"print" invoices has a random number, not invoice number after update

Hi there, @Creative Pictures.

I'll lay down some solutions to help you fix the random sequential number when trying to print or download an invoice and to ensure you're able to change back to the correct numbering sequence.

To begin with, I suggest reviewing your invoices or the invoice number before printing or downloading them. Once verified, you can turn on the Custom Transaction Number feature to correct the numbering sequence.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear Icon, and select Account and Settings.
2. Select the Sales menu and Edit the pencil account for Sales form content.
3. Turn on the Custom transaction numbers.
4. Select Save and then click Done.

Moreover, try to print and download the invoice again to verify if the print invoice number changes. Then, once you have corrected the invoice number, you can turn off the function again to avoid further changes.

I've included an article that will guide you in receiving and recording invoice payments: Record invoice payments

Please let me know if you have follow-up questions about the random sequence number or anything else QuickBooks. I'll be more than willing to answer them. Take care always.

Thanks for your reply. It was already tagged though as on and I'm not sure what to do from there. Downloading an invoice still gives me a random 4 digit number and not the invoice number. 

Thanks for getting back, @Creative Pictures.

I understand that encountering runtime issues while printing invoices in QuickBooks Online (QBO) can be time-consuming. 

There are times when the browser is full of frequently accessed page resources which causes some errors or unusual responses. 

With this, we can perform some troubleshooting steps to fix them.

Let's try logging in to your QBO account using a private browser as it ignores websites from using cookies and doesn’t record any historical data. 

You can use either of these shortcut keys on your keyboard to access incognito mode:

• Safari: Control + Option + P
• Google Chrome: Press Ctrl + Shift + N
• Firefox or Internet Explorer: Ctrl + Shift + P

If you can now print or download the accurate invoice number after this, then the problem is most likely caused by your browser. You'll then clear your browser cache so the system can start fresh. If the issue persists, you may need to use another supported browser as an alternative.

Lastly, you can check out this article in case you need assistance accessing invoices so customers can pay you: Take And Process Payments In QuickBooks Online With QuickBooks Payments. 

You can drop some comments below if you have any other concerns about invoices in QBO. Please know that I'm just a few clicks away to assist you. Keep safe.

This is my issue as well. The "fixes" didn't resolve the problem. My ramdomized 5 digit nubmers that do not match the invoice OR estimate. This is a bug, not a setting. A developer needs to troubleshoot and fix this issue. 

Hi there, @melx10.

Having the invoice numbers matched to the random numbers shown while printing or downloading them is significant in maintaining accuracy and proper recording of transactions. I'm here to route you to the support that can investigate this issue further. 

Since you already performed the troubleshooting steps and enabled the Custom Transaction Numbers feature provided by my colleagues above, I recommend contacting our Customer Live Support for assistance. They have tools that can check your account securely and look deeper into the root cause of this issue. 

Here's how to contact our experts:

1. Go to the Help menu, then select the Search tab.
2. Click Contact Us.
3. Enter a brief description of your concern, then hit Continue.
4. Lastly, choose either Chat with us or Get a Callback to start connecting with them.

Furthermore, you can personalize and add other specific info to your invoices to enhance the appearance and layout of the sales form.

Once your customer paid their invoices, record the received payments in the program to mark them as paid and make your account accurate. 

If you have any questions about managing your invoice numbers and other printing concerns in QuickBooks Online, let me know in the comment section. I'll make sure to get back to you to sort things out. Stay safe always!

This is my issue as well. It seems all the QB Pro responses are generic & canned. The new update is causing major headaches for our accounting as we have to go in an manually adjust the file name where as before the update there was no issue at all. This is a bug and until QB takes ownership of it we will, it seems, be given advice that doesn't work but satisfies the ticket request for QB as having answered it. 

Furthermore when you hit print & download it takes you to an entire new window with just the invoice and you have to hit the back button to go back to the invoice whereas previously it all stayed within the QB window and could easily print or download. I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally closed the tab out and then I have to log back in and set everything back up again. 

This is a bug and until QB takes ownership of it we will, it seems, be given advice that doesn't work but satisfies the ticket request for QB as having answered it. 

I hope they fix this soon. 

I did some digging into this recently and had a lengthy session with QB support. Shared my screen and replicated the issue.

When you click into an Invoice or Estimate, you'll see what I think is a transaction ID in the URL. It's a 5 digit code that is sequenced based on new INV or Estimates created. The PDF/download is then defaulted to use that 5 digit transaction ID code for the naming convention.

The support agent was supposedly talking with their back end people and they couldn't figure out it, or come up with a solution. I was told they will work on it.

