Estimated Troubleshooting time: 12 minutes

Among small business’s QuickBooks is a well-known accounting system. In the United States alone, it currently serves over 7 million customers. People appreciate the flexibility that Intuit provides. However, things get a little complicated when users encounter one of the following Errors “QuickBooks Error 6189 and 816“, or “6189 1005″, “6189 813”, “6189 77” which prevents them from opening their company file in multi-user mode, restricting them from accessing their accounting data.

In this article we are going to focus on QuickBooks 6189 series of errors which are all directly related to users not being able to open their company files.

When you enable QuickBooks’ multi-user feature to share your company file with other users on the same network but do not have administrative access to the file, an 6189 error message appears.

Below is a image of the displayed “error message” and text that appears on your screen.

“Error 6189-816, This data file cannot be opened by QuickBooks Desktop. It is possible that another user opened it. You should ask that user to enable multi-user mode so that both of you can access the company file at the same time. The file could also be in a read-only network folder. If it is, request that your system administrator make the file accessible.“

As simple as the solution may appear on the error box in reality it is not so. Moving forward in this article we are going to outline all the possible reasons to why this error occurs along with a complete list of troubleshooting steps to help you identify the cause and fix QuickBooks error 6189 and 816 without causing any damage to your data.

What is the cause behind Error codes 6189, 816,77, 1005 in QuickBooks?

To be more precise, Unlike other QB errors, 6189 Error in QuickBooks is caused by the network share drive to which your application is connected rather than a problem with your accounting data. What exactly does this mean? It refers to a failure to connect to multi-user access, which is set up on a network with a host computer that has a shared drive that stores your files and shares them with other network users.
As a result, even if you enable the multi-user hosting feature to share files on your local PC, it is still unable to connect to the database server manager an application responsible for giving users access to specific files.

Furthermore, users with administrative access to view and change files on the server will receive error code 6189 77 or 1005 if they are not logged in as an Admin on the local system (Windows Computer).

If you use a security-enhanced Access database, ensure that the users who open it also have Read and Write permissions on the folder. Verify that the file with the extension (.QBW) is located in this folder.

If the database appears to be unavailable, ensure that your network connection is active and that the database server manager is turned on so that you can access the company file. It is possible that any firewall software will have to be disabled while troubleshooting.

Results of QuickBooks 6189 error

1. Accessing database in multi-user gets deactivated.
2. A series of error codes starting with 6189, 816,1005, 6000 77, will appear on your screen .
3. You won’t be able to view, read or make entries.
4. Sharing the file with other another user on the network will not be possible.
5. You won’t be able to make any entries or restore previous backup at this moment.

Reasons behind error code 6189 816 in QuickBooks Desktop

1. When the firewall prevents access to the QuickBooks.exe file.
2. The network connection is down.
3. The administrator user name or password that was entered is incorrect.
4. The QB installation files on the C drive is corrupted.
5. When a user is not logged in as an administrator on the local computer.
6. Access to the company data on the host machine is restricted.
7. The folder in which the file is stored is not writable.
8. Files cannot be shared when your computer is not connected to the network.
9. When the database server manager is disabled, multi-user services fail to start.
10. The network data and transaction logs have been corrupted.
11. When your computer does not recognize the drive that contains your files.
12. The company file is in use by another program or service.

How to fix QuickBooks Error code 6189 and 816?

Consider the two scenarios below before proceeding with the solution to these errors. Rather than going through each troubleshooting step individually, we’ve categorized them based on how your QuickBooks is configured and where your files are currently stored.

Here are the 2 scenarios:

1. QuickBooks is used by a single user only and your accounting data is stored in a local drive or a USB Drive.
2. QuickBooks is setup to run in multi-user mode and the files are hosted on a server.

1. Install QuickBooks Tools Hub on the server

Note: If you are using QuickBooks in single user mode than install tool hub on your local machine.

• Exit out of QuickBooks Desktop.
• Download the latest version of QuickBooks Tools hub.
• Save the file at a location easy to find.
• A (quickbookstoolshub.exe) will get downloaded to to your PC. Note: If you already have the tools hub installed on your PC than make sure to update it to the latest release. To find out the current version simply open Tools hub and select the Home tab and look at the bottom.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the installation.
• Accept the terms and conditions and proceed.
• After the installation is complete, double-click the tool hub icon on your Windows PC to launch it.

2. Use QuickBooks Database Server Manager to fix network issues

• On your computer, launch QB Tools hub application.
• From the list on the left pane, Select Network issues.
• Press the Database Server Manager button. If QB isn’t already installed on your server, you might be prompted to do so. This assists in identifying the source of the error.
• Select Start Scan when you see a list of all the shared company files appear in the database server manager. You may not see all of the files on occasion; in that case, click on browse and select the files from the drive where they are located.
• During the scan the database manager will repair any network issues, errors related to the firewall and company file permissions.
• After the scan is finished, close the database server manager and launch QuickBooks on the server computer to access your company files. If no errors are found, launch QuickBooks on all workstations one by one.

3. Verify QBDataserviceuser permission

• Press Ctrl + Alt +Del than open Task Manager. Alternatively you can also type task manger on windows search bar and Open.
• Then Select the Services Tab from the top menu.
• Find and open a service called Qbdataserviceuserxx ( xx represents the current version of QuickBooks) If you have multiple versions installed than select carefully.
• Select a service Right-click and Select stop.
• Then Right-click on the QB service and Select Properties.
• From the Startup type Drop down options Select Automatic.
• Click on the Log on Tab than choose the Local System Account option.
• After that go to the Recovery Tab. Here you will see 3 services named as: First Failure, Second Failure and Subsequent Failures. From the drop down select Restart the service for all the options.
• Now go to the General Tab then Select restart the service.
• Close all the open windows and restart QuickBooks to access your files.

