QuickBooks™ Slowing Down? Here’s How to Fix It

Does your QuickBooks™ seem to be slowing down? Does it take a long time to log in, search data or run reports? Over time, the QuickBooks™ file will get bigger as it will contain more and more data, and the bigger the file, the longer it will take to perform any operation. A large file may also have some data inconsistencies. Thankfully, QuickBooks™ does offer some relief. There are utilities to Rebuild and Condense the file. The result can be a tremendous improvement in performance.

How to Rebuild and Condense the QuickBooks™ file in 6 steps

While any user with administrative rights can run these utilities, it is important to approach the exercise with caution. Here are the 6 steps we recommend:

Step #1: Plan 

No one will be able to access QuickBooks™ when the utilities are running. Depending on the file size and transaction volume, this can take hours. In rare cases, this can take days. Plan to perform during a slow time for QuickBooks™ usage.

Step #2: Verify Data 

The Verify utility is a litmus test for your data. It may indicate an issue that cannot be resolved by another utility and may need to be escalated to a QuickBooks™ professional.

Step #3: Verify Environment 

In order to run the utilities, you may need a large amount of disk space. The utilities will create data file backups and temporary files during the process. Confirm there are no server time-outs or scheduled reboots that might interrupt the utilities.

Step #4: Export Reports 

Run the Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Open Invoices and Unpaid Bills reports. These provided a baseline for validating data after the utility has run.

Step #5: Rebuild & Condense 

Run utilities for rebuilding and condensing the data file. The condense utility will summarize data for a period of time specified. For example, if you have been using QuickBooks™ since 2010, choose to summarize the first 5 years of data or the first 7 years. For a large file, it may be best to run the utility multiple times, summarizing a few years of data with each pass.

Step #6: Validate 

Export the same reports you exported in step #4 and compare. The reports should match, and you are ready to resume operations. If there are discrepancies, restore the backup and consult a QuickBooks™ professional.

Final thoughts

Hopefully your Rebuild and Condense was successful, and your QuickBooks™ is running better than ever. You may even consider adding this process to a regular maintenance schedule. By running this utility annually or semi-annually, you can keep your QuickBooks™ file in good health and minimize the scheduling impact of running the utility.