# How to Email Invoices and Sales Orders From QuickBooks Desktop

> Set up email in Send Forms, send one invoice or a batch, use email templates, check what was sent, and fix common QuickBooks Desktop email errors.

- URL: https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/email-invoices-sales-orders/
- Section: QuickBooks Desktop Guides, Sales orders & pricing
- Applies to: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, Premier, Pro, Accountant
- Steps checked against: Intuit's QuickBooks Desktop help articles, updated August and October 2026
- Updated: 2026-10-20

**Short answer:** To email invoices and sales orders from QuickBooks Desktop, set up email at Edit > Preferences > Send Forms, then open the form and select Email. To send several at once, check Email Later on each form and use File > Send Forms. Email templates are on the Company Preferences tab of Send Forms. Invoices work this way in every edition, but sales orders need Premier or Enterprise.

## Before you start

- Choose how QuickBooks sends email: Outlook, Web Mail or QuickBooks email. Intuit describes QuickBooks email as a subscription-based service.
- For Outlook, Intuit asks for Outlook 2010 or newer with an Outlook email profile.
- For webmail, turn on two-step verification in your email account. Check the server and port settings with your provider.
- Check each customer's email address: open the customer from the Customer Center and look on the Address Info tab.
- These steps are for QuickBooks Desktop for Windows. Sales orders are only in Premier and Enterprise.
- QuickBooks Desktop 2023 can no longer email forms or reports. Intuit discontinued that version after May 31, 2026.

## Step 1: Set up email in Send Forms

### Outlook

1. In QuickBooks, go to Edit > Preferences.
2. Select Send Forms, then the My Preferences tab.
3. Select Outlook, then OK.

### Web Mail

1. Go to Edit > Preferences and select Send Forms.
2. On the My Preferences tab, select Web Mail, then Add.
3. Fill in the Add Email Info window and select OK. QuickBooks fills in server details for some common providers.
4. Select OK to save your preferences.
5. When your provider's sign-in page opens, sign in and grant Intuit access.

Intuit doesn't support providers that use STARTTLS encryption. If port 465 doesn't work, try 587, with SSL turned on for both. If your QuickBooks is hosted, you may still have to sign in to webmail when you send.

QuickBooks email is the third option in Send Forms. Intuit's setup article covers only Outlook and Web Mail.

## Step 2: Email one invoice

1. Go to Customers > Customer Center and double-click the invoice to open it. To start a new one, use the New Transaction dropdown.
2. Select Email. QuickBooks picks the email template for that form, and you can edit it.
3. In the To dropdown, choose the contacts to send to. Select Add New for someone who isn't listed.
4. Edit the Subject and the message as needed.
5. Select Send.

QuickBooks remembers the address you last used for each transaction type. To set a default recipient, open the customer in the Customer Center and go to the Contacts tab. Select the contact, check the transaction type, then select Save and Close.

## Step 3: Send a batch of invoices

1. On each invoice, select Email Later before you save it.
2. When you're ready, go to File > Send Forms.
3. Review the list and clear the forms you don't want to send yet.
4. In the preview, choose a different template or edit the email text if needed.
5. To send several forms to one customer in one email, select them and check Combine forms to a recipient in one email.
6. Select Send Now.

In QuickBooks Desktop Plus and Enterprise, you can add or clear contacts on a batch email with the To dropdown, or type a new address in the Add field. Removing an address from the batch only removes the email. The invoice stays in QuickBooks.

## Step 4: Set up email templates

1. Sign in as the admin, or as a user allowed to edit company preferences. Switch to single-user mode from the File menu.
2. Go to Edit > Preferences > Send Forms, then the Company Preferences tab.
3. Set Delivery Method Default to Email.
4. In Email Templates, choose the transaction type, then select Add Template.
5. Name the template and write the subject and body. Use Insert Field to add live data, such as the customer name or due date.
6. Select Save, then OK on the Company Preferences tab.

To make a template the default, choose the transaction type and select Set Default next to the template. In a batch, pick a template from the Template dropdown in File > Send Forms. The look of the invoice itself is set separately; see how to [customize an invoice or sales order template](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/customize-invoice-template/).

## Step 5: Check what was sent

- On an invoice, select See History. Intuit describes this for QuickBooks 2019, with the statuses Sent, Viewed, Paid and Deposited. Viewed needs an internet connection and may not appear if the customer's email blocks images.
- From the invoice, open the Reports tab and select Transaction History. Check Sent Date and Send Method.
- If there's no status, the invoice may still be waiting under Email Later. Check File > Send Forms.
- The Sent Email tab on the customer in the Customer Center lists forms sent through QuickBooks email or Web Mail. With Outlook or webmail, your Sent folder keeps a copy.
- With QuickBooks email, add your own address in the BCC field on the Company Preferences tab of Send Forms to get a copy of each form.

