How to Fix “The file you specified cannot be opened” errors in QuickBooks?

Steps to fix Error “The File you specified cannot be opened” in QuickBooks

QuickBooks is a robust account software, but like any other accounting software this too receives errors at times. But the best part is that this leading accounting software often notifies the users of the problems through error messages. When you try to download any payroll update or open up any state form or paying scheduled liabilities, you may receive this error.

“The file you specified cannot be opened.” So just make sure that it does not currently get utilized by another program or read-the only file.”

Why This Error Occurs

The reason behind this error may be due to the fact that QuickBooks has downloaded software or payroll updates and now it is unable to install these updates as a result of Windows user approvals or user control settings in windows view or windows 7/8.

The image as shown below is similar which appears on your desktop.

The Windows state was “The file you specified cannot be opened” and “The file exists”

Mainly this error occurs if a file is not read correctly.

Read Also: How to Fix QuickBooks Error 6000, 301?

Important points before troubleshooting

Some advance tips to fix the above error:

• Click on ‘OK‘ continuously till the error message gets updated 100%.
• Now close and then again open QuickBooks.
• Make sure that the QuickBooks version is of the latest version.
• Close QuickBooks software and restart your desktop.
• After restarting QB Desktop, right-click on QuickBooks and choose ‘Run as administrator‘.

If the error does not get fixed then:

• Make use of the internet through data cable when you retrieve the updates. Utilizing the WI-FI connection for the updates may lead to unexpected results.
• Now open user account control settings
• Go to ‘Control panel‘
  • If you use Windows 7 then, tap on the ‘Windows‘ button and then click on ‘control panel‘.
  • If you are using Windows 8 then press ‘Start‘ menu, and type to search ‘Control panel‘. Now click on the control panel.
  • If you are accessing from Windows 10 then, select ‘Search icon‘ on the task-bar and type ‘Control Panel‘. After finding it tap on it to open.
• Now after opening control panel, on search bar enter ‘Change User Account Control‘ settings.
• Now do either of the following things:
  • Turn off UAC: You can move the slider to the “Never notify” and then choose ‘OK‘. If asked then enter the password to provide confirmation. Now restart your device to ‘Allow‘ the changes.
  • Turn on UAC: You can move the slider to choose when you need to get notified and tap ‘OK‘. If you receive a prompt, type in the password or give confirmation.

See Also: How to Fix QuickBooks Error 6000 304?

How to Fix “the file you specified cannot be opened” errors?

Below we have mentioned few easy steps to troubleshoot the on-going problem:

Step 1: Ensure QuickBooks is updated

Many QuickBooks users are unaware of the fact that the updates many times become fixes to many QuickBooks glitches, ultimately enhancing the performance of the software. Thus, it is often suggested to update your QuickBooks frequently and enjoy stable and secure QuickBooks performance.

Step 2: Switch to another internet connection

At times wireless internet connection might create an issue. Therefore, switching to a wired internet connection might be a savior in such situations.

Step 3: Appropriate Windows permissions for QuickBooks

In order to gain access to the files present in the QuickBooks desktop folder, it is important to set up the Windows users.

• To begin with, right-click the ‘QuickBooks Desktop icon‘, followed by selecting the ‘Properties option‘. Also, choose the ‘Security‘ tab along with selecting ‘Edit‘.
• In the next step, the user is required to tap on to the ‘Add‘ option, followed by entering ‘Everyone‘.
• Once done with that, the user is required to hit ‘OK‘, and then select the ‘Full Control‘ option.
• Now, repeat Step 2 and 3 respectively, but the make sure you enter ‘Users‘ in place of Everyone. Move ahead, by selecting ‘Apply‘.
• Lastly, hit ‘OK‘ and you are good to go.

Note: To fix the issue altogether, it is recommended to right-click the QuickBooks icon, followed by selecting the Run as Administrator option. In case if it doesn’t work, the user can carry out the following steps.

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Step 4: Altering the User Account Control Settings

Perform the task that you were doing earlier, but only after temporarily turning off the ‘User Account Control‘. If the error is removed, then this actually means that the current security setting is not compatible with QuickBooks.

Step 5: Configuring the Internet and Firewall security settings

In certain cases, firewall and internet security settings block the access of QuickBooks Desktop. Therefore, trying to configure the firewall and internet settings might work in your favor.

Step 6: Run Reboot.bat

At times a restart can be a perfect solution, when the QuickBooks Desktop processes get stuck. Thus, to give it a fresh start, you can run reboot.bat.

See Also: How to Fix QuickBooks Error 6129, 0?

Step 7: Fixing QuickBooks Desktop

To check whether the folder and files of QuickBooks require some maintenance, running a QuickBooks repair might be helpful.

Step 8: Reinstalling QuickBooks Desktop with the help of a clean install

To replace the old files with new ones, the QuickBooks users can prefer a clean install. This might work, as a freshly installed software generally doesn’t bring in any such issue.

Read Also: How to Fix QuickBooks Error 6190 and 816?

If the issue still persists, you can contact our QuickBooks Customer Support team at +1-844-405-0907. We are available 24×7 and feature best in class services. We fix a all sorts of QuickBooks issues.

 

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