify if QuickBooks® is Updated
QuickBooks releases updates and version upgrades. Press F2 key when QuickBooks is open on the system and check the version on the Product information window. If the software version is not up-to-date, update your QB software to the latest available version.
TIP: Once you’ve the latest software, you must also upgrade your company file so that the file can work with the new version of QuickBooks® Desktop.
Restart QuickBooks®
Sometimes closing and opening the QBW file may help in solving the connectivity issue, particularly in the case of an application update.
Restart your System
Note: If your system is connected to a network and you are trying to access a company file stored on another computer, make sure no one else is connected to the network before you initiate the restart process.
An application update won’t run or properly function until you restart the system. Thus, restart the system on which the QuickBooks® company file is installed and check if it resolves the issue.
Test Network Connectivity
If you have stored the QBW file on another computer (the one that hosts the file), check if that computer is still connected over the network.
An effective way to test network connectivity is to try opening or to save another file on the host computer. If you’re unable to open the file, you need to set up Windows access permissions required for QB.
Note: QB does not support Wireless networking, as it is not reliable for sharing information such as the company file.
Check if Portable Device is Connected
If you have saved your company file in a portable storage device (such as a USB drive, flash drive, or thumb drive), make sure the device is still connected. For this, try to:
- Disconnect and reconnect the drive.
- Look for QBW file on your removable drive.
- Save another file to your drive to verify it’s working.
Also, make sure that your drive has enough free space size to store your QuickBooks company file.
Turn off Power Management Settings on the Server
- On the computer, which holds the company file, open the power management settings from the Windows Control Panel. To do so, perform the following:
- Press the Windows key, and type Power Options.
- Select Power Options from the search results.
- Disable the ‘sleep’, ‘standby’, and ‘hibernation’ modes on the host computer.
TIP: For detailed information about Power Options, refer to the Windows Help and Support manual.
Download the QuickBooks® Tool Hub and run QuickBooks® File Doctor
If the error persists, useQuickBooks® Tool Hub to resolve the issue. QB Tool Hub includes several tools that can help fix common QuickBooks desktop errors. Once you’ve installed the QB Tool Hub, open it and run the QuickBooks File Doctor tool. File Doctor is a built-in repair utility that can help you recover damaged company files.
Be wary, though, as the File Doctor tool has certain limitations. It does not work with QB version lower than 2016. It only helps fix errors in the Company file and may fail to repair other QuickBooks® data files. Also, running this tool often results in File Doctor has stopped responding error.
Use a Reliable QuickBooks® Repair Software
You can overcome the limitations of the File Doctor tool with the help of a QuickBooks® repair software such as Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software. It not only repairs the company file, but it also helps resolve all errors in a QBW file. Also, it can save the QuickBooks® data from further corruption.
How is Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software better than the built-in File Doctor Tool?
- The software supports all versions of QuickBooks® from 2021 till 2007, while the File Doctor tool provides a repair solution for QB2016 and later releases only.
- The software repairs all components of the QB data files, including Company, Customers, Vendors, and Employees, and extracts the entire data. In contrast, File Doctor resolves errors in Company files only.
- QuickBooks Repair software from Stellar® also recovers the entire data from the corrupt backup files. Thus, it can also help in resolving corruption errors associated with backup files.
- The software works on a QuickBooks file of any size (no size limitation) while File Doctor can work on Company Files only up to 2GB.
- QB repair software works with consistent efficiency on all QuickBooks versions. Too many QuickBooks versions on the same computer create confusion for the built-in QuickBooks Desktop File Doctor.
Quick Comparison between File Doctor and Software Based Repair Solution
Precautions to Avoid QuickBooks Error “Connection has been Lost”
Once the issue is resolved, make sure to follow the preventive measures listed below to avoid the error from occurring again:
- Check and update QuickBooks regularly.
- Only the Administrator should be involved in upgrading the QuickBooks company file. Check System compatibility to launch the upgrades successfully.
- Do not open the Company file in the previous version after the software update.
- Do not open the Pro/Premier account Company Files
- The Enterprise Company files work only in QuickBooks Desktop – Enterprise edition
- Convert all files on the local system only. To do so:
- Log-off all users from QuickBooks app
- Copy the file from a server location to the local system
- Try to rebuild the Company file on the local network and create a backup at the specified location, in case there is a need to restore the QuickBooks Company file.
Conclusion
We have covered some quick and simple hacks to fix QuickBooks Error “Connection has been Lost” in this blog. If you suspect that the error has occurred due to damaged (corrupted) QuickBooks® company file (QBW), try the QB File Doctor tool to repair the QBW file. If the built-in repair tool fails to fix the file, using a Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software may come in handy. Check out the comprehensive analysis of QuickBooks built-in repair utility (File Doctor) versus software-based repair solution covered in the blog to understand which method can help you fix the QB error.
Is this software compatible with QB Enterprise 2012 on Windows 10 Pro? Cost? Please advise.
Yes, the software is compatible with QuickBooks® 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and earlier versions on Windows 10 Pro.
Most of the time, I use the In-built QuickBooks File Doctor to repair my QuickBooks file. But for repairing large size files I blindly trust Stellar Repair for QuickBooks Software.
Thanks for sharing, Roy.
What if you didn’t have back up file and file doctor doesn’t work? Any idea?
Hi,
I have seen that built-in File Doctor has several limitations. Let me know how can get license version of Stellar Repair for QuickBooks Software i.e. compatible with 2019?
Simple!
After completing the online purchase, you will receive a license key through instant email. This software is compatible with the latest QuickBooks & Windows 10 build.