"This account cannot be deleted because it is used by a product or service." Error

Thanks for posting in the Community space, @CJack711.

Let me help you resolve the error you encounter when inactivating an account on your chart of accounts so you can remove transactions.

You'll have to change the account used for your product and service items.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon at the upper-right corner of your QuickBooks Online (QBO).
2. Choose Products and services.
3. From the Products and Services screen, click the gear icon above Action.
4. Select the Income, Expense, and Inventory account.
5. Locate and find the account.
6. Click Edit under the Action column.
7. Change the account from there.
8. Click Save and close.

Once done, go back to your chart of accounts and inactivate the account. For detailed steps, see this article: Make an account inactive on your chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online.

In addition, to know about the default or special accounts that can be deleted, edited, or merged, check out this link: Manage default and special accounts in your QuickBooks Online chart of accounts.

In case you want to set up and add account to your chart of accounts in the future, here's an article you can read for guidance: Add an account to your chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online.

If you have further questions about inactivating accounts in QuickBooks Online, feel free to reach back out. I’m always here to answer it for you. Have a good day.

Hi Mirriam,

Those solutions did not work for me i think because I am trying to delete transactions imported from connected apps- Shopify app and my Banking app. I have disconnected the apps but the transactions are still showing up so I want to knowhow to delete the transactions from these apps because they are duplicates of transactions in Quickbooks from connected banking accounts which I prefer to use versus the apps.

Disconnecting the Shopify app won't automatically remove the downloaded data, @jack. I've got the steps to ensure you can clear these duplicate transactions from those connected apps.

As the transactions remained in QuickBooks, let's open each transaction and delete them one at a time. I'll show you how:

1. Go to Sales Orders, then look for Orders.
2. Open each transaction that you want to delete.
3. Click More actions at the bottom and choose Delete.
4. Select Yes, Delete Order.

Since you've received a prompt that you're unable to delete the account because it's used by a product or service, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Inventory, then select Products.
2. Select the checkboxes next to the products you want to delete.
3. From the Bulk Actions ▼ dropdown menu, select Delete Products.
4. Enter the displayed confirmation word to proceed.

After that, review your bank register for any duplicates to avoid double income. See this article for the complete steps: Exclude a bank transaction you downloaded into QuickBooks Online.

I'm adding this reference that provides an overview of Shopify: Shopify for QuickBooks Online. It also contains contact information if you have any other questions about the third-party app.

Once settled, you can easily categorize and match online bank transactions in QuickBooks Online. Then, let's balance your books so they matches your bank statements: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

Let me know if you're able to remove the data from the connected apps. I'll be on the look out for your response. Take care.