4. Run Quick Fix my file

• Select Company file issues from the tools hub desktop app.
• Select Quick fix my file option then run.
• A command prompt window will appear on your screen.
• Wait until it completes the repair process then close the tools hub
• Go back and Open QuickBooks.
• If the error persists then go to the next step to rename the Network Data and Transaction log files.

5. Rename the .ND (Network data) and .TLG (Transaction log) file

When the ND and TLG files in QuickBooks are corrupted or damaged, Error 6189 frequently appears. These files are critical to the operation of a QB data file. The cause of the damage could be a malware infection or a failed update. In this step, we will re-create these files in order to solve errors in QB.

• Navigate to the folder that contains your file.
• Find the two extensions starting with your company file name (company.ND) a .ND extension and .TLG (company.TLG)
• First select the .ND extension Right-click and select Rename.
• Type .OLD at the end of the file.
• Rename the .TLG extension in the same way (company name.OLD)
• Hit Enter to save.
• Close all the folders on your screen and restart QuickBooks.

6. Run QuickBooks File Doctor

• Go to the QuickBooks Tools Hub and choose Company file issues.
• Select and launch QuickBooks File Doctor from the menu. In rare cases, the file doctor may take some time to activate. Open it manually if it takes more than 5 mins.
• Next, in QB file doctor, select the file that is showing Error 6189 from the drop down menu. If the file isn’t found in the list, browse to the file’s location, Select and open it, then wait for the scanning process to finish.
• Continue by selecting the Check Your File option.
• Finally Enter the company file admin password and press the next button.

File doctor will search and analyze your files for errors and damage. The size of your file determines how long it takes for the scan to complete. It can take up to ten minutes in most cases.
When the scan is finished, Sign back into QuickBooks file.

7. Restart Your computer and Servers to fix QuickBooks Error 816

Sometimes due to network connectivity issues, File sharing stops working unexpectedly, because of which you may be unable to access your files properly from other devices.

Close the 6189 QuickBooks box after closing QB, then restart your computer, log back in with admin rights, and open QuickBooks to see if the error has been resolved.

If your computer is connected to the network and you access your accounting data from a server, rebooting your local machine will not fix the problem.

To resolve the error from the core, first restart the server that hosts QuickBooks files, and then restart all the workstations one by one.

8. Turn on QuickBooks file sharing on Network

To ensure that file sharing works as you intend to, make sure you follow all of the procedures as it is. You must first enable file and network sharing. Second, you must distribute the files.

Here are the steps to check and confirm that File Sharing is enabled on Windows 10:

• Type Control panel in the Windows search bar.
• Open Network and sharing center.
• From the left bar click on Advanced settings.
• Now check the following boxes: Turn on Network Discovery and Turn on file sharing.
• Turn Password protected sharing off.
• Now go to the folder that contains your company file.
• Right-click on the folder that you want to share with other users.
• Select properties from the drop down.
• Click on the sharing tab and select Advanced sharing.
• Enable Share this folder and then click Apply, then Ok. By default, user rights are set to read-only.. This means others can only see the folder or file but can’t make any changes to it. To update the permissions, go to Permissions and make the necessary changes.
• Next open QuickBooks Desktop and select your company file to sign in.

9. Move Company files to a local drive to fix QuickBooks Error 6189 and 816

If you backup your company files on a Flash drive or a network drive and try to access them from one of the two, copy your company files to your computer’s local drive.
Open the drive that stores the files, then right-click to copy and paste on desktop.

• Open QuickBooks Desktop.
• Go to the No Company Open Window.
• Select Restore an existing company.
• Browse to the file that you have saved on your desktop.
• Enter the Admin User name and Password to login.

10. Update QuickBooks

• Exit QuickBooks and return to your desktop.
• On Windows 10, navigate to the search bar at the bottom of your screen.
• Type QuickBooks Desktop, right-click the QB icon, and choose Run as Administrator.
• When asked for permission, press Yes to continue.
• Go to the No company Open screen.
• Now, from the help menu, select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
• The following window contains three tabs: Overview, Options, and Update Now.
• Select the update now tab and mark all of the most recent updates available in the list.
• Now, click the Get updates button and wait for the updates to finish.

Close and then reopen QuickBooks to allow the updates to take effect. Say yes when prompted to install the updates right away. After the updates are installed restart your PC then login into QuickBooks to check if the Error code 6189 816 has disappeared.

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11. Create a New user in Windows 10 to access QuickBooks

• Press the windows key on your keyboard.
• Go to Settings.
• Select Accounts from the settings page.
• Select Family and other users option from the left.
• Under Other Users Select Add someone else to this PC.
• Select i do not have one then go next.
• if asked to create a new account. Also skip this step, Instead choose Add a user without a Microsoft Account.
• In the next window give the new user a name and create a secure password.
• Now logout from your current account.
• Login with the new user account you just created.
• Open QuickBooks and access your company file.

To sum up

QuickBooks Errors and Solutions to resolve them go hand in hand, If you have a problem we will always have a solution for you to solve it right away. QuickBooks Error 6189 and 816 can be tricky to fix at times, that is because of the technicalities involved in the multi-user setup. However, nothing is too complex as long as you have a detailed article guiding you through out the entire process to help you overcome these issues quickly and efficiently.

If you need further help and support get in touch with our QuickBooks Pro Advisor team to assist you further.