How do I delete a COMPANY from my Quickbooks?

Just be really sure of what you are doing before you delete it!  I'd make a backup first by copying them to another device (USB Key, CD-ROM, DropBox, something) just in case.

I believe this person wants to delete the company from the list of companies IN THE QUICKBOOKS PROGRAM. When you have more than one company, and you open QB, a list comes up and you choose which to open. This person has "companies" on their list that they aren't using, and they want to delete them from the list. 

I am trying to do the same thing and am experiencing the same problem, which is how I ended up here. Hope someone chimes in soon!

Is it just me, or are these instructions for QUICKBOOKS DESKTOP?  I need to remove a company from my list in QUICKBOOKS ONLINE.  Anyone?

Hi, @DakotaWireless.

Are you referring to the Cancel Companies on your QuickBooks Online list? If so, this list will remain until the schedule of deletion is not yet over. This process implemented so that customers still have access to read-only for a year to be able to print forms and reports that you might need in the future.

I’ve attached a screenshot for your reference: 

However, if you are referring to how to cancel your account. You can cancel your subscription by following these steps:

1. Click the Gear icon on the top right side, select Account, and Settings.
2. Choose Billing & Subscription.
3. Click the blue Cancel link in the Subscription status section.

Once done, the Master Administrator will get an email verifying the cancellation.  After a year, we will notify you before we delete your account in our system. 

Please visit these articles to know about the life of your QBO data after you end your QBO subscription and how to resubscribe:

• What happens to my QBO data after I cancel?
• How to resubscribe or reactivate QuickBooks Online

If you have other concerns, leave them in the comments below. I'll get back to you shortly.

In reference to the 'Canceled Companies' list, I understand that they will be removed in a year.  However in my case I accidentally generated a blank company when I set up my account and don't want it to appear at all...i.e., isn't there a way to remove it without waiting a year?

Greetings, @Enclosure_MRH.

I'm so glad you came to the Community for assistance. I can give you some insight into removing a canceled company.

At this time, the option to delete a canceled company from the list isn't available. However, you can always change the deleted company name as "canceled" or "deleted" so that you won't get confused.

Here's how:

1. Open the canceled company.

2. Go to the Gear icon.

3. Under "Your Company" select Account and Settings.

4. Click Company.

5. Pick the Pencil (Edit) icon in the "Company Name" section.

6. Change the name.

7. Press Save.

8. Hit Done.

It's that easy!

I value you as a customer. Should you need any further information, please don't hesitate to contact me. Have a great weekend!

Under File menu, I don't have the option 'Close Company'

Hi there, @kikijaspal.

The Close Company option under File is available to all versions of QuickBooks Desktop.

I’ve attached a screenshot for your visual reference:

Since you’re unable to see this on your end, let’s perform a clean install to fix missing functionality. And please ensure to back up your company file.

Here’s how:

1. Open the Windows Start menu.
2. Search for Control Panel, then open.
3. Click Programs and Features or Uninstall a Program.
4. Select the version of QuickBooks Desktop you're having problems with.
5. Select Uninstall/Change and then Remove.

Once you’re done, you can follow the step 2 in this link to reinstall QuickBooks Desktop.

In case you encounter any error, I added this article as your reference: Fix QuickBooks Desktop install errors.

Please let me know how this goes. I’m always right here to help you out.

Thank you very much. It was simpler than I thought, but I could not figure it out myself. 

I'm having the same issue. I accidentally created TWO companies and I need to delete the ONE I created in error. This is NOT THE DESKTOP version. This is QUICKBOOKS ONLINE. For the life of me, I cannot find a way to DELETE it. This is very frustrating...

Hi there, lorissimo.

If there are no data recorded on the other company, you can reach out to our Customer Care Team to delete it. Before doing so, please check our support hours here. Then follow these steps:

1. Click the Help icon located in the upper right-hand corner.
2. In the Help window, click the Contact Us button located at the bottom.
3. Enter your question and click Let's talk.
4. Select Start messaging or Get a callback.

Otherwise, cancel the account and wait for it to be removed. For the trial account, you'll have read-only access for 90 days and one year for a paid subscription. 

To cancel, here's how:

1. Go to the Gear > Account and Settings >Billing & subscription tab.
2. In the QuickBooks section, select Cancel subscription or Cancel online link.
3. Click Continue to cancel, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Here are some articles for reference:

• Cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription or trial
• What happens to my QuickBooks Online data after I cancel

Please let us know in the comments if you have any additional questions or other concerns. Take care.

I should ABSOLUTELY NOT have to go through such great efforts to control my own data. The inability to delete MY OWN data set is unbelievable IMO.  Reach out to support? Cancel the account? Wait for it to be removed? Also (the link you provided "Cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription or trial") doesn't correlate with the options I have available when I got to my account online. There is no option to "Cancel your trial". Anyway... I've gone ahead and cancelled my subscription. This is ridiculous. I'm heading on over to Freshbooks...

unbelievable that nobody actually read your question and answered your question..."how do you delete a company from Quickbooks". I had the same question and searched all through the QB postings...all to no avail... then I stumbled on Ms Garcia .https://bizfluent.com/how-5111470-backup-restore-company  she understood the question and did a great job walking one thru the easy process...took 5 min at the most...wish I had found her web site initially

That does not seem to be true. Here is a screenshot of my File menu in Quickbooks Desktop. I am also frustrated that nobody on this thread seems to be acknowledging that we would like to be able to accomplish this from Quickbooks ONLINE, not Quickbooks Desktop, which is buggy and unstable. Please advise. 

sadly that link doesn't work! unbelievable that nobody is answering the question

Hello there, @ sambuggeln.

Let me share this information I have on removing the company listed on your file.

We can manually delete it if it's less than 60 days old. To do this, you'll have to change the last word of the accounts' URL to purge company. Here's an example:

From this https://c43.qbo.intuit.com/app/homepage to https://c43.qbo.intuit.com/app/purgecompany

If the account is more than 60 days old, we'll have to cancel it. Then after a year of being inactive, the system will automatically delete the file. Here's how to cancel:

1. Click the Gear icon, and then select Account and Settings.
2. Go to the Billing & Subscription tab.
3. Click Cancel on the QuickBooks section.

In case you want to know what will happen to your data after you cancel, you can check this article: Data availability and export policies after cancelation.

You can always post here if you have other questions. 

I have two companies listed online.  The first is a paid subscription, and the second is a expired trial that is over 60 days old.  I want to delete the expired trial company.   There are no options under subscription to delete.  How do I delete this company?

Good day, tim92.

Let me share details about cancelled accounts.

The steps above are only applicable if you want to start from scratch and the account is less than 60 days old.

In QuickBooks Online, all inactive or cancelled accounts will be deleted automatically after a year. That means all data will be removed permanently. You don't have to do it manually cause QuickBooks Online will do it for you.

You can always visit our QuickBooks Help Page if you need articles to help you in managing your business.

Post again if you need anything else. Wishing you all the best!