QuickBooks Error -6138, -105 -- Damaged Company File or Unreadable Location

QuickBooks error -6138, -105 blocks company file access due to file damage or folder permission problems; our engineers outline the concrete steps to restore access.

When QuickBooks Desktop refuses to open a company file and displays error codes -6138 and -105 together, the application has determined that the file is either structurally damaged or stored in a location the database service cannot properly read. Our engineers treat this as a compound failure: -6138 points to a mismatch or corruption in the company file environment, while -105 indicates that the file could not be parsed at the expected path. Resolving the error requires isolating which condition is responsible and then applying the appropriate repair sequence.

What the Error Message Says

The full message displayed by QuickBooks Desktop reads:

"An error occurred when QuickBooks tried to access the company file. Error codes: (-6138, -105)."

In some configurations the message continues with a prompt to contact technical support, but the core text and the paired error codes remain consistent across QuickBooks Desktop versions.

What the Code Means

The -6138 component signals that QuickBooks encountered a problem with the company file's internal structure or the hosting configuration surrounding it. The -105 component indicates that the file-level read operation failed, typically because the file header is corrupted, the file was truncated during a network interruption, or the hosting service lacks the permissions needed to parse the file at its current path. When these two codes appear together, QuickBooks was able to locate the file but could not complete the verification and parsing required to open it.

What Triggers It

Our engineers see this error most often in the following scenarios:

• Incomplete or interrupted backup restoration — A backup file (.QBB) was partially restored or the restore process was interrupted, leaving the .QBW file in a truncated state.
• Network storage path problems — The company file resides on a NAS device, mapped network drive, or sync folder (such as OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive) that interferes with the QuickBooks database manager's read operations.
• Folder-level permission gaps — The Windows user account running the QuickBooksDB service lacks full control over the folder containing the company file.
• Company file header corruption — The file header was damaged by an improper shutdown, power loss, or disk write error, preventing QuickBooks from recognizing the file format.
• Hosting configuration mismatch — Hosting mode is enabled on a workstation that is acting as both client and server in a multi-user setup, causing the database service to conflict with itself.

How to Fix It

Our engineers recommend working through these scenarios in order of frequency.

Scenario 1: Move the file to a local folder with full permissions

1. On the machine hosting the company file, create a new folder directly on the root of the local drive, for example C:\QBData.
2. Copy the company file (.QBW) and any associated .ND and .TLG files into that folder.
3. Right-click the new folder, select Properties, then the Security tab.
4. Ensure that the Windows user account running QuickBooks and the QBDataServiceUser accounts have Full Control.
5. Open the file from the new location using QuickBooks Desktop.

Scenario 2: Disable hosting on workstations

1. On every workstation, open QuickBooks and go to File > Utilities.
2. Confirm that Host Multi-User Access is listed (not Stop Hosting Multi-User Access). If you see the stop option, hosting is active on that workstation and must be turned off.
3. Leave hosting enabled only on the server machine.
4. Restart all machines and attempt to open the file again.

Scenario 3: Restore from a known-good backup

1. Locate the most recent .QBB backup file created before the error appeared.
2. Restore it to a local folder on the host machine, not a network or sync location.
3. Open the restored file and verify that the error does not recur.
4. If the restored file opens correctly, rename the damaged .QBW file so it is not confused with the working copy.

Scenario 4: Run the QuickBooks File Doctor

1. Close QuickBooks Desktop on all machines.
2. Download and run the QuickBooks Tool Hub, then select Company File Issues.
3. Run QuickBooks File Doctor and select the affected company file.
4. Choose Both file damage and network connectivity, then enter the admin password when prompted.
5. Allow the tool to complete its full scan and repair cycle.

If File Doctor reports that the file is not recoverable, the file has structural damage beyond what the tool can repair and will require a manual rebuild through our data recovery service.

How to Prevent It Recurring

• Store company files only on a local drive on the designated server machine, never inside a cloud sync folder.
• Verify that folder permissions include the QuickBooks database service user before placing a company file in a new location.
• Keep hosting enabled on exactly one machine in a multi-user environment.
• Create verified backups on a regular schedule and confirm that each backup file can be restored successfully before relying on it.
• Avoid interrupting the QuickBooks shutdown process, particularly on the machine hosting the company file, as improper closures are a leading cause of header corruption.