When entering a payee name, it automatically underneath pops up +new. will not allow me to use ace which I have used hundreds of times

Hello, @barefootshell.

When creating transactions, you'll just have to enter the first few letters of the customer or payee's name. QuickBooks automatically display all the list of names related to it.

You can scroll down to select the correct payee's name.

Leave a post below if you have other questions. I'm always here to help.