As a business owner, you are most likely well aware of QuickBooks. Even so, you most likely use QuickBooks to make accounting both easier and more reliable for your business. Having a reliable accounting program is essential to a successful business. However, if you are unable to use QuickBooks’ financing software properly, it will never reach its full potential. Because you want to start using QuickBooks like a pro, check out these tips from QuickBooks experts.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are an important trick to using QuickBooks. Most experts use shortcuts to make using financial software quicker and easier. Below are a few keyboard shortcuts that QuickBooks experts use and rely on:
Ctrl-I = Create Invoice
Ctrl-E = Edit transaction selected in register
Ctrl-F = Find transaction
Ctrl-J = Open Customer Center
Ctrl-M = Memorize transaction or report
Ctrl-N = New invoice, bill, check, or list item in context
Ctrl-Q = QuickReport on transaction or list item
Ctrl-T = Open memorized transaction list
Ctrl-W= Write new check
Using these QuickBooks keyboard shortcuts will help you learn to use QuickBooks like an expert.
Program Preferences
QuickBooks offers a setup wizard that can help you lay out the groundwork for your company’s accounting. However, QuickBooks experts go farther than just the decisions that the wizard asks. To edit your Preferences, click Edit Preferences to open your preference window. Once you have your preference window open, you are able to customize the default accounts you want to use for activities such as writing checks and paying bills. You can also customize your view, if you prefer either a one-window or multi-window view.
Want to change the default annual rate, want to choose how to log inventory and purchase orders? Other customizations include creating estimates, using multiple currencies, and payroll. You can also use it set reminders and track time. If you need adjust sales tax, that is also an option. Customizing your preferences helps you use QuickBooks like an expert.
Chart of Accounts
While using QuickBooks setup wizard, you will be asked what kind of business you have. This way QuickBooks can assign you the best chart of accounts that will match your business’s needs. Unfortunately, account charts can sometimes be very overwhelming, making it hard to read the reports. QuickBooks experts clean up their charts of accounts. This makes them neat and easier to comprehend. To clean up your chart of accounts, click on lists under Charts of Accounts and right click to customize. When doing this, make sure you are assigning the correct account type. If you mismatch the account types, it could do some damage to your books.
Backup Your Data
Backing up your data is commonly practiced among QuickBooks experts. QuickBooks contains a wizard walk through that helps you backup your data to a removable storage device. You also have the option to back up your QuickBooks information to the cloud. Backing up your data to the cloud will let you access your information from any computer. Experts urge QuickBooks users to back up their information to keep your business secure and running.
Customize Your Icon Bar
QuickBooks automatically comes with a default icon bar located at the top of the screen. Most QuickBooks experts customize their bar to fit their work needs, making the most icons readily available. By doing this, you could potentially speed up the process, improving your workflow.
When it comes to customizing your icon bar, you are offered three options: add, remove, or modify. If you want to remove an icon, go to the view menu and click Customize Icon Bar, select the icon you want to remove and click delete. To add an icon, go to Customize Icon Bar and click add. Select the icon that you are wanting from the list. You can change the label and description if you want to customize it further. Modifying your icon bar is equally simple. Go to Customize Icon Bar and select the icon that you want to modify. Next, click edit to make your changes and then click OK. Customizing your icon bar will have you working QuickBooks like a pro in no time.
QuickBooks QuickMath Calculator
A neat function that comes along with QuickBooks is QuickMath Calculator. QuickBooks experts use QuickMath because it is classic and efficient. To use QuickMath, click inside the field where you want to calculate. Press = and the mini-tape will appear. You can now start typing in the numbers you want to calculate. Once you are done with your calculation, click C twice to clear the tape and press Esc to cancel.
QuickBooks can be a great addition to your company. It makes accounting easier and accurate. If you are wanting to use QuickBooks like an expert, use keyboard shortcuts, customize your program preferences, clean your Charts of Accounts, backup your data, customize your icon bar, and use QuickBooks’ QuickMath Calculator. Following these pro tips will help you become a QuickBooks expert.