## What about sales orders?

Intuit's emailing article covers sales forms in general, opened from the Customer Center. It doesn't list each form type or give separate steps for sales orders, so this guide follows the invoice steps Intuit documents. Sales orders need Premier or Enterprise. Billing an order is covered in [how to turn a sales order into an invoice](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/convert-sales-order-to-invoice/).

## Common email errors and what Intuit suggests

| Problem | What Intuit suggests |
| --- | --- |
| Outlook isn't an option in Send Forms | Check that QuickBooks supports your Outlook version and that Outlook is the default email program. In the Mail settings of the Windows Control Panel, set Always use this profile. Hosted QuickBooks needs Office installed on the host. |
| "QuickBooks is unable to send your email to Outlook" | Clear Run this program as Administrator on QuickBooks.exe. Then switch Send Forms to another option and back to Outlook, and restart the computer. |
| "Couldn't connect to email server" with webmail | Update QuickBooks. Then check the SMTP server name and port under Send Forms > My Preferences > Edit. A firewall or antivirus can also block the connection. |
| Webmail password not accepted | Update QuickBooks, review your email account's security settings, and make sure your antivirus allows port 465 or 587. |
| Emails still use an old template | Uncheck Email Later on the transaction and save, then check it again and save. Or paste the new template text into the email before you send. |

*From Intuit's QuickBooks Desktop help articles, updated August and October 2026.*

## Where QuickBooks Desktop leaves the work to you

- Someone has to queue each invoice, run Send Forms and confirm the batch went out.
- Someone has to check that each customer's email address is right.
- When email stops working, someone has to work through Intuit's troubleshooting steps.
- Payment reminders, if you use them, still wait for someone to review and send them.

To send customers a summary of what they owe, see how to [create and send customer statements](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/send-customer-statements/).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why is Outlook missing from Send Forms in QuickBooks Desktop?

Intuit's possible causes include an unsupported Outlook version, Outlook not being the default email program, or no Outlook profile. Hosted QuickBooks also needs Office installed on the host.

### How do I email several invoices at once?

Check Email Later on each invoice before saving. Then go to File > Send Forms, review the list and select Send Now.

### How can I tell if an invoice was emailed?

Open the invoice and select See History, or open Transaction History from its Reports tab and check Sent Date and Send Method. The customer's Sent Email tab lists forms sent through QuickBooks email or Web Mail.

### Where do I change the email message QuickBooks sends?

Go to Edit > Preferences > Send Forms > Company Preferences and add or edit a template for that transaction type. Select Set Default to make it the one QuickBooks uses.

### Can I send several invoices to one customer in a single email?

Yes. Mark them Email Later, then in File > Send Forms select them and check Combine forms to a recipient in one email.

### Can I still email invoices from QuickBooks Desktop 2023?

No. Intuit discontinued QuickBooks Desktop 2023 after May 31, 2026, and it can no longer email forms or reports.

## Sources

- [Intuit: Connect your email to QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/connect-email-quickbooks-desktop/L00d2EZek_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Email sales forms, invoices, and statements in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/manage-customers/email-sales-forms-invoices-statements-quickbooks/L4DqvKmXL_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Create custom email templates in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/customize-forms/create-custom-email-templates-quickbooks-desktop/L1oR8AyaT_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Fix custom email template issues in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/customize-forms/fix-custom-email-template-issues-quickbooks/L3HSNgiM7_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Verify that an invoice was emailed and read by recipient in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/manage-invoices/verify-invoice-emailed-read-recipient/L7yKIQ4sL_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Create automated payment reminders for invoices and statements in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/manage-invoices/create-automated-payment-reminders-invoices/L5ZYxcW2q_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Fix Outlook is missing in send forms preferences](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/product-setup/fix-outlook-missing-send-forms-preferences/L5ljY9afT_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Fix error "QuickBooks is unable to send your email to Outlook"](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/install-products/fix-error-quickbooks-unable-send-email-outlook/L4IzswX2I_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Fix Error: Could not connect to the email server](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/update-products/fix-error-could-connect-email-server/L9VzOtAlK_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Fix webmail password issues in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/login-password/fix-webmail-password-issues-quickbooks-desktop/L2NkQplNK_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: QuickBooks Desktop 2023 service discontinuation policy](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/feature-preferences/quickbooks-desktop-service-discontinuation-policy/L17cXxlie_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Create a sales order in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/sales-orders/create-sales-order/L6mKnrj8m_US_en_US)