Tips, tricks and how-to guide for using the QuickBooks Verify Utility. If you follow the steps and find that you need to Rebuild a Company file, there are additional steps to help guide you through that process as well.

1. How To Run The Verify
Utility In QuickBooks
Tips for keeping
your QB files
healthy and
happy.
from

2. QuickBooks Data File Maintenance is an important and necessary aspect of
managing QuickBooks data. Intuit recommends that the verify, rebuild and backup
process be performed at least once a month. This not only keeps your software
running optimally, it also protects your company files from corruption and damage.
Signs You Should Use The Verify Utility…
•You get error messages when working in QuickBooks.
•QuickBooks shuts down when you try to save a transaction.
•Discrepancies appear on invoices, bills, or other reports.
•Names, transactions and other data is missing.
•“Company file in use, please wait.” messages appear.
•You have not run a Verify in over a month.

3. Verifying Your QuickBooks
Company Files
The verification process is
quick and easy and shouldn't
take more than a minute or
two. Follow this guide to
achieve the best results:
Step One: Open the first
company file you wish to run
maintenance on. Click File,
Utilities, and select the
"Verify Data" option.

4. Step Two: Select "OK" to
allow QuickBooks to close
all open windows.
Step Three: Allow the utility
to complete the verification
process. QuickBooks will
inform you when it has
completed.

5. Step Four: At this point,
QuickBooks will tell you
one of two things. Either:
No Problems Detected:
If you see the former message, you
have successfully completed the
process and are ready to get back
to work. No further action is
required on your part.
Or…….

6. …you may see this message:
Warning: A Data Problem Prevents
QuickBooks from Continuing
If you see this message, don't panic! It is not
as bad as it sounds. QuickBooks now needs
you to run the "Rebuild Data Utility" in
order to fix any problems that exist in your
company file. Please note that your data is
safe through this process, as it is routinely
performed after backing up company files.
Proceed to the next step in to start
Rebuilding your data file.

7. Rebuilding Your Company File
The "Rebuild Data Utility" carries a
heavy connotation and may frighten
some QuickBooks users away from
using it. Keep in mind that this is a
regular maintenance utility and does
not put your data at risk. It is always
performed after creating backups of
files (after verification) through Intuit's
Backup Utility. Before this process
begins, QuickBooks will have you
create a backup of your company file
just to be safe.
Step One: Click File, Utilities,
and select the "Rebuild
Data" option.

8. Step Two: Select "OK" to
allow QuickBooks to close
all open windows.
Step Three: QuickBooks will
inform you that it must create
a backup of the company file
before continuing. Click "OK"
to proceed.

9. Step Four: Select
the Local Backup
option and click
"Next.”

10. Step Five: Click "Browse..."
to choose where to save
your backup.

11. Step Six: Choose a folder on
your Shared Drive to save
the backup file to and click
"OK."

12. Step Seven: Leave every
option as-is and click
"OK" to proceed.

13. Step Eight: Select "Use this
Location.”
Step Nine: Select "OK" to
continue.

14. Step Ten: Confirm the
name and location of the
Backup Copy and click
"Save" to continue.

15. Step Eleven: Wait as QuickBooks creates
the backup and then performs the rebuild.
Step Twelve: You will be prompted when
this has completed. Click "OK" to continue.

16. Step Thirteen: At this point it is important that you run the "Verify
Utility" once more to ensure that no problems exist. Repeat the
Verification steps in the first part of this guide.
If after verifying your data again you are given the notice that your
company file needs rebuilding, you may have a problem that
requires additional assistance. If this is the case there are a variety
of resources available for finding support…
Intuit QuickBooks Support – support.quickbooks.intuit.com
Find a ProAdvisor nearby – proadvisor.intuit.com/find-a-proadvisor