How to Customize a Report in QuickBooks Online – Instructions

How to Customize a Report in QuickBooks Online: Video

            This video lesson, titled “Basic Standard Report Customization,” shows you how to customize a report in QuickBooks Online. This video lesson is from our complete QuickBooks Online tutorial, titled “Mastering QuickBooks Online Made Easy.”

Overview of How to Customize a Report in QuickBooks Online:

            To customize a report in QuickBooks Online after running it to change its most common settings, change the options shown at the top of the report. To regenerate the report after changing these settings, click the “Run report” button in this section. The available settings change for each report. These are also not all the customization options available, just the most commonly changed report settings. To collapse and expand this section, click the arrow in the lower-right corner of the report customization section.

            Customization options also often appear in a toolbar at the top of a report after running it. Options commonly shown here include an “Expand/Collapse” link, a “Sort” drop-down, an “Add notes” link, and for Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss reports, an “Edit titles” link. To expand and collapse subaccounts in reports containing subaccount data, click the “Expand/Collapse” link.

            To choose how to sort the report, select a choice from the “Sort” drop-down. To add notes to the bottom of the report, click the “Add notes” link. For balance sheet and profit & loss reports, to rename the default report sections, if needed, click the “Edit titles” link, enter the new titles in the window that appears, and then click the “Save” button.

            To customize the report title, company name, or logo in the report header, hover over the report’s header information and then click the “Edit” icon, which looks like a pencil, and which appears to the right of the company name in the report header. To show a logo, you must have uploaded a logo within the “Company name” section of the “Company” settings in the “Account and Settings” window, first.

A picture showing how to customize a report in QuickBooks Online.

            If so, then check the “Show logo” checkbox to show that logo in the report. If you did not upload a logo, then nothing appears here in the report. To change the company name, edit the value in the company name field. To change the report’s title, edit the value in the report title field. To apply the changes, click into the blank area in the report toolbar above this section.

            To fully customize a report after opening it, click the “Customize” button in the upper-right corner of the window to open a “Customize report” pane at the right side of the window. The “Customize report” pane lets you access all the report’s customization options within its sections. These sections are “General,” “Rows/Columns,” “Aging,” for aging reports only, “Filter,” and “Header/Footer.” You can click each section’s label to expand and collapse its options. The options in each section vary, based on the selected report.

            To close this pane without changing its options, click the “X” button in its upper-right corner. Alternatively, to run the report and apply the changed settings, click the “Run report” button at the bottom of the pane. The next several lessons look at what you can expect to customize in each section of this pane.

Instructions on How to Customize a Report in QuickBooks Online:

1. To customize a report in QuickBooks Online after running it to change its most common settings, change the options shown at the top of the report.
2. To regenerate the report after changing these settings, click the “Run report” button in this section.
3. The available settings change for each report. These are also not all the customization options available, just the most commonly changed report settings.
4. To collapse and expand this section, click the arrow in the lower-right corner of the report customization section.
5. Customization options also often appear in a toolbar at the top of a report after running it. Options commonly shown here include an “Expand/Collapse” link, a “Sort” drop-down, an “Add notes” link, and for Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss reports, an “Edit titles” link.
6. To expand and collapse subaccounts in reports containing subaccount data, click the “Expand/Collapse” link.
7. To choose how to sort the report, select a choice from the “Sort” drop-down.
8. To add notes to the bottom of the report, click the “Add notes” link.
9. For balance sheet and profit & loss reports, to rename the default report sections, if needed, click the “Edit titles” link, enter the new titles in the window that appears, and then click the “Save” button.
10. To customize the report title, company name and logo in the report header, hover over the report’s header information and then click the “Edit” icon, which looks like a pencil, and which appears to the right of the company name in the report header.
11. To show a logo, you must have uploaded a logo within the “Company name” section of the “Company” settings in the “Account and Settings” window, first.
12. If so, then check the “Show logo” checkbox to show that logo in the report.
13. If you did not upload a logo, then nothing appears here in the report.
14. To change the company name, edit the value in the company name field.
15. To change the report’s title, edit the value in the report title field.
16. To apply the changes, click into the blank area in the report toolbar above this section.
17. Alternatively, to fully customize a report after opening it, click the “Customize” button in the upper-right corner of the window to open a “Customize report” pane at the right side of the window.
18. The “Customize report” pane lets you access all the report’s customization options within its sections. These sections are “General,” “Rows/Columns,” “Aging,” for aging reports only, “Filter,” and “Header/Footer.”
19. You can click each section’s label to expand and collapse its options. The options in each section vary, based on the selected report.
20. To close this pane without changing its options, click the “X” button in its upper-right corner.
21. Alternatively, to run the report and apply the changed settings, click the “Run report” button at the bottom of the pane.