How to Customize, Memorize and Schedule Reports in QuickBooks Desktop

Before you start

• Memorizing saves a report's settings, not its numbers. Each time you open it, QuickBooks pulls current data for the dates you set.
• Columns and filters differ by report, because each report reads the company file differently.
• Scheduled reports need an email account set up in QuickBooks, and they run only in single-user mode.

Step 1: Customize the report

1. 1Open the report from the Reports menu or from Reports > Reports Center.
2. 2Select Customize Report to open the Modify Report window.
3. 3On the Display tab, set the Dates and choose Accrual or Cash. Leave From blank to get everything up to the To date.
4. 4Pick the columns you want, or choose how to display columns on reports like Profit and Loss.
5. 5Select Advanced for options such as which rows to include and whether open balances are as of today or the report date.
6. 6On the Filters tab, choose a filter such as Account, Name, Item or Class, and set its details. Remove any you don't need.
7. 7On the Header/Footer tab, rename the report. Intuit says titles can be up to 57 characters.
8. 8Select OK.

When no standard report fits, start from Reports > Custom Reports > Summary or Transaction Detail. Intuit says a custom summary report can show profit by job, item or class.

Step 2: Memorize it

1. 1In the report window, select Memorize.
2. 2Enter a name for the report.
3. 3To file it, select Save in Memorized Report Group and choose a group.
4. 4Select OK.

To change a memorized report, open it, make your changes and select Memorize. Choose Replace to overwrite it, or New to keep both versions.

Step 3: Organize reports in groups

1. 1Go to Reports > Memorized Reports > Memorized Report List.
2. 2Select the Memorized Report button, then New Group. Name it, such as Month-end or Inventory, and select OK.
3. 3To move a report, drag the diamond next to it. Or right-click it, select Edit Memorized Report and pick a group.
4. 4To delete a report, right-click it, select Delete Memorized Report, then OK.

Open memorized reports from Reports > Memorized Reports, the Memorized Report List, or the Memorized tab in the Report Center. Reports saved without a group sit under Uncategorized.

Step 4: Export to Excel

1. 1Open the report.
2. 2Select the Excel drop-down, then Create New Worksheet or Update Existing Worksheet.
3. 3If QuickBooks says there are too many columns, select Advanced and clear Space between columns.
4. 4Select OK to export.

Intuit says reports can also be exported as CSV files or PDFs. In Excel, the QuickBooks tab has an Update Report button that refreshes the report while your company file is open. To analyze an export with an AI assistant, see how to send QuickBooks Desktop reports to ChatGPT or Claude.

Step 5: Share and schedule reports

Share a report template

When you memorize a report, you can select Share this report template with others. Intuit says other QuickBooks users can then find the template on the Contributed tab of the Report Center.

Email reports on a schedule (QuickBooks Desktop 2018 and later)

1. 1Set up email in QuickBooks first.
2. 2Memorize every report you want to send. You can only schedule memorized reports.
3. 3Go to Reports > Scheduled Reports > Schedule Setup. Select one or more reports, then Next.
4. 4Name the schedule, set how often it runs, and pick a Start date and Time. You can ask for a notice 4 hours before it sends.
5. 5Enter the recipients' email addresses, separated by semicolons.
6. 6Set a password for the attachments. Don't put it in the email's subject or body.
7. 7Select Schedule.
8. 8Go to Edit > Preferences > Integrated Apps > Company Preferences. Select Scheduled Reports, then Properties, and make sure both permissions on the Access Rights tab are selected.

Reports go out as PDFs. To edit or delete a schedule, go to Reports > Scheduled Reports > Scheduled Report Center and use the Action menu. Clear Active to pause a schedule without losing its settings.

Why a scheduled report didn't send

Intuit says a scheduled report fails if, at the scheduled time:

• The company file is open in multi-user mode, or another company file is open.
• The computer is off, asleep or hibernating.
• Your email preference is Outlook and Outlook isn't open.

QuickBooks retries every hour until the report sends. Intuit also lists turning off Windows User Account Control as a requirement, and warns that doing so is a security risk. It says scheduled reports don't work in multi-user setups or hosted environments.

Common memorized report errors

• QuickBooks cannot memorize this report: the report's definition is too large. Use fewer filters, or fewer selections within each filter.
• Process Multiple Reports doesn't open: a memorized report may be damaged or imported from another QuickBooks version. Find it, delete it and create it again.

Where QuickBooks Desktop leaves the work to you

• Scheduled reports need a computer left on with QuickBooks open in single-user mode. Intuit says they don't work in a multi-user setup.
• They also need User Account Control turned off, which your IT policy may not allow.
• Exports don't update on their own. Someone has to select Update Report in Excel or export again.
• A filter set wrong gives wrong numbers every time the report runs. Check memorized reports against the standard reports now and then.