# How to Use Bin Locations in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise > Track rows, shelves and bins inside each site in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise: what bins change on forms, how to move stock and which report shows it. - URL: https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/bin-locations-enterprise/ - Section: QuickBooks Desktop Guides, Inventory - Applies to: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise - Steps checked against: Intuit's QuickBooks Desktop help articles, updated August 2026 - Updated: 2026-10-20 **Short answer:** To use bin locations in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, turn on Advanced Inventory with multiple inventory sites and bin tracking, then record the bin on each transaction. Advanced Inventory is turned on from Edit > Preferences > Items & Inventory > Company Preferences > Advanced Inventory Settings. Move stock between bins with Inventory > Transfer Inventory, and review it in Reports > Inventory > Items by Bin Location. ## Before you start - You need QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise with Advanced Inventory. Intuit lists bin or lot tracking among its features and says Enterprise users can buy or subscribe to it. - Intuit covers bin locations (rows, shelves or bins) as part of multiple inventory sites, so turn sites on first. - Inventory and purchase orders are active has to be checked in Items & Inventory preferences. - Intuit's steps for turning on multiple sites start in single-user mode, so pick a time when nobody else is in the file. - Agree on bin names before you start, so receivers, pickers and counters use the same ones. ## Step 1: Turn on sites and bin tracking 1. Go to File > Switch to Single-user Mode. 2. Go to Edit > Preferences, select Items & Inventory, then the Company Preferences tab. 3. Make sure Inventory and purchase orders are active is checked. 4. Select Advanced Inventory Settings. If sites aren't on yet, select Multiple Inventory Sites is enabled and choose a starting site. 5. Turn on bin tracking in the same window. Intuit lists bin tracking as an Advanced Inventory feature, but the cited articles don't give the setting's exact name. 6. Select OK in both windows. If Advanced Inventory Settings is grayed out after you bought it, go to Help > Manage my License > Sync License Data Online, then reopen QuickBooks. The Intuit help articles cited here don't describe how to create the bins themselves. Setting up the sites is covered in [How to track inventory by site](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/track-inventory-by-site/). ## Step 2: Record the bin when stock comes in - Purchase orders: a Location column appears. Each purchase order covers one site. - Bills, checks and credit card charges: a Location column appears, and one form can put stock into several bins. - Purchase Order Management Worksheet: with multiple sites on, you assign a receiving bin location before sending a purchase order for receiving. The Purchase Order Management Worksheet isn't available once Enhanced Inventory Receiving is on. See [How to receive inventory against a purchase order](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/receive-inventory-against-purchase-order/) and [How to use Enhanced Inventory Receiving](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/enhanced-inventory-receiving/). ## Step 3: Record the bin when stock goes out - Sales orders, invoices and sales receipts: a Location column appears, and one sales form can sell from several bins. - Statement charges: enter the bin location in the Site field. - Assemblies: Build Assembly gets an Assembly Location field for the finished item, and components get a Location column. - Picklists from the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet: a BIN column shows where to pick. When an item has a default bin location for purchasing and sales, choosing a site fills in the BIN. - On the QuickBooks Desktop mobile app, pickers can sort a picklist by bin and add a note when they pick from another bin. The picking steps are in [How to use the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/sales-order-fulfillment-worksheet/). ## Step 4: Move stock from one bin to another 1. Go to Inventory > Transfer Inventory. 2. Enter the Date and a Reference No. 3. Choose the site in Transfer from and again in to. For a move within one warehouse, it's the same site. 4. Add the items, then set the bin locations and the quantity on each line. 5. Enter the reason in Memo, then select Save & Close. Moves between warehouses use the same form. See [How to transfer inventory between sites](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/transfer-inventory-between-sites/). ## Step 5: Report and count by bin 1. Go to Reports > Inventory > Items by Bin Location. The report only appears if you track bin locations. 2. For a count, go to Inventory > Cycle Count and select Create new cycle count. 3. An item kept in three bins becomes three lines on the count, so the counter works bin by bin. Counting and posting the differences is covered in [How to run cycle counts in Advanced Inventory](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/cycle-counts-advanced-inventory/). ## Details that trip people up - Bins belong to a site. Even a move between two bins in one warehouse needs that site in both Transfer from and to. - A purchase order covers one site, but a bill or a sales form can cover several sites and bins. - The cited Intuit articles don't say which bin existing stock sits in when you turn bin tracking on. Run Items by Bin Location to see. - The BIN column on a picklist is optional. With no bin on a line, the picker has to know where the item is kept. - Turning off multiple sites keeps the site data, but hides site columns, fields and reports. ## Where QuickBooks Desktop leaves the work to you - Every receipt, sale and transfer needs the right bin, or Items by Bin Location shows stock where it isn't. - Moves inside the warehouse only show once someone enters a transfer. - A picklist's BIN fills in only from a default bin location. The cited articles don't describe setting those defaults, so keeping them current is on your team. - Each item in each bin is its own cycle count line, so more bins means more lines to count. - Bin names, shelf labels and the layout itself are yours to plan. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Does QuickBooks Desktop track bin locations? Yes, in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise with Advanced Inventory. Bins are tracked inside each inventory site. ### Can QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier track bins? The Intuit help articles cited here describe bin tracking only as an Advanced Inventory feature of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise. ### How do I move stock from one bin to another in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise? Use Inventory > Transfer Inventory with the same site in Transfer from and to. Then set the bin locations and quantities on the lines below. ### Which report shows what's in each bin? Reports > Inventory > Items by Bin Location. It only appears once you track bin locations. ### Can one invoice ship items from several bins? Yes. With bins on, sales orders, invoices and sales receipts get a Location column, so each line can come from a different bin. ### Do picklists show which bin to pick from? Yes, picklists from the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet have a BIN column. If the item has a default bin location for purchasing and sales, the BIN fills in once you choose a site. ## Sources - [Intuit: Multiple Inventory Sites](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/manage-inventory/multiple-inventory-sites/L9gJ6syaF_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Turn on Advanced Inventory](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/feature-preferences/turn-advanced-inventory/L6nkAoZzK_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Set up advanced inventory in QuickBooks Enterprise](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/feature-preferences/set-advanced-inventory/L2IZIdPVM_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Setup and use the Warehouse Manager in QuickBooks Desktop mobile](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/install-products/setup-use-warehouse-manager-quickbooks-desktop/L4bHcI3mp_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Troubleshoot QuickBooks Desktop mobile app](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/regular-payroll/troubleshoot-quickbooks-desktop-mobile-app/L7d2SVDyz_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Cycle Count in Advanced Inventory](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/inventory-management/cycle-count-advanced-inventory/L5CYYncCK_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Use the purchase order management worksheet](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/product-preferences/use-purchase-order-management-worksheet/L7TsaEbW9_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Turn off Advanced Inventory in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/inventory-management/turn-advanced-inventory-quickbooks-desktop/L7GEWZXxD_US_en_US)