How do we go back to the old sidebar?

Hi there, nonethanks.

Thank you for visiting the QuickBooks Community again, nonethanks. Let me discuss different details on how viewing all the features in QuickBooks Online works. Then, I'll ensure you'll be able to view all the tools in the program after following the steps below.

There are two ways to display your account in QuickBooks Online, as Business and accountant view. Your default view is based on what you tell us when you first set up QuickBooks. With this, if you're referring to seeing the sidebar menus that have Dashboard, Banking, and Sales, I suggest making sure that your QBO is set to Accountant view. 

Here's how:

1. Click the Gear icon ⚙.
2. Go to the Profile section.
3. Choose Switch to Accountant view.

I added a screenshot below for visual reference.

However, if you mean viewing all of the tools on the left panel and you can't see them, it's possible that the Hamburger icon was clicked to hide those menus. I recommend selecting the said option to see all of the tools so you can begin re-learning and navigating.

Lastly, I'm adding this article to further guide you in effectively managing your business using QBO: Help guide for QuickBooks Online. It contains topics about advanced accounting, banking, and payments to name a few.

Let me know if there's anything else you need help with all the features in QBO by clicking the Reply button below. I'm always here to help you, nonethanks. Take care and keep safe!

Well as usual you guys have answered the question the OP DIDN'T ASK.

We get to log in this morning and the UI we learned to navigate has been rearranged completely without warning.  We don't want the accountant view - we would have LIKED an option to check out the new layout or to keep the old one.

Throwing changes at your users with no warning or input only makes it harder for us to do our daily tasks.  

This new sidebar is the worst I've seen  in a while. The sub-menu, which slides over the main menu in the sidebar, is an anti-pattern. I can't stand it. Not being able to see the sub-menus items without giving a click on the first-level menu item is absolutely frustrating.

Does QBO consults its clients before rolling out new UX ? Did you even test it ? The sliding animation is distracting, the main menu getting hidden by the sub-menu sliding over it is simply awful...

Please, how can we roll back?

Hi @Dave_L,

I understand that you'll need to go to the sidebar menu to view and manage your transactions. I also recognize the inconvenience of navigating in to unfamiliar menu and buttons, that’s why I’ll share more clarification about QBO’s interface.

I’d like to know what QBO version you're using. I would also appreciate it if you can add some screenshots of your concern. This way, I'll be able to get on the same page and provide additional information.

The Accountant and Business view are the two ways to display your account. Each view has slight differences when you switch between them. See the screenshots below:

Additionally, we’re unable to revert the changes once an update is made to the user interface. Certain menus have also been renamed during the most recent update. For example, invoicing, customer and vendor-related transactions are now moved under Get paid and Pay. 

If you’re looking for the Transactions and Sales section, it was renamed to Banking and Invoicing. Not to worry, options and features are still the same.

I do agree with you that adding more customizations and functionality would make the program better and more flexible. We want to ensure our users get the most out of QuickBooks. With this, you'll want to send your idea to our developers about the changes made.

Here’s how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Under the Profile column, select Feedback.
3. Enter your suggestions, then click Next.

Please know that we’re unable to provide a specific time frame as to when this feature will be available. I also encourage you to visit our QuickBooks Blog page so you'll be updated on the program's new release features and enhancements.

For more sources and helpful links, please see our QuickBooks Help articles site. Simply enter a keyword of your concern on the search bar and the system will show related links you can use.

If you have further questions about customizing your menu bar, please leave a reply below. I'll be always around to help. More power to your business. 

I COULDN'T AGREE MORE!! THE SLIDING SUB-MENU IS VERY UNPLEASANT. PLEASE PUT IT BACK AT THE TOP.

Also not what was asked.

Do you people even bother to read the questions?

True, but I was just supporting Dave_L with his complaint about the sliding submenu. I am sorry that I cannot answer your original question.

I'm so very sorry I intended to reply to the QBO bot/peon that apparently can't read context of questions and only responds to key words.  Consider my post in support of yours, please.

Still no answer on how to get back to the non-hiding sidebar?

Hi there, @kelsey5.

Let me shed some light on you.

At the moment, there's no update on how to get back to the old sidebar.

In the meantime, you can submit feedback to our engineers to submit your idea about the updates made by QuickBooks.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Select "Feedback"
3. Enter your suggestion and click "Next."

I'll provide an article to help you navigate useful links: QuickBooks Help articles site.

Click the Reply button below if you have more questions about QuickBooks Online's new update. I'll be willing to lend a hand. Keep safe.

