How to fix: "Could not start QuickBooks"
This guide is provided by Conductor, the service that powers the QuickBooks Desktop integration for many business tools, including the one that sent you here.
If you were directed to this page, it was likely because you encountered the following error attempting to sync with your QuickBooks Desktop:
We could not connect to your QuickBooks Desktop because either QuickBooks
Desktop is closed and we could not start it, or an error popped up on your
Windows computer.
Alternatively, you might have been directed to this page for the following error (which is the exact same error; the message above is merely Conductor’s user-friendly version):
(0x80040408): Could not start QuickBooks.
Solution
1. Ensure only one version of QuickBooks Desktop is installed
Having multiple versions of QuickBooks Desktop installed on your Windows computer can cause the error above and several other issues. Please complete this guide to ensure only one version of QuickBooks Desktop is installed on your computer. Then, try syncing with QuickBooks Desktop again.
2. Do you encounter any of these errors when syncing QuickBooks Desktop?
The first common culprit for the error above is if QuickBooks Desktop is unable to properly open. If QuickBooks Desktop is not open, please open it and try syncing with Conductor again.
If you still see the same error, check if any of the following errors pop up on your Windows computer while attempting to sync with QuickBooks Desktop:
"Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?"
If when syncing with QuickBooks Desktop, a dialog box opens on your Windows computer saying, “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”, then please complete this guide to resolve that issue. Then, try syncing with QuickBooks Desktop again.
"There was a problem with the log file"
If when syncing with QuickBooks Desktop, the error shown below popped up on your Windows computer saying, “There was a problem with the log file”, then please complete this guide to resolve that error. Then, try syncing with QuickBooks Desktop again.
If either no error appeared on your Windows computer or some other error not listed above appeared, please email us at support@conductor.is. We want to help you resolve this issue and use your experience to improve this guide for others.