2 Quick ways to fix QB Portable Company File Issues

Unable to fix Portable Company File issues in QuickBooks Desktop? Don’t take stress as you’re on a right track. Well, you often might get stuck with this issue while trying to create or open a portable Company file with an extension qbm. Hence, it is necessary to rectify the portable company file errors at the earliest so that you can use your company file to transfer your accounting data or repair your file. At times, you may notice the error prompt, “Portable file disappears when you hover over it with your mouse” on your display at the time of accessing it.

What might lead to Portable Company Fils issues in QuickBooks Desktop?

There can be a variety of reasons that contribute to portable company files in QuickBooks, a few of them are enumerated below:

1. Corrupted or damaged QuickBooks Company files may cause portable company file errors.
2. If you’re applying the wrong methods to open particular file types, it may trigger the same issue.
3. You can also end up with this kind of error if the file is already opened by another user on the shared network.
4. Large files, reports, and several windows set to open automatically may freeze QuickBooks software and give rise to portable company file errors.
5. Using an outdated QuickBooks version to open files.
6. Issues like access permissions, encrypted or compressed files, problems with filename and extension, and corrupted file data can contribute to portable company file errors in QuickBooks.

Most reliable solutions to fix QuickBooks Portable Company File Error

Once done with exploring the causes, now it’s time to fix Portable Company File Issues in QuickBooks Desktop. There are some different scenarios when you might need to deal with such an issue. To eliminate it from your system, check out the below-listed troubleshooting methods one-by-one. Here’s how:

Solution 1: Create a manual copy of the company file

1. In the inception, tap on the Windows Start menu.
2. Now, type File Explorer into the search bar and then run file explorer.
3. Once done, you need to look for and locate the folder that is having your company file.

Next, carry out the steps depending on what you were doing i.e. creating or restoring QuickBooks Portable company file when you observed the error.

Case 1: If you were creating a portable company file

1. To begin with, search for the main company file with an extension .qbw. This would visible like this [Your company file].qbw.
2. Now, hit right-click on the file and click Copy.
3. When all set, navigate to the Windows desktop and click right anywhere then tap on Paste.
4. After this, open QuickBooks but don’t open your company file.
5. You must select Opening or restore an existing file and later click the open a company file option.
6. Next, browse your system and then open the copied company file pasted to your windows desktop.
7. Under the open copy of the company file, hover over the File menu and hit Create Copy.
8. Choose the Portable company file and then press Next.
9. At last, you need to follow the on-screen prompts and create another portable company file.

If you create a company file, then the issue lies in the location of your original company file. It is imperative to use the copied company file as your main company file from now on. Afterward, give a name to your original company file and place “old” in the name so that you don’t have to use it again. However, if you’re still encountering the same error, move to the next fixation.

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Case 2: If you were restoring a portable company file

1. In this case, first look for the portable company file with a .qbm extension. This would display like this [Your company file].qbm.
2. Next, hit right-click on the File and select Copy.
3. Head to the Windows desktop and click right anywhere then click Paste.
4. Now. open QuickBooks but avoid opening your company file.
5. Thereafter, choose Opening or restore an existing file and then tap on the Restore a portable file option.
6. You need to browse your system and open the copied portable company file pasted to your Windows desktop.
7. If you open the copied portable company file successfully, then you’re good to go. You can use it to move your accounting data from one device to another. Also, provide a unique name to the original portable file and type “old” in the name to avoid using it again.

Solution 2: Open a sample company file

1. Initially, open the QuickBooks desktop application.
2. Now, instead of choosing your company file, tap on Open a Sample file. This opens one of the sample companies for you.
3. Under the sample company file, you need to check out the steps to create a PCF. Also, save it to your windows desktop.
4. Navigate to the File menu in QuickBooks and then select Close Company/Log off.
5. In the end, perform the steps to open the portable company file you just created in the sample company.

Once you are able to restore the portable company file from the sample company, then the main company file may have certain issues. So, you would have to fix the data damage on your company file.

How do I restore a portable company file in QuickBooks Desktop?

You can easily carry out the instructions given below to restore a local backup which can be done using CD, USB flash drive, network folder, or hard drive. If you have already backed up your company file with the help of the service provided by QuickBooks Online Backup, then you need to restore the same through that particular device only. Let’s have a look at the following steps:

1. To start off, navigate to the File menu and then select the Open or Restore Company option.
2. Now, tap on Restore a backup copy and press Next.
3. Click on Local Backup and hit the Nex tab once again.
4. From the drop-down, choose the location of the backup file wherever you want to save it.
5. After this, opt for the backup file from the folder and provide a unique name to it.
6. You must tap on Open and then click Next to proceed.
7. Once done, save the restored file under the save-in drop-down.
8. Save a type field automatically opens up QuickBooks Files.
9. At last, click Save and carefully read out or respond to all the messages displayed before the beginning of the restoration process.

Summing-up!

Still don’t know how to fix Portable Company file issues in QuickBooks Desktop? No worries, here’s the solution to all your questions related to company file errors. It’s very common to bump into different kinds of technical glitches while creating or accessing portable company files. So, if you’re the one who deals with the same error or needs any professional support then feel free to connect with QuickBooks Experts to repair QuickBooks Portable File Error.