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churlbut1111-gma
March 7, 2024
Solved

How do I change a customer to a vendor in QuickBooks Online?

  • March 7, 2024
  • 6 replies
  • 167 views
I incorrectly added Vendor as Customer. How do I correct?


Best answer by Emma_P

QuickBooks Online doesn't have a feature that directly converts a customer into a vendor. Instead, you'll set up a new vendor profile and move that person's transaction history over to it.

 

Here's how to make the switch.

Set up the new vendor

  1. Go to All apps, then Expenses & Bills, then Vendors.
  2. Select New vendor.
  3. Enter the vendor's name. Make sure at least one part of it, like a middle initial, is one keystroke different from the original customer name. QuickBooks Online won't let a customer and a vendor share the exact same name.
  4. Fill in the rest of the contact details.
  5. Select Save.

Move the transaction history over

  1. Run a Transaction List by Customer report to see everything linked to the original customer.
  2. Open each transaction and reassign it to your new vendor.
  3. Once every transaction has been moved, delete the original customer record.
  4. Edit the vendor's name to the format you actually want, now that the original customer name is free to use.

 

A few things worth knowing:

 

  • QuickBooks Online treats customers and vendors as two completely separate lists. There's no setting on a customer's profile, including any type or category field, that turns it into a vendor.
  • The duplicate-name rule applies to the display name specifically. A small tweak, like adding a middle initial or a period, is usually enough to get around it.
  • Reassign your transactions before you delete the original customer. If you delete it first, that history won't carry over to the new vendor.

 

Have more questions about managing customers or vendors in QuickBooks Online? We're glad to help.

 

Resources:

Move names between Customer, Vendor, and Employee lists in QuickBooks Online

 

6 replies

A
Anonymous
March 7, 2024

Hi Churl, 

 

Let me help change a vendor that was added incorrectly as customer in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

 

Right at this moment, QBO does not have a direct feature to convert a customer to a vendor. However, we can perform a simple workaround to achieve this.

 

First, let's inactivate the customer before creating a new vendor. 

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Go to the Sales tab.
  2. Hover over Sales and select Customers.
  3. Search for the customer whose name you want to use for the new vendor.
  4. Mark the customer as Inactive.

 

Once you have marked the customer as inactive, you can now create a new vendor with the correct name.

 

We are doing this because QBO does not allow you to use duplicate names in creating different vendor/customer profiles. 

 

Since you have already set up your vendor, you can refer to this article to learn how to use QuickBooks Bill Pay for QuickBooks Online: Learn about QuickBooks Bill Pay.

 

I would also like to suggest the following articles to help you manage your customers and vendors:

 

 

Please feel free to drop a comment below if you have additional questions about your customer's data. I'm always here to assist you. Stay safe!

 

I
iambic007
July 26, 2025

The chatbot in QBO gives the following instructions to make the switch:  

To switch customers to vendors in QuickBooks Online Essentials, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Customers: Go to the "Sales" menu and select "Customers."
  2. Select the Customer: Find and click on the customer you want to switch.
  3. Edit Customer Information: Click on "Edit" to modify the customer details.
  4. Change Type: In the customer information window, change the "Customer Type" to "Vendor."
  5. Save Changes: Click "Save" to apply the changes.

 

I do not see a field marked as "Customer Type." Is there another way to change "Customer Type"?

MsNorthPND1881
MsNorthPND1881QuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
July 26, 2025

You can find the Customer Type field by scrolling down to the Additional Info section, Iambic007.

 

  1. Click on the customer's name.
  2. Select the Edit option to navigate to the Customer information page.
  3. Scroll down to the Additional Info section.
  4. From the Customer Type dropdown menu, you can select and specify Vendor.
  5. Click Save to apply the changes.

 

 

Also, I recommend checking out this article for more tips on editing transactions: How to view and edit vendor transactions in QuickBooks Online.

 

If you have further questions or concerns about the Customer Type field or anything else, feel free to leave a comment below.

Emma_P
Emma_PCommunity ManagerAnswer
Community Manager
August 20, 2026

QuickBooks Online doesn't have a feature that directly converts a customer into a vendor. Instead, you'll set up a new vendor profile and move that person's transaction history over to it.

 

Here's how to make the switch.

Set up the new vendor

  1. Go to All apps, then Expenses & Bills, then Vendors.
  2. Select New vendor.
  3. Enter the vendor's name. Make sure at least one part of it, like a middle initial, is one keystroke different from the original customer name. QuickBooks Online won't let a customer and a vendor share the exact same name.
  4. Fill in the rest of the contact details.
  5. Select Save.

Move the transaction history over

  1. Run a Transaction List by Customer report to see everything linked to the original customer.
  2. Open each transaction and reassign it to your new vendor.
  3. Once every transaction has been moved, delete the original customer record.
  4. Edit the vendor's name to the format you actually want, now that the original customer name is free to use.

 

A few things worth knowing:

 

  • QuickBooks Online treats customers and vendors as two completely separate lists. There's no setting on a customer's profile, including any type or category field, that turns it into a vendor.
  • The duplicate-name rule applies to the display name specifically. A small tweak, like adding a middle initial or a period, is usually enough to get around it.
  • Reassign your transactions before you delete the original customer. If you delete it first, that history won't carry over to the new vendor.

 

Have more questions about managing customers or vendors in QuickBooks Online? We're glad to help.

 

Resources:

Move names between Customer, Vendor, and Employee lists in QuickBooks Online

 

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