How to Delete Multiple Customers in QuickBooks Desktop & Online?

Managing customer records effectively is crucial for maintaining an organized accounting system in QuickBooks. As your business evolves, you may need to remove outdated or inactive customer records.

This guide provides comprehensive instructions on deleting multiple customers in QuickBooks, along with related processes for both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.

Deleting Multiple Customers in QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online offers a streamlined process for deleting or inactivating multiple customers simultaneously. Follow these steps to clean up your customer list:

1. Launch QuickBooks Online and sign in to your account.
2. Navigate to the left menu bar and select “Sales.“
3. Click on “Customers” to access your customer list.

4. Select the customers you wish to delete or inactivate.
5. Click on the “Edit” button.
6. From the “Create Invoice” drop-down menu at the bottom of the screen, select “Make Inactive.”
7. Confirm your selection to inactivate the chosen customers.

Purging Company Data in QuickBooks Online

To purge company data and start over:

1. Sign in to QuickBooks Online.
2. Modify the URL by adding “/purgecompany” at the end.
3. Review the details of the data to be removed on the next screen.
4. Click “Yes” to confirm, then click “OK” to proceed with the purge.

Deleting a Single Customer in QuickBooks Online

To remove an individual customer from QuickBooks Online:

1. Open QuickBooks Online and go to the “Customers” section.
2. Click on “Customer Center,” then “Customers and Jobs.“
3. Locate and select the customer you want to delete.
4. Click “Edit.“
5. Select “Delete Customer: Job” to remove the customer from QuickBooks.

Deleting Customers in QuickBooks Desktop

QuickBooks Desktop provides similar functionality for managing customer records. Here’s how to delete customers in the desktop version:

Deleting Multiple Customers

1. Open QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Go to “Customer Center” from the top menu.
3. Select “Customers & Jobs” from the left sidebar.
4. Hold the Ctrl key and click to select multiple customers.
5. Right-click and choose “Make Inactive” to remove them from active lists.

Deleting a Single Customer

1. Launch QuickBooks Desktop and navigate to “Customers.“
2. Go to “Customer Center” > “Customer: Jobs.“
3. Find the customer you want to delete.
4. Click “Edit” and select “Delete Customer: Job.“
5. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Alternative Methods for Managing Customer Records

Hiding a Customer’s Name

Sometimes, you may want to keep a customer’s record but remove it from active view:

1. Click “Customer Center” in the top-left corner of QuickBooks.
2. Select “Customers & Jobs” from the left sidebar.
3. Double-click the customer name you want to hide.
4. In the Edit window, check the “Customer is Inactive” box.
5. Click “OK” to save the changes.

Merging Customer Names

Merging allows you to combine duplicate customer records:

1. Open “Customer Center” and select “Customers & Jobs.“
2. Double-click the customer name you want to merge.
3. In the Edit window, change the customer name to match the record you want to keep.
4. Click “OK” and confirm the merge when prompted.

Best Practices for Customer Record Management

1. Regularly review your customer list to identify inactive or outdated records.
2. Before deleting customers, ensure all transactions are properly recorded and finalized.
3. Consider exporting customer data before deletion for record-keeping purposes.
4. Use the “Make Inactive” option instead of deletion if you might need the customer information in the future.

The above two processes would let you delete multiple customers in QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks online. Hope you find the process informative and insightful. Now let us move towards the Frequently asked Questions section.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I Edit Multiple non-inventory items in QuickBooks?

1. Go to “Lists” and choose “Item List.“
2. Double-click the item you want to update.
3. Change the account to a dummy or different account.
4. Choose whether to update existing transactions for this item.
5. Open the item again and change it back to the correct account.
6. Save and confirm to update existing transactions.

Can I delete multiple inventory items in QuickBooks?

1. Open QuickBooks and log in.
2. Navigate to “Inventory” and click on “Quick Reports.“
3. Set the date range to “All.“
4. Select the inventory items you want to delete.
5. Click the “Delete” button to remove the selected items.

How can I view and activate inactive vendor records in QuickBooks?

1. Open QuickBooks and go to “Vendors” in the top menu.
2. Click the “Vendors” drop-down menu and select “All Vendors.“
3. Inactive vendors will have an “X” sign next to their names.
4. Double-click on an inactive vendor’s name.
5. Uncheck the “Vendor is inactive” box and click “OK” to reactivate.

How do I view transactions from the Vendor Transactions List?

1. Click “Expenses” on the left panel, then go to “Vendors.“
2. Click the gear icon above the action column.
3. Check the “Include inactive” box.
4. Scroll down to find inactive vendors (marked as “deleted“).
5. Click on the vendor and select the “Transaction List” tab to view their accounts and transactions.

How can I restore a deleted customer in QuickBooks Online?

• Click “Make active” in the upper right corner to restore the customer record.
• Navigate to “Sales,” then go to the “Customers” tab.
• Click the gear icon and choose “Include inactive.“
• Find the previously deleted customer you want to restore.