QuickBooks Black and White Screen | Bring the Colors Back

The QuickBooks black and white screen issue is one that many users face, and it can occur while you are trying to work on your important accounting and bookkeeping data. It is usually caused by incorrect QB DPI settings in QBDT, or stored cache and cookies on your browser QB Online. This can hamper your workflow and have a negative impact on your important business processes. You can fix it by using Quick Fix My Program and clearing the QB cache and cookies from your browser. We have covered the steps you need to know to troubleshoot the issue of black and white screen in QuickBooks Desktop and Online. First, let’s start with the causes of the black and white screen.

QuickBooks Black and White Screen – A Quick View Table

In the table below is given a concise summary of this blog on the topic of the QuickBooks black and white screen:

Description	The QuickBooks black-and-white screen issue is common among users and can occur while you are working on your important accounting and bookkeeping data. It is usually caused by incorrect QB DPI settings in QBDT or by stored cache and cookies in your QB Online browser. This can hamper your workflow and negatively impact your key business processes. You can fix it by using Quick Fix My Program and by clearing the QB cache and your browser’s cookies.
Its causes	1. Damage to the registry files can result in this issue 2. Your QuickBooks DPI settings might be incorrect 3. Corrupted or outdated video drivers in your system can cause it 4. Issues with your graphics card can also lead to this error 5. There can be stored cookies and cache in your web browser 6. Your screen resolution might not be properly optimized for QB 7. Damaged firmware can lead to this problem 8. The QB Desktop application is outdated
Methods to fix it in QBDT	Change the DPI settings for QB Desktop, modify the view preferences in QBDT, update the QB Desktop app, use the Quick Fix My Program tool, edit the QBW.ini file, use the QB File Doctor tool, update your graphics card drivers, and verify and rebuild your company file data.
Methods to fix it in QBO	1. Open the Google Chrome browser 2. Then, proceed to select the Customize and control Google Chrome option 3. Click on the three vertical dots at the top right corner to do that 4. Press the Settings option 5. Now, go to the Privacy and Security tab 6. Click on Third-party cookies 7. Select See all site data and permissions 8. Go to the search bar 9. The search bar would be located on the right of third-party cookies 10. Type in Intuit 11,. Hit Enter 12. Finally, choose the Remove All option

Methods to Resolve if Your QuickBooks Desktop Screen Turned Black and White

Listed below are the methods you can use to troubleshoot the problem of a black and white screen in QuickBooks:

Change the DPI Settings for QB Desktop

You can change the DPI settings for the QB Desktop application to resolve the black and white screen issue with the steps given below:

1. Close the QB Desktop app
2. Navigate to your PC’s home screen
3. Find the QBDT icon
4. Right-click on it
5. Then, proceed to select Properties
6. Now, go to the Compatibility tab
7. Select the Disable display scaling on high DPI settings option
8. Press Apply and hit OK

The black and white screen issue in QuickBooks should now be resolved.

Modify the View Preferences for QB Desktop

You can change the view preference of the QuickBooks Desktop application to resolve the QB black and white screen issue with the steps given below:

1. Open the QuickBooks Desktop app
2. Go to the Edit menu
3. Then, select the Preferences option
4. Click on Desktop View
5. Press the My Preferences option
6. Lastly, switch from Multiple Windows to One Window

Now the issue should be resolved.

Update Your QB Desktop Application

If your QB Desktop app is outdated, it can cause the QuickBooks black and white screen issue. You can update QBDT with the following steps:

1. Open the QuickBooks Desktop software
2. Navigate to the Help menu
3. Click on Update QuickBooks Desktop
   
4. Then, select Update Now
5. Click on the Get Updates option
   
6. Close and reopen the QBDT app to install the updates

The issue should now be fixed.

Use the Quick Fix My Program Tool

You can use the Quick Fix My Program tool from the QB Tool Hub to mend the QB black and white screen problem with the following steps:

1. Download and install the QuickBooks Tool Hub
2. Open the QB Tool Hub app
3. Navigate to the Program Problems tab
4. Click on Quick Fix My Program
   
5. Let the tool run

The tool would run and fix any issues with the QB Desktop app.

Edit Your QBW.ini File

The QBW.ini file can be edited to troubleshoot the black and white screen error in QuickBooks with the steps given below:

1. Close the QBDT app
2. Open your File Explorer
   
3. Now, navigate to the QBW.ini file path matching your QB version:
   • QuickBooks 2020: C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks 2020\QBW.ini
   • Enterprise Solutions 20.0: C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 20.0\QBW.ini
   • QuickBooks 2019: C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks 2019\QBW.ini
   • Enterprise Solutions 19.0: C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 19.0\QBW.ini
   • QuickBooks 2018: C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks 2018\QBW.ini
   • Enterprise Solutions 18.0: C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 18.0\QBW.ini
4. Go to the end of the file
5. Copy and paste the given text:
   • [COLORS] Classic=0
6. Save the QBW.ini file

Now, the issue should be resolved.

Utilize the QB File Doctor Tool

You can use the QuickBooks File Doctor tool from the QB Tool Hub to resolve the issue if your QuickBooks screen is black and white with the steps given below:

1. Download and install the QuickBooks Tool Hub
2. Open the QB Tool Hub app
3. Navigate to the Company File Issues tab
4. Click on Run QuickBooks File Doctor
   
   • If it doesn’t open, search for QuickBooks Desktop File Doc and open it manually
5. Select your company file from the dropdown menu
   • If you can’t see your file, click Browse and search to locate your file
6. Click on the Check your file option
7. Select Continue
8. Enter your QB admin password
9. Press Next

Now, the QB black and white screen problem would be patched.

