InterWeave Academy

Twitter Linkedin Facebook Headphones
Menu

Resolve QuickBooks Desktop performance issues

By /

Optimize your server and workstations to minimize performance issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

This is Part 1 of a series that covers performance issues in QuickBooks Desktop and how to resolve them. If the steps here don’t resolve your issues, try the steps in the other

Enhance your computers

QuickBooks system requirements will support most QuickBooks users. If your computer system meets these specs and still experience performance issues, you may want to increase your available RAM. Remember your goal is to increase the amount of RAM available to QuickBooks.

To know the amount of RAM you need for QuickBooks, multiply the size of your file in GB, by the number of users in the network. So, if your file size is 500 MB (0.5 GB) and you have 6 users, then you need 3 GB of RAM in your server. If you have only 2 GB and you experience performance issues, you may want to upgrade your server to 3 GB of RAM.

Virtual Memory

  1. Increase a computer’s Virtual Memory (VM) to 2 GB plus 2 GB for each major application you run on the computer.
  2. Be sure VM is runs on an internal hard drive.
  3. If your server has multiple internal drives, store the data file on one drive and the VM on another drive.

Competing Programs

A competing program is one that runs at the same time as QuickBooks. Each program requires RAM and processor capacity. You can see your programs in the Task Manager. Check out the Processes Tab.

  1. Shutdown programs and processes not in use on your computer. This enables the operating system to assign more RAM to QuickBooks.
  2. If you can’t shut down a program, move either QuickBooks or the other program to another computer. A common example is the Exchange program that runs your e-mail system.
  3. In some systems, there are too many programs that run on the Domain Server for QuickBooks to run efficiently. You might want to move QuickBooks to another server.

RAM Improvements

  1. Add memory chips. If your server has four sockets, and 2 sockets have 1 GB DRAM chips, install two 1 GB DRAM chips in the empty sockets.
  2. Upgrade your memory chips, e.g., replace 1 GB DRAM chips with 2 GB DRAM chips.
  3. Increase workstation RAM.
  4. Be aware of your operating system’s limits on the amount of RAM it supports.

Upgrade your operating system

If you upgrade the RAM on your workstations and server and it doesn’t resolve the issue, you might want to upgrade your operating system. Older operating systems have lower limits on the amount of RAM they can support.

Upgrade Computers

If you decide to upgrade your server and/or workstations, please consider the following:

  1. Make sure that the computer that will store the file is a true server ( not a service like Dropbox ).
  2. Fill all of the RAM slots with the highest capacity chips.
  3. A 64-bit computer & operating system.
  4. A fast clock speed of 2.2 GHz or more.
  5. A fast hard drive rotational speed, e.g., 7,500 or 10,000 rpm, or a solid state drive.
  6. A fast Network Interface. A 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) card on your server can increase bandwidth.

Terminal Server

If you run QuickBooks in a terminal server environment, you can estimate the amount of RAM on the server in two ways. The first is you need 0.5 GB of addressable RAM for each user. If you have five users, you need 2.5 GB of RAM. The second way is:

  • For 5 users, you need 2-3 GB addressable RAM
  • For 10 users, you need 3-4 GB addressable RAM
  • For 15 users, you need 4-6 GB addressable RAM
  • For 20 users, you need 6-8 GB addressable RAM

Note: Intuit supports Terminal Services mode only for QuickBooks Enterprise.

Where to store your data file

  • Where you store your company data file can have a noticeable effect on the performance of QuickBooks.
  • You can set up a folder in your C: root directory to store your data file and ancillary files: C:\QBData\filename.qbw.
  • Remember to move the entire data folder when you need to move the data file.

Use a computer on a network

  1. Store your company data file on an internal hard drive on a computer on your network.
  2. Use an external hard drives or a flash drive only to back up your data file.
  3. We don’t recommend a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive. We design QuickBooks for Windows to store files on a computer with a Windows Operating System, or with a Windows compatible SAMBA share (Enterprise only).
  4. QuickBooks works with a server running a RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). We don’t recommend them because they’ve been known to cause performance issues.

