[GNC] longtime user suddenly unable to open gnucash

Tue Aug 5 13:07:46 EDT 2025

Let’s find out where it’s crashing. Please open a bug report at https://bugs.gnucash.org/enter_bug.cgi and attach (as files using the attach box, don’t paste them in to the description) the trace file (https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Tracefile) and macOS Crash Report (https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Stack_Trace#macOS).

Regards,
John Ralls

> On Aug 5, 2025, at 8:34 AM, Jacob Wegelin <jacobwegelin at fastmail.fm> wrote:
> 
> My computer is MacBook Pro. Chip Apple M4 Pro. MacOs Sequoia 15.6
> 
> I have now done the following:
> 
> rm JAW.gnucash *LCK
> 
> open /Applications/Gnucash.app
> 
> dialogue box says
> 
> The file/URI /Users/qg/u/Household/GnuCash/wip/JAW.gnucash could not be found.
> The file is in the history list, do you want to remove it?
> 
> click yes
> 
> then I get "Unsaved Book -- GnuCash" with nothing in it.
> 
> File, Open and I get a dialogue box with nothing in it. It does not show the backup files, although they all end in *.gnucash.
> 
> Then I try an earlier backup than the most recent:
> 
> cp -p JAW.gnucash.20250803162946.gnucash JAW.gnucash
> 
> and we see it now in the dialogue box. The type is listed as "unknown,"
> size 2.1MB. I click that file in the dialogue box, click open, and
> GnuCash goes away. The application is no longer open.
> 
> Repeat the procedure, this time using JAW.gnucash.20250802200000.gnucash
> from 1st August. Again, GnuCash goes away as soon as I try to open the
> file.
> 
> Repeat using JAW.gnucash.20250730234537.gnucash, from 30 July, same
> result.  GnuCash was working just fine back then.
> 
> How can I fix this?
> 
> Jacob Wegelin
> 
> On 2025-08-05 Tue 01:55, pete hopkins wrote:
>> What type of MAC do you have - is it running an ARM chip or an Intel chip as you have installed the ARM version.
>> 
>> I am  running v5.12 on MACos 15.5.  I run the ARM version as my MAC has an M1 chip.  I don’t see the problems you are reporting?
>> 
>> Pete
>> 
>>> On 5 Aug 2025, at 05:19, R Losey <rlosey at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> That's why I suggested shutting down GnuCash and then renaming the files
>>> before starting it.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Mon, Aug 4, 2025 at 10:38 PM sunfish62 at yahoo.com <sunfish62 at yahoo.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> R,
>>>> 
>>>> Your instructions are thorough, but do not make clear that on Macs,
>>>> GnuCash always opens the last file it had open--even if you double click a
>>>> different GnuCash file in Finder. Or at least, that's always how it used to
>>>> work. And if the file is corrupt, then OP will have a difficult time
>>>> opening GnuCash up to find an earlier good file. That's why I suggested
>>>> opening GnuCash without a file.
>>>> 
>>>> Of course, by renaming the original file, you force GnuCash to open
>>>> without the file it can no longer find, but it would be clearer to note
>>>> that it will then be necessary to File->Open the backup.
>>>> 
>>>> David T.
>>>> On Aug 4, 2025, at 11:20 PM, R Losey <rlosey at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I run GnuCash on my Mac as well; I have an M1 Mac running Sequoia 15.5 -
>>>>> there was a discussion here about some people having problems with 15.6 --
>>>>> what are you running?
>>>>> 
>>>>> When GnuCash starts, it first looks for a .LCK file; if one exists, you get
>>>>> the error message; otherwise, GnuCash creates the .LCK file and opens your
>>>>> data file.  When you shut down GnuCash, it closes your data file, and
>>>>> deletes the .LCK.
>>>>> 
>>>>> So, when GnuCash is running, there should always be a .LCK file. If GnuCash
>>>>> is shut down, there should be no .LCK file.
>>>>> 
>>>>> If GnuCash crashes, it doesn't go through the normal exit process, and the
>>>>> .LCK file can stick around. The choice to "Open Anyway" is the right choice
>>>>> when you only and always use GnuCash from one computer. (I have my data
>>>>> files stored on a network storage device, and I can access it from multiple
>>>>> computers, so I have to make sure that if I get the error message that I
>>>>> really don't have it running elsewhere).
>>>>> 
>>>>> From what you wrote, it sounds as if your data file has something in it
>>>>> that is causing a crash.  To verify this,
>>>>> 1) Shut down GnuCash
>>>>> 2) Delete the .LCK file
>>>>> 3) Open GnuCash; you shouldn't get a warning, but Gnucash will probably go
>>>>> away (that is, "crash").
>>>>> 
>>>>> This is almost certainly an issue with your data file. So...
>>>>> 1) Delete the .LCK file
>>>>> 2) Rename your existing data file to something - perhaps
>>>>> JAW.gnucash-CORRUPT and then create a copy of the most recent backup file
>>>>> and rename it to JAW.gnucash
>>>>> 3) Open GnuCash - you should not get any warning; if GnuCash opens, you're
>>>>> good. If it crashes, delete the lock file, and try the next oldest backup
>>>>> file.  Repeat this until GnuCash opens without crashing. If you get to a
>>>>> file that you KNOW was good, then there is something else going on - the
>>>>> log files may be able to help you.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Best wishes!
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Mon, Aug 4, 2025 at 9:20 PM Jacob Wegelin <jacobwegelin at fastmail.fm>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I have been using gnucash for about 20 years on macos for personal
>>>>>> bookkeeping.
>>>>>> Suddenly today, it refuses to open with the following message:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>        GnuCash could not obtain the lock for
>>>>>> /Users/qg/u/Household/GnuCash/wip/JAW.gnucash (which is my file which it
>>>>>> also opens).
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>        The database may be in use by another user, in which case you
>>>>>> should not open the database.  What would you like to do?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> When I clicked "open anyway," the application looked like it was loading
>>>>>> and then it went away---the application was not open.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I tried deleting gnucash.LCK and it just made another one.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I reinstalled gnucash, updated my macos and rebooted the computer.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I changed the permissions on JAW.gnucash so it is readable and
>>>>>> writeable by everybody. Exactly the same message.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I tried reinstalling it again after the macos reboot,
>>>>>> as follows:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Installation
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> https://sourceforge.net/projects/gnucash/files/gnucash%20%28stable%29/
>>>>>> click: download latest version Gnucash-Arm-5.12-1.dmg (184.3 MB)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I made gnucash.LCK read,write,execute by everybody, but the same result.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> How do I get GnuCash working again? I use it every day.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Thank you
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Jacob Wegelin
>>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> _________________________________
>>> Richard Losey
>>> rlosey at gmail.com
>>> Micah 6:8
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