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Using Spreadsheet Sync for QuickBooks

by Intuit21 Updated 3 days ago

Learn how to use Spreadsheet Sync to create reports, customise them, and sync data between Excel and QuickBooks. This means you can:

  • Create custom financial reports tailored to your business needs.
  • Gain deeper insights with Excel's powerful analysis tools.
  • Update QuickBooks data in bulk, saving time and effort.
🛈 This article is for customers using QuickBooks Online Advanced, and QuickBooks Online Accountant. If you're interested in using this feature, consider upgrading today.

Getting started

Spreadsheet Sync empowers you to manage data, generate insights, and create reports in Excel while staying connected to QuickBooks Online Advanced or Accountant. Check out the short video below to learn how to use its features effectively.

Only QuickBooks Online Advanced or Accountant admins can initially access Spreadsheet Sync and grant user permissions. (See how to change the primary admin user in QuickBooks Online for more information.)

The following user types can access Spreadsheet Sync:

  • Primary Admin
  • Company Admin
  • Standard (All access)

QuickBooks Online Accountant users:

  • Must have client access.
  • Can use Spreadsheet Sync only with Advanced SKU clients.
  • Accountant users are considered Company Admins within a client’s Advanced account.

Install Spreadsheet Sync

  1. Open QuickBooks Online Advanced.
  2. Navigate to Settings ⚙ and select Spreadsheet Sync.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the add-in.
  4. Ensure you have the Office 365 version of Excel.
  5. If your default browser is Internet Explorer 11, upgrade to Microsoft Edge before proceeding.
  6. When prompted, select Trust this Add-In to complete installation.

Alternate installation methods:

  • From the Reports tab: Go to Reports > Create new report > Select "in spreadsheet" > Next.
  • From the Spreadsheet Sync tab under Reports: Select Go to Spreadsheet Sync.

Sign in to Spreadsheet Sync

  1. Open Excel and locate the Spreadsheet Sync tab in the ribbon.
  2. Select Get Started > Sign In.
  3. Enter your QuickBooks credentials.
  4. If you have multiple companies, select the appropriate company from the dropdown.

Sign out of Spreadsheet Sync

  • From the Spreadsheet Sync tab in Excel, select Sign Out.
  • To ensure data security, log out when stepping away from your workstation.
  1. Open Spreadsheet Sync in Excel and select Run report.
  2. Choose a company from the Select company ▼ dropdown.
  3. Select a report from the Select report ▼ dropdown.
  4. Apply the necessary filters (varies by report type).
  5. Select Run report to populate the spreadsheet with data.
  6. Use Excel’s native tools to create custom charts and graphs.

Report categories

  • Business overview: Cash flows, stock valuation, budgets, and financial overviews.
  • For my accountant: Year-end preparation and tax-focused reports.
  • What you owe: Payables, supplier balances, and outstanding bills.
  • Who owes you: Receivables, A/R Ageing Summary, and Open Invoices.
  • Sales and customers: Sales by product or service, revenue trends, and customer details.
  • Bank transactions: Payments, transfers, and reconciliations.
  • Employee reports: Time tracking and payroll data.

Advanced templates explained

  • Management Report: Includes Trial Balance, Balance Sheet, and Profit & Loss sheets for multi-period analysis.
  • Smart Profit & Loss Report: Features formatted tables and slicers for detailed financial insights.
  • Use filters to refine your data, including date ranges, class, or location.
  • Apply multiple date range filters for comparative periods and trend analysis.
  • Add or remove rows and columns for a customised layout. Note: Deleted rows cannot be recovered.
  1. In Spreadsheet Sync, select Create or edit records.
  2. Choose a company from the Select company ▼ dropdown.
  3. Select a template from the Select a record type ▼ dropdown.
  4. To add new data:
    • Select Add new records to QuickBooks.
    • Click Get template to generate a data entry sheet.
  5. To edit existing data:
    • Select Edit QuickBooks records and sync back to import existing records.
    • Apply filters to download relevant data.
    • Click Get template to populate the sheet.
  6. Enter transaction details in the spreadsheet.
    • Mark the row under the Post? column as Yes to sync changes.
  7. When done, select Sync to QuickBooks, then confirm.

Spreadsheet Sync allows you to batch update data like invoices or transactions efficiently.

  1. Select Create or Edit Records in the toolbar.
  2. From the Select Company ▼ dropdown, choose the company whose data you want to edit.
  3. Under Select a Record Type ▼, select the appropriate template, e.g., Invoices and Bills.
  4. To download existing data, select Edit QuickBooks Records and Sync Back, then filter the required data.
  5. Use the Get Template option to generate a spreadsheet template.
  6. Add or edit information in the template fields. Mark rows as "Yes" in the Post? column for changes you want to sync back to QuickBooks.
  7. Select Sync to QuickBooks in the task panel, then confirm by selecting Sync.
  8. Use View Sync Details to review how many records were successfully updated and resolve any errors.

By organising companies into groups, you can create multi-company or consolidated reports. To organise companies into groups:

  1. In the Spreadsheet Sync panel, select Group.
  2. See all the QuickBooks Online companies you have access to in Companies.
  3. To create a group, select + Create group. Select + Group multiple companies, if you are creating for the first time.
    Note: You can also add QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus companies to a group for running multi-company reports.
  4. Enter a name for the group in the Group name field.
  5. Select the Currency for the group.
  6. Select the companies under the Add companies to group column.
  7. Select Save.
  8. From the Select report ▼ dropdown, select a report.
  9. Choose the filters you want to apply on the report.
    Under Date range, select whether to see weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly data and the start and end dates of your data period. (For multiple period reports, select filters for a total time period and comparative time periods.)
  10. Select Run report to generate the report on the spreadsheet.

Multi-company reporting:

  1. Use the Group feature to organise companies.
  2. Create consolidated reports by selecting Run Multi-Company Reports.
  3. Apply filters, select the desired currency, and generate data for analysis across multiple entities.

What's next?

For more information, explore:

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