Unable to switch product & services to new categories :: You can't merge [Product Name] because [Product Name] already exists.

Kevin_C · ‎January 19, 2022

Thanks for getting back to us, @lschult2. Let's work together to isolate the issue of why your category drop-down is not visible in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

I replicated this on my end. I created some products/services in different QBO versions and it works fine.

To get rid of this problem, let's perform a few browser troubleshooting solutions to get the missing option back in QBO.

Have you tried clearing the cache or using other supported browsers? The private window will not save any history, making it a good place to identify browser problems. To start incognito mode, use these keyboard shortcuts:

Google Chrome: press Ctrl + Shift + N
Mozilla Firefox: press Ctrl + Shift + P
Safari: press Command + Shift + N

If you're able to see the Category using a private browser, go back to your regular browser and clear its cache. Clearing the cache or cookies is the best way to get a clean slate for your browser. Otherwise, using other supported browsers can be a good alternative too.

If you still don't have the Category option, please provide a screenshot of the exact page where you are having this issue. This way, we can provide the best possible solution to fix your concern.

Feel free to check out these guides for more information about managing your products and services in QBO:

This forum is always open if you have other product or service concerns. We're just here to assist you further. Keep safe and have a great day!

chrismac47 · ‎March 03, 2022

I had this problem and solved it. Perhaps this will be helpful for other folks, though I don't know if its the only situation that can cause the problem...

In my case, the product named in the error had inactive sub-products. After removing them, the error changed to accuse the next product with inactive sub-products of being a duplicate. Eventually, I was able to remove all inactive sub-products and successfully switch to categories.

Steps:

Change the filter in the "Products & Services" list to show "All" products, not just "Active".
Locate the first "Active" product that has "Inactive" sub-products. Helpfully, this is the product named in the error (unhelpfully, the error message does not correctly identify the issue).
Make the Sub-products "Active"
Edit each 'formerly inactive' sub-product to
- uncheck the "is a sub-product" option
- rename the sub-products so that they're easy to find in the next step. I put a 'z' in front: zProduct1, zProduct2, etc.
Make the sub-products inactive again.

I had already removed my active product hierarchy at this point, so I don't know if any sub-products will cause the issue. But I know the inactive ones did, so hopefully removing them will help folks out before they need to edit a long list of active sub-products...

LFisherAK · ‎March 04, 2022

Thank you for the steps. I am trying to see if this works, we've had things coded to a service that is in a particular account on the P&L. However, when you pull up the P&L the revenue is in a totally different account and I can't figure out why. I've noticed this with both Revenue and Expense and it's been extremely frustrating.

20005 · ‎October 31, 2022

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TirzahC · ‎October 31, 2022

Hi, 20005.

I'd love to help you with your concern, but can you please share more information, or some help you want from us? Any extra information would help us provide the best resolution on this matter.

Please know you can continue to reach me here with your extra questions. I'll be standing by for your response.

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