Update the Drivers of Your Graphics Card

Outdated graphics card drivers can cause QB Desktop to display a black screen instead of a white one. You can update the graphics card drivers with the steps given below:

1. Hit Windows + R on your keyboard
2. This would open the Run menu
3. Type in dxdiag
4. Hit Enter
   
5. Click on Display 1
6. Note down the Manufacturer/Model
7. Download the latest drivers from the manufacturer’s website

Your problem should be resolved now.

Verify and Rebuild Your Company File Data

You can use the verify and rebuild utility to fix a damaged company file and bring colors to the QuickBooks black and white screen with the steps given below:

1. Open the QB Desktop app
2. Navigate to the File menu
3. Click on Utilities
4. Select the Verify Data option
   
5. Then, open the File menu again
6. Select Utilities
7. Click on the Rebuild Data option
   
8. QB will ask to create a backup file before it rebuilds your data
9. Press OK
10. A backup is required to rebuild your company file
11. Choose where the file would be saved
12. Hit OK
13. Make sure not to replace an existing backup file
14. Enter a unique name in the File name field
15. Press Save
16. You will get a message stating that Rebuild has completed
17. Hit OK

You should now have colors in your QB Desktop screen.

Methods to Resolve if Your QuickBooks Online Screen Turned Black and White

If you are facing a black and white screen issue in the QuickBooks Online website, it might be caused by the stored cache and cookies in your browser. The steps to clear cache and cookies from different web browsers and fix the QuickBooks black and white screen are given below:

Google Chrome

1. Open the Google Chrome browser
2. Then, proceed to select the Customize and control Google Chrome option
3. Click on the three vertical dots at the top right corner to do that
4. Press the Settings option
   
5. Now, go to the Privacy and Security tab
   
6. Click on Third-party cookies
   
7. Select See all site data and permissions
8. Go to the search bar
9. The search bar would be located on the right of third-party cookies
10. Type in Intuit
11. Hit Enter
12. Finally, choose the Remove All option

Safari for Mac

1. Open the Safari browser on your Mac
2. Select the Preferences option
3. Now, go to the Privacy section
4. Press Manage Website Data
5. Then, proceed to type Intuit in the search box
6. Hit Enter
7. Select the Remove All button

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open the Mozilla Firefox application
   
2. Click on the three lines
3. At the top right corner
4. Located below the Close (X) window option
5. Press the Settings option
6. Now, click on Privacy & Security
7. Go to Cookies and Site Data
8. Then, proceed to open the Manage Data window
9. Now, navigate to the Search Websites bar
10. Type Intuit
11. Press the Enter key on your keyboard
12. Select the Remove All Shown option
13. Click on Save Changes

Microsoft Edge

1. Double-click on the Microsoft Edge browser icon
2. This would open the browser
   
3. Select the Settings and more option
   
4. Located in the top-right corner
5. You can also press Alt + F to open it
6. Choose to press the Settings option
7. Then, browse to the Privacy, search, and services tab
8. Click on the Cookies option
9. Select the See all cookies and site data option
10. Go to the search bar and type Intuit
11. Then, press the Enter key on your keyboard
12. Select Remove all shown
13. Finally, just click on Clear

Opera Browser

1. Open the Opera browser
2. Click on the three horizontal lines below the minimize option
3. Press the Privacy and Security tab
4. Select the Third-party cookies option
5. Click on See all site data and permissions
6. Go to the search bar
7. Type in Intuit
8. Press the bin beside the Intuit results you see
9. Click on Delete

Brave

1. Run the Brave browser
2. Click on the menu in the top right
3. Select Settings
4. Then, go to the Additional Settings option
5. Press Privacy and Security
6. Select Site and shields settings
7. Click on Cookies and site data
8. Select View permissions and data stored across sites
9. Go to the search bar
10. Feed in Intuit
11. Click on Remove All Shown

This would fix the black and white screen issue.

My QuickBooks Screen Went Black and White | Potential Causes

Given below are the potential factors that can trigger the issue of a black and white screen in QuickBooks to appear on your screen:

1. Damage to the registry files can result in this issue
2. Your QuickBooks DPI settings might be incorrect
3. Corrupted or outdated video drivers in your system can cause it
4. Issues with your graphics card can also lead to this error
5. There can be stored cookies and cache in your web browser
6. Your screen resolution might not be properly optimized for QB
7. Damaged firmware can lead to this problem
8. The QB Desktop application is outdated

These are the causes of the QuickBooks black and white screen issue.

Conclusion

The QuickBooks black and white screen issue is common among users and can occur while you are working on your important accounting and bookkeeping data. It is usually caused by incorrect QB DPI settings in QBDT or by stored cache and cookies in your QB Online browser. This can hamper your workflow and negatively impact your key business processes. You can fix it by using Quick Fix My Program and by clearing the QB cache and your browser’s cookies. We have covered the potential factors that can trigger the black and white screen problem, along with the methods you need to troubleshoot it, in this blog.

FAQs

• QuickBooks Black and White Screen | Bring the Colors Back
• What is the QuickBooks Error 185? Methods to Fix It
• How to Change Email Address in QuickBooks? Guided Steps
• QuickBooks Error 12009 – A Complete Troubleshooting Guide
• What is the QuickBooks Condense Data Utility? A Guide