Time is money. Every business owners knows that. If you are a QuickBooks Online user, then you know when you download a report from QuickBooks Online to Excel using Chrome or Firefox, the resulting file name appears at the bottom of the browser window. The usual next step is to click the file name to open the report in Excel.
Slow down, my friend! I have a tip for you that will make this process much faster!
Going forward, you can make Chrome or Firefox open Excel files automatically for you. The next time you download a report from QuickBooks Online to Excel, once the download is sitting at the bottom of your browser window, just click the arrow adjacent to the file name and select “Always Open Files of this Type”. Mic drop.
Unfortunately, this feature is not available to users of Safari or Edge browsers. You’ll have to open reports manually if you use the QuickBooks Online desktop app. The app will prompt you to choose a name for your report, but you’ll need to manually open the report in Excel by navigating to the folder where the report was saved.
Retrieving lost QuickBooks Online Reports
Even if you choose to streamline your report process or not, you can still be subject to report suddenly vanishing. So before you have a heart attack or take a hammer to your computer take a look at some tips on finding that vanishing report
Depending on which browser you use, there may be two different ways to retrieve that report:
- By displaying a list of recent downloads within your browser; or
- You can navigate to your Downloads folder from within Excel’s Open dialog box.
To view recent downloads within your browser:
Chrome: Press Ctrl-J or choose Downloads from the menu hidden beneath the 3-dot button in the upper right-hand corner of Chrome, as shown below.
Removing Automatic Downloads
Have a change of heart about Automatic Downloads and want to change back to Manual Downloads? Super easy fix!
- Click the 3-dot button in the upper right hand corner of Chrome
- Choose Settings
- Scroll to the bottom of Settings
- Click Advanced
- Click the Clear button in the downloads. Sad news but this is an all or nothing feature, so if you’ve inadvertently set any file type to open automatically, you’ll have to disable all auto-open file types and then reenable the ones you wish to keep around
Proper bookkeeping and accounting are vital when it comes to the health and success of your business. There are more productive ways to spend your time than filing receipts, reconciling statements and processing payroll.
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