QuickBooks Error 6073: why the file is locked & how to fix it.
Error 6073 means QuickBooks Desktop can’t open the company file. With -99001, Intuit’s message says it “may have been opened by another user” — single-user mode elsewhere, a read-only network folder, a Linux server, or a remote session. With -816, Intuit points to multiple computers hosting the file, firewall settings, or file damage. Below: the causes Intuit names, Intuit’s fix steps, and when to call a QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
Error 6073 appears when QuickBooks Desktop can’t open the company file. Intuit’s -6073, -99001 article (updated 8/5/2026) names four causes: the file is open on another computer in single-user mode, it’s in a read-only network folder, it’s on a Linux server using more than one login, or a remote session left the user signed in on the host. Intuit’s -6000 code table ties -6073, -816 to multiple computers hosting the file, firewall settings, or company-file damage. Intuit’s fix starts with File Doctor, then switching to multi-user mode, fixing folder permissions, or Quick Fix my Program. Error 6073 is a QuickBooks Desktop and Enterprise error — it does not appear in QuickBooks Online.
Published by TechBrot.
Error 6073, in five questions.
What is QuickBooks Error 6073?
A QuickBooks Desktop company-file access error: QuickBooks can’t open the company file. With -99001, Intuit’s message reads “QuickBooks is unable to open this company file. It may have been opened by another user.” Intuit’s -6000 article ties -6073, -816 to multiple computers hosting the file, firewall settings, or company-file damage. A Desktop and Enterprise error — it does not occur in QuickBooks Online.
What causes Error 6073?
For -6073, -99001 Intuit names four causes: (1) the file is open on another computer in single-user mode; (2) the file is in a read-only network folder; (3) the file is on a Linux server using more than one login for the shared folder; (4) the file was reached through remote software (such as LogMeIn or GoToMyPC) and the host still shows the user as logged on. For -6073, -816 Intuit lists multiple computers hosting the file, firewall settings blocking the connection, or company-file damage.
Can I fix Error 6073 myself?
Often, yes — Intuit’s order: run QuickBooks File Doctor; if the file is open in single-user mode on another computer, close QuickBooks everywhere, open the file on the host and switch to multi-user mode; if it’s in single-user mode on the host, close it and reopen it in multi-user mode; give the user Full control of a read-only folder; after remote access, run Quick Fix my Program. For -816, make sure only one computer hosts and check firewall and antivirus settings.
When does Error 6073 need a ProAdvisor?
When Intuit’s steps don’t resolve it, the multi-user hosting won’t stay stable, or the company file may be damaged — a signal the hosting setup or the file needs to be corrected properly rather than reset each time.
How is Error 6073 related to other QuickBooks file errors?
Like the 6000-series and the H-series multi-user errors, Error 6073 is about access to the company file. Intuit lists -6073, -816 in its -6000 code table alongside other hosting and network codes, and gives -6073, -99001 its own article about single-user mode, read-only folders and remote access. Multi-user hosting codes such as H202 have their own Intuit steps.
Error 6073, plainly.
Error 6073 appears when QuickBooks Desktop can’t open the company file. Intuit documents it with two second numbers. For -6073, -99001, Intuit’s current article (updated 8/5/2026) gives the message “QuickBooks is unable to open this company file. It may have been opened by another user,” and names four causes: the file is open on another computer in single-user mode; it’s in a read-only network folder; it’s on a Linux server using more than one login for the shared folder; or it was reached through remote software such as LogMeIn or GoToMyPC and the host still shows the user as logged on. For -6073, -816, Intuit’s -6000 code table lists multiple computers hosting the file, firewall settings blocking the connection, or damage to the company file.
Intuit’s fix starts with QuickBooks File Doctor, then a manual fix for your situation — switching to multi-user mode, giving the user Full control of the folder, or running Quick Fix my Program after remote access. For -816, make sure only one computer hosts the file and check the firewall and antivirus settings. If Intuit’s steps don’t resolve it, or the multi-user hosting won’t stay stable, a QuickBooks ProAdvisor diagnostic identifies the deeper cause and corrects the hosting setup properly. Error 6073 is a QuickBooks Desktop and Enterprise error; it does not appear in QuickBooks Online.
Six causes Intuit names.
From Intuit’s -6073, -99001 article and the -6073, -816 row of its -6000 article (both updated 8/5/2026). Intuit doesn’t rank them.
Cause 01 · The file is already open elsewhere in single-user mode
Intuit’s first cause for -6073, -99001: the company file is open on another computer in single-user mode. Single-user mode allows one open session, so a second attempt is refused — “It may have been opened by another user.”
Cause 02 · Multiple computers are set to host the file
Intuit’s -6000 code table ties -6073, -816 in part to multiple computers hosting the file. Intuit’s advice is that one computer or server hosts company files, with hosting turned off on every workstation.
Cause 03 · The file is in a read-only network folder
Intuit’s second cause for -6073, -99001: the company file is located in a read-only network folder. The fix is to give the affected user Full control of that folder on the hosting computer.
Cause 04 · Remote access left the user signed in on the host
Intuit’s fourth cause for -6073, -99001: the file was reached through remote software such as LogMeIn or GoToMyPC, and the host computer still shows the user as logged on. Intuit’s fix is Quick Fix my Program in Tool Hub.
Cause 05 · Linux server using more than one login for the shared folder
Intuit’s third cause for -6073, -99001: the file is hosted on a Linux server and more than one set of login credentials is used to reach the shared folder.
