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  • Writer's picturealena yadis

QuickBooks File Exists Error | How and Why to Fix it

Updated: Mar 4, 2023

QuickBooks file exists an error is encountered by users while working on different features in QuickBooks like updating payroll, filling state/federal taxes, and performing other banking tasks. Being linked to different features the error becomes quite frustrating and getting rid of it becomes a necessity. Moreover, the error message is not always the same. There are various versions of the error that crop up and if you are Getting QuickBooks the file exists error, you might see one of the following error messages on your computer desktop “The file you specified cannot be opened. Make sure that it is not currently being used by another program or a read-only file.” or “The Windows error was “The file exists.”


To help you fix the “QuickBooks error file already open” error, we are listing down the most preferred solutions in this article. For any further help, you can dial (800)-417-5147 to speak to our experts

Reasons for Getting Window Error Message: “The File Exists”


QuickBooks Error the file exists is the issue that crops up when the file that QuickBooks needs to access is used by another user. There are various other causes for the error and here is a list of the most common ones.


  1. The QuickBooks application that you are using is not having the latest updates.

  2. Administrative rights are not available to the user.

  3. Internet connection is not available.

  4. Errors while QuickBooks Installation.

  5. Incorrect firewall and Internet Security settings are also a reason for getting “The Windows error was “the file exists” QuickBooks 2018” message.


Solutions to get rid of QuickBooks error file exists


QuickBooks Error File Exists might get triggered from any of the above-mentioned reasons and from some unknown reasons as well. Here is the solution that can be followed to fix the QuickBooks Error the file exists:


QuickBooks software must be updated

  1. Open QuickBooks Desktop on your Windows PC.

  2. From the Help, tab clicks the Product Information option.

  3. Use the drop-down menu to select the correct QuickBooks version and year.

  4. Click on Search and then choose to Get the Latest Updates option.

  5. Now save the file on your computer’s desktop and after the download completes, double-click the installation file to start the update.

  6. Make sure to restart Windows after the update and check if A file being read incorrectly still appears.


With the above solutions and the reasons for QuickBooks File Exists Error we conclude our blog and hope you found this useful to fix the error manually. If you are stuck, you need not worry, contact the QB Support team at (800)-417-5147 and let them handle the situation.


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