Non-Dedicated Server/Host

If you don’t have a dedicated host or server, use this info to help decide which workstation to use to save your file. Save your data file on the workstation that:

  1. Has the full QuickBooks program on it.
  2. Store on the computer you use most. This will minimize data transfer over the network.
  3. Has the most RAM.
  4. Has the fastest clock speed.
  5. Has the least non-QuickBooks activity.

Your Data Folder

When you create or move files, QuickBooks uses these default locations:

Windows 7, 8, 10: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files

Optimize your network interface card (NIC) settings

View and Edit your NIC settings

Network interface card (NIC) settings can slow the transfer rate if you have duplex mismatches. A duplex mismatch happens when one NIC is set to a specific link speed and duplex and connects to a NIC set to a different value. A mismatch can reduce your bandwidth to a few Megabits per second (Mb/s). To avoid this, reset all of your NIC’s Link Speed and Duplex to an automatic setting.

  1. Select the Microsoft Windows Start button, select Control Panel. (In older Windows versions, you need to select Settings before you select Control Panel.)
  2. Double-click System and select the Hardware tab.
  3. Select Device Manager.
  4. Select the + next to Network adapters to expand the list.
  5. Right-click the NIC and select Properties.
  6. Select the Advanced tab.
  7. Under Property, select the Link Speed & Duplex option (the option may be named something else similar).
  8. Seelct the Value drop-down arrow and select Auto (the option on your NIC could be named something else).
  9. Select OK and close the window.

Manage your data files to fix QuickBooks Desktop performance issues

by Intuit•1•Updated 4 months ago

If you have issues with the performance of your QuickBooks Desktop, your company file may be the root cause.

QuickBooks’ performance decreases as the size of the company file increases. There are aren’t any limits on the size of your company data file.  Performance issues can happen if your network can’t handle large data files.

This article is Part 2 of a series on performance issues in QuickBooks Desktop and how to fix them. If these steps don’t fix your issues, try the steps in Manage your computers to fix QuickBooks Desktop performance issues.

Before you continue, update QuickBooks Desktop and Database Server Manager on your host or server.

Set up Company and Personal Preferences

Automatic pop-ups in QuickBooks can cause a slow response. To avoid this, you can turn off auto pop-ups in QuickBooks. We’ll show you how.

Note: If you’re in Multi-user mode, make sure to switch to Single-user mode. Also, make sure to select Yes to save your changes before you move to the next preference.

Bills preferences

  1. Sign in to your company file as the admin.
  2. Go Edit, then select Preferences.
  3. Select Bills, then select Company Preferences tab.
  4. Uncheck Warn about duplicate bill numbers from the same vendor.
  5. Select OK.

Items and inventory preferences

  1. Sign in to your company file as the admin.
  2. Go to Edit, then select Preferences.
  3. Select Items and inventory, then select Company Preferences.
  4. Uncheck Warn about duplicate purchase order numbers.
  5. Select OK.

Sales and Customers

  1. Sign in to your company file as the admin.
  2. Go to Edit, then select Preferences.
  3. Select Sales & Customers, then select Company Preferences.
  4. Uncheck Warn about duplicate invoice numbers and Warn about duplicate Sales Order numbers
  5. Select OK.

Search

  1. Sign in to your company file as the admin.
  2. Go to Edit, then select Preferences.
  3. Select Search, then select Company Preferences.
  4. Uncheck the Update automatically.
  5. Select OK.

Desktop view

  1. Sign in to your company file as the admin.
  2. Go to Edit, then select Preferences.
  3. Select Desktop View, then select My Preferences.
  4. Uncheck Show homepage when opening a company file.
  5. Select OK.

Reminders

  1. Sign in to your company file as the admin.
  2. Go to Edit, then select Preferences.
  3. Select Reminders, then My Preferences tab.
  4. Uncheck Show Reminders List when opening a company file.
  5. Select OK.

