QuickBooks Error Message When you try to Send an Accountant’s Copy with the File Transfer Service

The accountant’s copy in QuickBooks creates a stripped down version of the company file so that an accountant and his or her client can easily share data with each other. When the accountant has made changes, he or she can send the accountant’s copy back to the client, who can then import the changes into the company file.

In this post, you’ll learn the QuickBooks Error message when you try to send an accountant’s copy with the file transfer service.

➤ Error When Sending Accountant’s Copy

You can send a stripped down version of your company file, the accountant’s copy, with the Accountant’s Copy File Transfer service (ACFT.) This service is provided by Intuit, which ensures that the files are securely transferred between the accountant and his or her client.

If you get an error while sending an accountant’s copy with Accountant’s Copy File Transfer Service, then you may get one of the following errors:

• We had a problem sending your file to the Intuit Server.
• Warning: There was a problem sending the changes to the accountant’s copy file transfer server. Please try again later or save a file and send by email.

There can be various underlying causes of this error. Here’s a list of errors that can lead to Accountant’s copy error:

• QuickBooks Updates haven’t been installed on your system.
• Your Company File (QBW) is larger than or equal to 200 MB.
• The network connection isn’t working.
• Windows Firewall is blocking the connection set up by QuickBooks Desktop.
• Your company file is damaged.

Let’s look at the various methods we can use to fix this error and get back to sending the accountant’s copy through a secure network.

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➤ Accountant’s Copy Transfer Error Fix

As there are various causes for this error, the methods to resolve each cause will differ. You should go with one method at a time, starting with the first one. After going through each method, verify the resolution of the error before you move to the next method.

Remove Special Characters From File Names

If file names contain special characters, then you may receive an error when trying to send it to your accountant/client. In this situation, the best thing you can do is to rename both the company file and the accountant’s copy.

Here’s how you can rename these files:

• Go to the directory that contains your company file.
• Right click on the company file that you want to send to your accountant.
• Remove all special characters from the file name.
• Hit Enter.

When you create an accountant’s copy, ensure that you don’t input any special characters in the name of the file that you’re about to create. When you’ve removed the special characters from the file names, you can try to send the accountant’s copy once again.

Install Latest QuickBooks Desktop Updates

Recent updates often address the bugs that occurred in one of the previous releases. The error you’re facing may be a result of the previous update, and it may have been fixed with the latest updates. So you should update QuickBooks Desktop before you move onto the next method.

Note:

Kindly log in using an admin account or get the authentication details of an admin account to install the updates on your system.

Steps to Update QuickBooks Desktop on your System

1. Go to the Start menu and search for QuickBooks.
2. Right Click on the QuickBooks icon, then Click on Run as Administrator.
3. In the No Company Open window, select Help from the main menu.
4. Choose Update QuickBooks Desktop.
5. Select Mark All in the Options tab, then Save.
6. Mark the checkbox against Reset Updates in the Update Now tab. This removes all the previously downloaded update files that may be consuming extra storage space.
7. After clicking on Get Updates, wait for QB to download all the selected update files.
8. Exit QuickBooks Desktop.
9. In the prompt to install the latest updates, select Yes to allow the updates to be installed on your system.

If you’re in a standard account, then you don’t have the rights to make changes or install software. So you’ll be prompted to enter the authentication details of one of the admin accounts of your system. If you don’t have the details, kindly get in touch with your system’s administrator.

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QuickBooks Error message when you try to send an accountant’s copy with the file transfer service

Tip: If sending the accountant’s copy still fails, then restart your system and try again. Sometimes changes are made only after the program and related services are not running.

Note: Setting up automatic updates in QuickBooks ensures that all the latest updates rolled out are downloaded in the background. When you exit QuickBooks, you’ll be prompted to install the updates. You still have the choice to not install these updates.

Alter the Size of the Company File

As mentioned before, the size of the company file shouldn’t equal or exceed 200 MB. If this isn’t the case, then you won’t be able to send the accountant’s copy via the service.

But QuickBooks has a handy feature that enables users to simply reduce the size of the company file. You’ve two main options, both will be explored here.

Use the steps given below to decrease the size of the company file:

• Launch QuickBooks Desktop and select the Company File.
• Press and Hold F2 to launch the Company Information screen.
• Note down the current size of the company file. We’ll use this as a reference to check the amount of reduction in size once we’re done with this whole process.
• Follow one of the two methods given below if the size of the company file is 200 MB or more.
  • Create a Portable Company File: the portable company contains only the essential financial data that you recorded in your accounting software. Other things such as templates are removed to reduce the overall size of the company file and make it more portable.
  • Use another service to send the Accountant File. You can use a hosting platform or file sending system to share the accountant’s copy.

Note: Sharing any version of your company file through an unsecured or poorly secured network can increase the risk of data theft. To protect your accounting and financial data, ensure that you’re sending the file over an encrypted network or using a secured cloud server.

Steps to Create a Portable Company File in QuickBooks Desktop

1. Log into an admin account in QuickBooks.
2. In the File menu, click on Create Copy.
3. Choose Portable Company File, then Next.
4. Enter a unique name for the portable company file. Ensure that it isn’t exactly the same as the company file.
5. Choose the directory that the company file should be saved in.
6. Click on Save, then Ok.

Note: choose a directory that you can find easily. We recommend that you save the portable file on the desktop to locate it easily.

Once you’ve created the portable file, you can right click on it and go to properties to check the size of the file. As the portable version contains stripped down essential data, the size will be substantially less than that of the original company file.

Fix the Damage to the Company File

If the issue is with your company file itself, then QuickBooks won’t be able to create the accountant’s copy in the first place. Without resolving the company file error, you cannot start with the creation of another file extracted from the original one.

First let’s check if we can create and send an accountant’s copy of another company file. Here are the steps for the same:

1. From the File menu, click on New Company.
2. Click on Express Start.
3. Enter the essential information related to your company.
4. Select Start Working.
5. After the new file is created, send the accountant’s copy.

If you can send the newly created sample company file via the network, then there is something wrong with your company file. If not, then maybe one of the aforementioned problems is causing the transfer to fail.

To resolve data damage in your company file, you can verify and rebuild data. Here are the key steps you’ll require to rebuild your data in QuickBooks Desktop:

1. Click on the File menu.
2. Select Utilities.
3. Click on Rebuild Data.
4. In the new window, click on Ok.
5. Follow the instructions given on the screen to create a backup of your data.
   Tip: although it isn’t essential, you should always create a backup before performing any major action on the company file.
6. Wait till the tool scans and tries to fix all of the errors in the company file. When the rebuild tool has finished, click on Ok
7. Go to the File menu and select Verify Data from the Utilities option.

Another easy option to deal with company file issues is the QuickBooks File Doctor, which scans the company files for errors. If any error is found, the software automatically tries to fix it.

Still unable to recover your data and fix your company file. Maybe you should restore a recently created backup so that you can get back to work. However, ensure that you manually enter all the data that was entered after creating the company file. If you don’t have a recent backup, then don’t restore before checking in with the experts so that you can save the maximum amount of data.

Note:

If QuickBooks File Doctor can’t resolve the company file issues, then you can get in touch with our experts who can recover all of your damaged accounting data. You can contact them via call +1866-547-0606.

⏩ Conclusion

QuickBooks Error message when you try to send an accountant’s copy with the file transfer service can have many causes that lead to failure of creation or sending of the file. Several methods exist to ensure that you can fix this error and start sharing data with your accountant/client.

Note: Still can’t send the data using Accountant’s File Transfer Service? Get in touch with our experts to get this issue fixed. Live Chat or Call.

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