It's a major blow to the efficiencies of this program, for a business that downloads every invoice for file keeping purposes and for emailing to our clients. if it isn't fixed, we'll be moving away from QB for future invoicing.

Yes, this. It is very frustrating that the navigation is so awkward!

I appreciate that you spent time with their agent. It is incredibly frustrating and not organized. 

I wanted to follow up to see if there are any updated for QuickBooks fixing this issue

Thanks for coming back to this thread, @MarcCH. Let me share info regarding glitches on the invoice numbers when printing invoices in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Since you've already contacted our Support Team, you are now listed as one of our affected users and will be notified through email once updates are available. We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this issue.

Furthermore, this article can help if you want to learn how to customize your sales forms in QBO: Personalize your sales forms.

If you ever need further assistance with printing invoices or other QuickBooks-related concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Have a good one.

I am experiencing exact same issue. Document numbers don't correspond to the invoice number. Please advise when this will be fixed. 

Hello there, Alex1215.

Since you mentioned that your document number isn't the same as your invoice number, it's best to use a private browser to rule out any browsing history or cached files causing the problem. Here are the shortcut keys for accessing private browsers:

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

You can also clear your browser's cache and cookies. Also, you can use other supported web browsers to help identify if the issue is related to your current browser.

If the issue persists, I suggest contacting our online support team so they can assess the root cause of this issue and provide necessary actions.  

Here's how:

1. In your QBO account, select Help (?).
2. Choose the Search tab.
3. At the bottom of your screen, click Contact Us.  
4. Type your concern. Then click Continue.
5. You may choose Callback, Appointment, or Chat, as your way to connect with us.
6. Kindly fill out the provided fields, such as your First name, Last name, Email address, and Phone number.
7. Depending on what you choose as your way to connect with us, click Callback, Schedule an appointment, or Chat.

You can also visit this article to know the available hours of our representative: Support hours of QuickBooks.

I'll be here whenever you have more questions about invoices. Kindly leave your concern in the comment section for us to assist you.

just another QB broke with its latest updates, and will probably never fix. 

I have been trying to resolve this issue for over 6 months. I have a case number regarding this issue with a monthly update and the update has been "Quickbooks is still working to resolve this issue"- not very comforting. This is so frustrating. Quickbooks is constantly "creating new and "improved" look of invoices"- who cares! Just make it work so we can be effective. I don't care how pretty the invoice page looks. 

Quickbooks needs to updgrade their tech team and quite frankly the support team. I am tired of submitting feedback, chatting, calling and trying to get this issue resolved. Should rename the company SlowBooks. 

This issue is STILL NOT RESOLVED! There is ZERO support and quite frankly, submitting feedback has been futile and a waste of time. I have a case number that is still pending after 3 months. 

I acknowledge that seamless invoice management is essential to every business, Nicole. I appreciate your efforts in finding ways to get your issue resolved by contacting our support team.

To get updates about your open case, allow me to route you to our Customer Support Team again. They're the authorized support that could provide information about your case and the issue that they're working on.

You can reconnect with them by following these steps:

1. Log in to your QuickBooks Online (QBO) account.
2. Click (?) Help.
3. Select the Search tab and hit Contact Us.
4. Pick or enter brief details about your concern. Then, press Continue.
5. Choose a way to connect with our team:
   • Start a chat with a support expert.
   • Get a call back from the next available expert.

Please take note of our support's availability depending on your QBO plan:

• QBO Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus subscriptions - Available from Mondays to Fridays, 6 AM to 6 PM PT. Meanwhile, 6 AM to 3 PM PT on Saturdays.
• QBO Advanced version - Available 24/7.

I'm also adding this resource you can review once you need to manage your sales forms to personalize its available information: Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

If you have more questions about your invoices or other sales or expense transactions, kindly reply on this thread. I'll ensure you're taken care of.

Don't waste your time. I just following up to my open ticket from 5/29 and QB has no record of my case or my request. They aren't going to fix it. 

They don't know what's best for their customers. We are going to move away form QuickBooks for invoice tracking purposes. 

OP here: I've tried this. I'm told to post issues like this here in the forum, so it's a loop of passing the issue without solving it. Obviously this is an issue that is affecting many users, given that I posted this in April and users are still posting on this thread. 

What would be real customer service is that you would elevate this issue, bring it to the developer's attention, for us, the end users and people that pay a subscription per month. We have businesses to run and don't have time to endlessly chat with the development team.

I am having the same issue since the update. It just adds time to every invoice I have to send. I think it's ridiculous that I have contacted customer service multiple times. One of those times, I spent over an hour trying to get the rep to understand what was happened and then I was told it's not a quickbooks issue. They said it was an issue with my microsoft for sure because quickbooks doesn't impact how an invoice is downloaded.