Change category of multiple transactions all at once

I can help you with that, dify-bartow-biz.

With QuickBooks Online, you can bulk categorize your expense and bank transactions. Feel free to follow the steps I've listed below.

For expense transactions:

1. Select Expenses from the sidebar menu.
2. Tick the checkboxes of the transactions you'd like to categorize.
3. Click the Batch Actions drop-down list, then select Categorize selected.
4. Choose the appropriate category, then hit Apply.

For online banking transactions:

1. Select Banking or Transactions from the sidebar menu.
2. Go to the Banking tab, choose the appropriate bank account.
3. Select the For review tab, then tick the checkboxes of the transactions you'd like to categorize.
4. Click the Update button, then select the correct category from the drop-down menu.
5. When you're done, hit Apply or Apply and accept.

I'm also adding these articles to help manage your business transactions in QuickBooks Online:

• Enter and manage expenses
• Categorize and match online bank transactions

Keep me posted if you need additional assistance in completing your other tasks. The Community always has your back.

Hi dify-bartow-biz,

Hope you’re doing great. I wanted to see how everything is going about your concern. Were you able to categorize the transactions? Do you need any additional help or clarification? If you do, just let me know. I’d be happy to help you at anytime.

Looking forward to your reply. Have a pleasant day ahead

It look like any batch action doesnt work for ctegorized transactions!!????

Hello there, George888.

Thanks for joining this conversation. Allow me to chime in and help ensure this is taken care of for you.

The steps shared by my colleague above will help you categorizing your bank transactions by batch. Are you getting any specific error messages during the process? Any additional information will help me provide the best resolution for your concern.

In the meantime, let's sign in to your QuickBooks Online (QBO) using a private browser (incognito). There are times that the browser is already full of frequently accessed page resources (cache and cookies), causing some unusual responses.

Here's how:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + N (Google Chrome).
• Ctrl + Shift + P (Firefox).
• Control + Option + P (Safari).

Once logged in, categorize your bank transactions again by batch to double-check. You can follow the steps shared by my colleague above or refer to this article for further guidance: Categorize and match online bank transactions in QuickBooks Online.

You can also create a bank rule to let the system categorize the transaction automatically. To learn more about this, consider checking out this article: Set up bank rules to categorize online banking transactions in QuickBooks Online.

For more tips and other resources you can use in the future, I recommend visiting our website: Self-help articles.

Please post again or leave a comment in this thread if you have additional questions about this or anything else. I'll be here to help. Take care.

When following the steps below, I can update the category and select apply, but it will only hold that category if I select Apply and Select. I want to change the category while the transaction is sitting in review. Once I've added the receipt to the transaction I move it to Categorized. Can you help me?

1. Select Banking or Transactions from the sidebar menu.
2. Go to the Banking tab, choose the appropriate bank account.
3. Select the For review tab, then tick the checkboxes of the transactions you'd like to categorize.
4. Click the Update button, then select the correct category from the drop-down menu.
5. When you're done, hit Apply or Apply and accept.

I'm here to ensure you can easily categorize transactions in QuickBooks Online, @kathy42. 

Let me discuss some ideas and tips to rule this out.

I tried to categorize transactions in bulk using the same steps you perform, and everything seemed to work fine. 

Transactions will not hold or go back to their original category if you Undo them. If you didn't undo the transactions and still get the same result, then you're likely experiencing a browser-related issue. 

I recommend performing some basic troubleshooting procedures to isolate the problem. Start by signing in to your QBO account using an incognito page. Here are the shortcut keys to open it:e

• For Firefox or Microsoft Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + P.
• For Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + N.
• For Safari, hold down Command + Shift + N.

If you can categorize the transactions properly, you'll have to clear your regular browser cache. This prevents unusual browser behavior. 

If the issue continues, use another supported browser.

Once you're all set, feel free to read this additional module about matching your account and bank statements: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

Fill me in for more help about banking or QuickBooks. I'm always ready to assist. Take the best care!

I've tried this in multiple browsers and selecting multiple banking transactions and trying to change the category no longer works (the drop down is no longer present). Also the "update" button has changed to "edit".

Hi there, Jentak.

Let me fill you in with information on selecting multiple transactions and recategorizing them all at once in your QuickBooks Online (QBO) account.

First, you have to undo the categorization in your bank transaction. In that way, transactions will be moved back to the For Review page where you can change the categorization.

Here's how:

1. Go to Transaction, then select Bank Transactions. 
2. Click on the Categorized tab, and choose the transactions you want to recategorize.
3. Then click Undo.

Once done, your transactions will transfer to the For Review page. Follow the steps below to recategorize them.

1. In the For Review page, click on the transactions you want to categorize.
2. Select Edit, then fill out the prompt box.
3. Click on Apply and accept when done. 

Furthermore, I suggest reading this article that entails information and steps on categorizing your bank transactions in QBO: Categorize online bank transactions in QBO.

Additionally, you can establish a rule in your QBO account that can automatically organize your bank transactions in accordance with your wants. To apply that in your account, check out this article: Set up bank rules to categorize online banking transactions in QuickBooks Online. 

Don't hesitate to hit the reply button if you have further inquiries in categorizing your bank transaction, Jentak. I'll be sure to address them right away. Keep safe!

Hello,

I followed the steps here but I do not see a "Batch Actions" option after selecting the transactions I want to update in category. Please advise.

Thanks!

I can show you how to update your category by batch in QuickBooks Online (QBO), sara104.

If the transactions are in the Categorized tab, we need to Undo it first and categorize it by batch from the For Review tab. On the other hand, we can assign a category to multiple transactions if the transactions are already in the For Review tab.

Here's how:

Step 1: Undo the Transactions

If the transactions are already in For Review, skip this step and go to Step 2.

1. Go to the Transactions menu at the left navigation panel, then choose Bank Transaction.
2. Click the Categorized tab, then tick the transactions that need updating.
3. Under the Actions column, press Undo.

Step 2: Categorize the transactions by batch.

1. Click the For Review tab and tick multiple transactions.
2. Press Edit beside the Confirm option.
3. Within the Edit selected transactions, fill out the Type of transaction, Vendor/Customer name, Category, Class, Location, and Tags dropdowns.
4. Once done, click Apply or Apply and confirm.
5. To view the transactions, go to the Categorized tab.

You can also view these screenshots for visual reference:

Once done categorizing and ready to balance your account, you can use this article: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

I'm still available if you want to ask further questions regarding updating the category of your transactions by batch, sara104. Please let me know in the comment section.