Keyboard Shortcuts in QuickBooks Online & QuickBooks Desktop
Time, as we know, cannot be created. As such, small businesses must complete daily tasks as efficiently as possible so that profit and productivity can be maximized. This concept should also be applied to your bookkeeping practices. Let’s check out some convenient shortcuts that Intuit has built into their QuickBooks Online and Desktop softwares.
Shortcuts for QuickBooks Online
Finding text on a page:
This shortcut works on any website and on just about any browser. It’s a very powerful tool to have. Simply press ctrl + F and type in the word or phrase you’re looking for. Most browsers will automatically flick you to the first instance of that text on the page. Then, to move from instance to instance, press enter. This is especially useful when looking for a specific transaction or customer on a long list.
Calculate rates or totals:
Say goodbye to constantly switching between your calculator and your laptop. QBO can automatically calculate amounts and rates from within a text field. In any field marked Amount or Rate, simply type in the calculation you need, and hit tab. QuickBooks will automatically calculate the equation and input it into the field.
Add a desktop shortcut for QBO:
You can add a shortcut on your desktop that enables your browser to open directly to QuickBooks. To do this, reduce the window of your browser so that you can see your desktop in the background, go to https://quickbooks.intuit.com/login/, and click and drag the lock icon to the left of the URL and drop it into your desktop. Note: sometimes the lock will appear as the QuickBooks logo in certain browsers.
Navigate a form without a mouse:
Navigating a form without a mouse is fairly straightforward. To move forward one field, hit tab. To move backward one field, hit shift + tab. To select a checkbox, press the spacebar. To open a dropdown list, use alt + down arrow once the list button is highlighted. This saves a lot of time, since trying to move a mouse around a tightly-packed form is annoying and time consuming. You may also find that your carpal tunnel gets a little better with this method as well.
Shortcuts for QuickBooks Desktop
QuickBooks Desktop comes out of the box with dozens of keyboard shortcuts. Below is a quick reference list of the most important ones.
When navigating dates, QuickBooks has a very clever system for jumping about. To find the first or last day of a given time period, such as a week, month, or year, simply press the first or last letter of that respective word. Here’s a guide:
Jump to the first day of the week by pressing W.
Jump to the last day of the week by pressing K.
Jump to the first day of the month by pressing M.
Jump to the last day of the month by pressing H.
Jump to the first day of the year by pressing Y.
Jump to the last day of the year by pressing R.
Editing various lists and forms is also made easier with QuickBooks Desktop shortcuts:
Press ctrl + E to edit the selected transaction in the register.
Pressing ctrl + del will delete a line.
Ctrl + alt + Y will copy the selected line in an invoice, and ctrl + alt + V will paste said line.
Use + and – to move up or down by one.
Other general shortcuts:
Ctrl + A opens your Chart of Accounts.
Ctrl + W opens the Write Checks window.
In any list or form, use tab to move forward one field, and tab + shift to move back.
There are also a number of general bookkeeping shortcuts to be aware of, which you can use in both QBO and QBD. Be sure you’re utilizing batch options: if you need to delete a large number of transactions, you can do so in one fell swoop by checking the box to the left of each transaction and then selecting “delete” from the batch options menu.
Another good practice for QuickBooks is to set reminders for various housekeeping items. For example, setting a reconciliation reminder for the end of each month can help prevent you from getting behind with double checking your transactions. This can save a lot of time later by reducing bottlenecks, and can save money by reducing overtime pay for your accountants or bookkeepers.
Finally, there are many tasks within the field of bookkeeping in general that can be automated. If you use QuickBooks Online Advanced, you can use the Workflows feature to automate just about any calculation or notification that you normally utilize on QuickBooks.
QuickBooks has many shortcuts beyond what was discussed in this article. Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore other shortcuts, and to mix and match them to find your optimized workflow.
Using QuickBooks is the industry standard in bookkeeping for a good reason. The sheer amount of featurability and usability present in even the most basic versions of QuickBooks allows business owners to record and analyze their finances in the easiest, most accurate way possible. And now, with shortcuts and other workflow tools, it’s faster than ever.
Booktied offers training on everything QuickBooks so you can improve your bookkeeping practices even further. We also offer bookkeeping catch-up and full-scope outsourced accounting services for any business. Contact us for a free consultation.