How to restore/bring back deleted items from the items list?

Hello 0074,

Don't worry, I can help you restore your items so you can get back to business in QuickBooks Desktop. I see you've also posted this question in the US section of the QuickBooks Community. The steps and information I have for you are based on the features of the Canadian version of the program since this question and response are in the Canadian community. If you happen to be using the US version instead, I recommend waiting for a response to your question there as the options may be a bit different.

Taking a peek at the US question, I see you mention that you've used the item on prior transactions. If that's the case, this is good news since once an item is used, it can't be fully deleted, only made inactive. Making the product active again is just a few simple steps.

1. Go to the Lists menu,
2. Choose Item List.
3. Check off the box for Include Inactive at the bottom of the window.
4. Find the inactive item (Note: It will have an X beside it).
5. Right-click the item and choose Make Item Active.

That's it. Once you've done those steps, the item will be restored to your list and your books should balance out again.

If you have somehow fully deleted the item, there isn't a way to bring this back. What I recommend in this case is restoring a backup of your company file and working from that. Otherwise, re-creating the item and editing any transactions associated with the old item is the way to go to get it back in your books.

I'll be here if you have further questions. Enjoy your day.

Thank you! I just realized the item is not inactive, it is actually merged with another item and it has been used in many different transactions. Is there a way to revert that? 

Thanks for the follow-up! It's good you were able to figure out what happened with the item. In this case, there isn't a way to undo a merge once it's complete. The in-product article about merging items contains the following message, which gives a tad bit more detail about it, "All transactions, even in closed periods, will be under the one item. It may also affect previous financial reports. The data associated with the merged item is removed from your records along with the item itself."

You can find this article by following these steps.

1. Go to the Help menu in QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Choose QuickBooks Desktop Help.
3. Select the Help tab.
4. Click the Search button.
5. Enter keywords such as "merge items" and hit the Enter key.
6. Click the Combine (merge) two items article to see where I got these details.

To resolve this, either re-creating the item or restoring a backup copy of your company file as I mentioned in my original response will help you get back on track.

Thank you. 

You're welcome. Feel free to stop by again.