Cause 06 · Firewall blocking the connection, or a damaged company file
Intuit’s -6000 code table also ties -6073, -816 to firewall settings blocking the connection or damage to the company file. Intuit’s fixes: configure the firewall ports and an antivirus exception, and run File Doctor.
How to fix Error 6073 yourself.
Six steps: File Doctor first, then the manual fix that matches your situation, in Intuit’s order. If none resolves it, stop and book a diagnostic.
Run QuickBooks File Doctor
Intuit’s Solution 1. In QuickBooks Tool Hub, select Company File Issues → Run QuickBooks File Doctor, select your company file, choose Check your file, and follow the prompts.
Open in single-user mode on another computer? Switch to multi-user
Close QuickBooks Desktop on all computers. Open the company file on the host computer, then select File → Switch to Multi-user Mode. If the error persists, Intuit says to reboot all workstations.
Open in single-user mode on the host? Reopen in multi-user
On the host, select File → Close Company. Then File → Open or Restore Company → Open a company file → Next, select your company file, tick Open file in multi-user mode, and select Open.
In a read-only network folder? Give the user Full control
On the hosting computer, right-click the folder that holds the company file and select Properties → Security. Select the affected user → Edit, tick Allow for Full control, then Apply and OK.
Used remote access? Run Quick Fix my Program
If the file was reached through remote software such as LogMeIn or GoToMyPC, open Tool Hub → Program Problems → Quick Fix my Program. Then start QuickBooks Desktop and open your data file.
Seeing -816? Check hosting and firewall, then escalate
For -6073, -816, make sure only one computer hosts the file: on each workstation press F2, find Local Server Information, and confirm hosting is off. Then configure your firewall ports and an antivirus exception, as Intuit’s -6000 article describes. If Error 6073 still persists — or the hosting won’t stay stable — stop and book a diagnostic. A QuickBooks ProAdvisor corrects the hosting setup against a written scope.
Where the Error 6073 steps come from.
The causes and steps above follow Intuit’s own support articles, linked below so you can check them at the source. Where this page and Intuit’s articles ever differ, follow Intuit.
- Error: -6073, -99001 QuickBooks is unable to open this company file — Intuit QuickBooks support
- Fix error -6000 when opening a company file in QuickBooks — Intuit QuickBooks support
Three signals it’s a ProAdvisor call.
It persists after all six steps
You’ve worked Intuit’s steps and Error 6073 still blocks the file. What’s left can be a hosting conflict, a folder-permission problem, or the company file itself.
Multi-user hosting won’t stabilize
You set one host and turn hosting off on the workstations, but the file keeps refusing access or hosting reverts. Something in the setup keeps re-claiming the file and needs to be corrected properly rather than reset each day.
The file keeps locking after Intuit’s steps
Single-user mode, read-only folders and remote sessions are all ruled out, and the file still says another user has it. That points to the server or network setup — or file damage — and is the moment to have it assessed.
When Error 6073 is no longer a software problem.
Error 6073 means QuickBooks Desktop cannot open the company file. Once it opens normally again, anything still wrong is in the data, not in how the file is opened.
- Users worked in separate copies while the file was locked, and the copies differ.
- Work entered during the lockout period is missing.
- Balances or reconciliations look different from before.
Start with the free QuickBooks file review — a limited review that identifies likely issues and the information needed for a written scope, with the findings in plain English. If the findings show that the books themselves need work, that is QuickBooks cleanup, quoted as a fixed fee against a written scope before any work starts.
Self-fix didn’t clear Error 6073?
A QuickBooks ProAdvisor diagnoses the deeper cause — a focused diagnostic is from $1,200 — a fixed fee, set after scoping.
Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor credentials.
2
Intuit certifications held — QuickBooks Online (Level 2) and Payroll; Desktop and Enterprise files worked in
L2
QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor tier
Yearly
Annual Intuit re-certification
- Error 6073 is a Desktop/Enterprise company-file access error — resolving it takes fluency in single- and multi-user hosting, network folders, file permissions, and remote-access setups.
- We work in Desktop and Enterprise files, led by TechBrot’s founder; Intuit’s public ProAdvisor directory lists active ProAdvisors for verification.
- Operational experience to diagnose Error 6073 past Intuit’s documented steps — not a script-reading queue.
A QuickBooks ProAdvisor diagnoses past the surface.
When Intuit’s steps don’t hold, what’s left is past the surface — conflicting hosting where more than one computer claims the file, folder permissions on the server, a firewall that keeps blocking the connection, or damage to the company file. A QuickBooks ProAdvisor who works in Desktop and Enterprise files diagnoses the actual root cause, corrects the hosting setup against a written scope, and verifies the file opens cleanly for the right users before closing.
Diagnostic
30-minute diagnostic, scheduled within one business day
What people ask about Error 6073.
What is QuickBooks Error 6073?
What causes QuickBooks Error 6073?
Can I fix QuickBooks Error 6073 myself?
When does Error 6073 require a ProAdvisor?
Why does QuickBooks say the file is open by another user when no one is in it?
Does Error 6073 appear in QuickBooks Online?
Self-fix didn’t resolve it?
File still locked? Book a diagnostic.
If Error 6073 persists after Intuit’s steps, or multi-user hosting won’t stabilize, a 30-minute call scopes the real cause — a focused diagnostic is from $1,200 — a fixed fee, set after scoping. Written scope before any work begins.