New sidebar is just so annoying, please revert back to the original format ASAP

This is not just "unfamiliar" this is a usability disaster. We don't need an article or a video to show us what we already know - it is distracting and literally unpleasant to work with. 

Intuit - we pay for this product. We are telling you this is making our job harder. We are actually your end-users. Please give us the option to revert back to a solution that works. 

Hi sdillhoff,

I understand how it feels to work with a tool that has a changed its interface, especially if you are used to a previous version and are comfortable with it. It can take time to adjust to new layouts and features, and it can be disruptive to your workflow if you are not able to use QBO as efficiently as before.

I recommend submitting your feedback about the changed interface to our development team. By sharing your thoughts and experiences, you can help them understand how this has impacted you and potentially guide them in making improvements or considering the old look.

I'm only a comment away should you have more questions about QuickBooks. Take care.

This is a UX nightmare...

Sorry, I'm trying to reply to @JamaicaA but for some reasons it keep publishing my reply at the wrong place.

If it was possible to have the same Accountant View as the one in your screenshot, I wouldn't be complaining right now. However, switching to the Accountant View doesn't change the way the new menu is working, as you can see on my screenshot.

Your Accountant View has some arrows to display the submenu items simply by hovering the main menu items, like it was before. My Accountant View doesn't work that way, I still need to click on a first-level menu item in order to display its child items, which causes the main menu to get hidden, which is really killing my workflow right now.

This isn't right...

Sorry for the duplicate comment, I was trying to reply to @JamaicaA  but it keep publishing my reply at the wrong place even though I'm clicking on the "Reply" button under the comment of JamaicaA. Another broken thing I guess.

Thank you for addressing the question asked, JessT.  I've submitted feedback.

I appreciate you for sending feedback, chris-myers.

As for your concern with the Reply button, Dave_L, you may be experiencing some data issues. There are times that an issue like this occurs when QuickBooks encounters unexpected browser-related crashes. To isolate the issue, log into your account on an incognito window. Here is a list of keyboard shortcuts to open one:

• For Google Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N
• For Mozilla Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P
• For Microsoft Edge: Ctrl + Shift + P
• For Safari: ⌘+ Shift + N

If it works, you can go back to a regular browser and clear its cache. Piled browser history can be the reason for some issues on the page. You may also switch to a different browser like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.

Feel free to visit our Self-Help page for tips in managing your account.

I'll be around whenever you have concerns with QuickBooks. Keep me posted.

Feedback has been submitted. It is a really inconvenient update and poorly done.  It is also inconsistent on your platform. I have multiple companies with the same subscription level and this update is only showing up on one of them. This makes it much more difficult for training staff. 

No one is complaining that you changed the menu labels.  You changed the menu MECHANICS, that removes important visual context and SLOWS DOWN workflow.  Now we have to wait for a stupid sliding animation to select the target for our next click.  This is NOT an improvement.

In addition to being distracting, the new animated menu moves all sub-menu selections up to the top of the screen.  So now, to reconcile, I have to move the mouse all the way from the bottom of the screen "Accounting", to the top of the screen "Reconcile", as it is the second item in a two-item menu.  The old way was better, as the reconcile was only a slight shift to the right and down.  And the delay for the useless animation is longer now.

We understand how it feels to work with a tool that has a changed its interface, especially if you are used to a previous version when reconciling your accounts, Dave226.

We know it can take time to adjust to new layouts and features if you use QuickBooks Online (QBO) as efficiently as before. With this, you'll want to send your idea to our developers about the changes made. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Under the Profile column, select Feedback.
3. Enter your suggestions, then click Next.

I also encourage you to visit our QuickBooks Blog page so you'll be updated on the program's new release features and enhancements.

I'm adding this article to further guide you in effectively managing your business in QBO: Help guide for QuickBooks Online. It contains topics about advanced accounting, banking, and payments to name a few.

Feel free to go back to this post if there's anything else you need help with all the features in QBO. Just click the Reply button below and I'll get back to you. Take care and keep safe. 

Please get rid of this update.

I was furious about this new change. Its awful and distracting. However I JUST found something that made it a bit more bearable (maybe it will help others too)....
If you edit the menu and add your most frequently visited tabs as a "bookmark" (Mine were Banking, Reports, Reconcile and COA) Then when you click on one of those bookmarks (as opposed to clicking through the menu levels) then the menu stays open and doesn't collapse and do its annoying animation. Just thought I'd pass along to others who have been struggling like I have with this menu redesign.