Reports and Graphs

  1. Sign in to your company file as the admin.
  2. Go to Edit, then select Preferences.
  3. Select Reports & Graphs, then select My Preferences.
  4. In the Reports & Graph section, select Don’t Refresh.
  5. Select Prompt me to modify report options before opening a report.
  6. Select OK.

Automatic updates

  1. Go to Help and select Update QuickBooks.
  2. Select Options.
  3. In the Automatic Updates section, select No.
  4. Select Close.
  5. Select OK.

Back to the top

Reduce the size of the company file

If you have a large file and performance is slow, you can reduce the size of your company file. These options can take extra time and work.

You can run the Condense Data utility to reduce the size of your file or start a new company file.

Important: If you have Assi​​sted Payroll, check with Payroll Support before you start a new file.

If you decide to start a new company file, you have two options:

  1. Use the Condense Company Data utility to delete all transactions and create a copy that only has your lists.
  2. Create a new file from scratch. This option can take extra work and time.
    1. Go to File, then select New Company. Follow the wizard that appears.
    2. Open your original file and export your lists. 
    3. Open the exported Intuit Interchange files (IIF) and delete any list entries you don’t need.
    4. Import your clean files into the new file. See IIF Overview: import kit, sample files, and headers.
    5. Set up the opening balances. 

Back to the top

Improve QuickBooks performance

Clean up your data

  • Reduce your Database (DB) file fragments. Too many DB File Fragments will slow down your computer.
  • Verify your company file weekly. See Resolve data damage on your company file.
  • Transaction log files (TLG ) keep track of changes to the file since the last backup. Large TLG files can cause performance issues. Make a manual backup with full verification to reset the TLG.
  • Zero lines slow down performance and if you run cash basis reports with inventory, your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) could be wrong. Remove any detail lines with a zero price or quantity.
  • Clear the queues of forms you want to print or email.
  • Turn off search indexing in QuickBooks Desktop:
    Important: You can still search in your company file when you turn off the automatic search index, but it’ll take longer. We recommend turning the automatic search back on if performance didn’t improve. ​​
    1. Go to Edit and select Preferences.
    2. Select Search then select Company Preferences. 
    3. Uncheck Update Automatically and rename the .qbw.SearchIndex file.
    4. You can find the .qbw.SearchIndex file in the same location as your company file. (Example: C:\Users\Public\PublicDocuments\Intuit\QuickBooks\CompanyFIles\CompanyFileName.qbw.SearchIndex)

Improve workflows

  • Run reports on an accrual basis instead of a cash basis. Cash basis reports take more time because QuickBooks needs to check every transaction for payment status.
  • If QuickBooks payroll runs slowly, have the other users sign out and run payroll in single-user mode.
  • Close QuickBooks windows that aren’t in use.
  • If you’re the only user in the data file, switch to single-user mode.
  • Reboot your workstations daily.
  • Sign out of the data file when it’s not in use and don’t stay signed in to the company file overnight
  • Do long tasks (like email or print batches of invoices or statements) outside normal hours (before normal hours, lunch time or overnight). This way, they won’t use resources from other users.
  • When you run reports, QuickBooks pulls in a lot of data. If you optimize how you run reports and print reports, it can save a lot of time and resources. Here are some tips:
    • Run long reports in the off-hours, during lunch, overnight, over the weekend.
    • Customize and memorize long reports.
    • Copy your company file to an unused workstation, set the driver to print directly to the printer and print your report.

Manage your lists

You use your lists every time data is entered in QuickBooks. Make sure your lists are updated and sorted. Here are some ways lists can slow down performance:

  • Your lists are approaching ‌list limits.
  • Your lists have many entries you don’t use.
  • Your lists have many sub-entries (like jobs under customers, subaccounts under accounts, and sub-items under items).​​

One way to keep your lists running smoothly is to re-sort your lists weekly. You can also merge entries or sub-entries in your lists you don’t use.

Scroll to Top