[GNC] longtime user suddenly unable to open gnucash

John Ralls jralls at ceridwen.us
Thu Aug 7 22:34:49 EDT 2025 

Crash it then look immediately. They used to hang around for a while but one of the recent Sequoia updates seems to have taken to purging them almost immediately, first to the Retired (within a few minutes) subfolder and then gone.

You can get an excruciatingly detailed trace file by running GnuCash from the command line with the —debug option. There might be something useful in the last few lines.

Finally if you have Xcode or command-line developer tools installed you can run GnuCash in the debugger and crash it and get a stack trace.

Regards,
John Ralls

> On Aug 7, 2025, at 19:22, Jacob Wegelin <jacobwegelin at fastmail.fm> wrote:
> 
> John,
> 
> Here is what I find (no file):
> 
>> find  ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ -iname '*gn*'
> /Users/qg/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/
>> find  ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ -iname '*gn*' -type f
>> find  ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/ -iname '*ips'
>> 
> 
> What else can I do?
> 
> Jacob
> 
> On 2025-08-07 Thu 17:22, John Ralls wrote:
>> Jacob,
>> 
>> Unfortunately neither is useful. The trace file has only the notice from the DBI backend that the file isn’t a SQLite one (because GnuCash checks for that before checking if it’s an XML file). No indication of any error.
>> 
>> The diagnostic file you shared isn’t a crash report: A crash report will be named gnucash-<timestamp>.ips. “gnucash” may be capitalized and it might be in ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Retiired/.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> John Ralls
>> 
>> 
>>> On Aug 7, 2025, at 16:00, Jacob Wegelin <jacobwegelin at fastmail.fm> wrote:
>>> 
>>> John,
>>> 
>>> Here are 2 files, zipped up to preserve timestamps, on dropbox.
>>> 
>>> It had been a couple days since I tried to run GnuCash. The "ralloldtrace", I got first. It has at least something in it.
>>> 
>>> I think I tried to find the 2nd file, i.e., the Crash Report, and found
>>> none.
>>> 
>>> Then I again tried to open GnuCash.
>>> Subsequently, the trace file was empty, i.e., zero bytes.
>>> 
>>> But I got a crash report. But it seemed to have too early of a
>>> timestamp; I attempted to open GnuCash within the past hour and the
>>> crash report seems to be from 25-Aug-07 12:27.
>>> 
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ngg75sp4ezqolklrrvhau/rall.zip?rlkey=cuwi3jcffu2vf4zjlnq5ko6zx&st=x9k2ny6y&dl=0
>>> 
>>> https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6gkueee1qdfz87sedb94b/ralloldtrace.zip?rlkey=m1910nx2f763ds3qb66gydsu3&st=rtaqg3ox&dl=0
>>> 
>>> Do these files look like I found the right files?
>>> 
>>> Thank you again. Let me know what next I should do.
>>> 
>>> Jacob Wegelin
>>> 
>>> On 2025-08-05 Tue 10:07, John Ralls wrote:
>>>> 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
>>>>>>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> gnucash-user mailing list
>>>>>>>>>> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
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>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> _________________________________
>>>>>>> Richard Losey
>>>>>>> rlosey at gmail.com
>>>>>>> Micah 6:8
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> gnucash-user mailing list
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>>>>>> 
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>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>

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