general journal entry

Thanks for posting here, @jbdawson508.

The row to see the totals of the debits and credits when doing journal entry is unavailable in QuickBooks Desktop Pro. As a workaround, you can pull up the Transaction Journal report to see the totals. Here's how:

1. Open the journal entry screen by going to Company and select Make General Journal Entries. 
2. Make sure that you're on the entry where you want to see the totals.  
3. Navigate to the Reports tab. 
4. Click Transaction Journal.
5. From there, you'll see a line at the bottom that shows the total for the debit and credit. 

For more details about the process, please see this article: View the Transaction Journal report in QuickBooks Desktop.

Also, if in case you want to filter data and personalize your report inside QuickBooks you may visit this article: Customize reports. This also includes steps on how to send and print reports. 

That's it! You'll now be able to see the debit and credit total. Feel free to come back here again if you have other concerns about managing your Journal Entry. I'm here if you need further assistance. Have a good one. 

Thanks, but I am not wanting to see a report after the fact. I wan to have the running totals of debits and credits show at the bottom of the journal entry as I go along with the entry. I make some long entries, and I need to be sure of accuracy as I progress. Otherwise I need to go through the whole long entry to look for errors. There used to be totals at the bottom of journal entries in earlier versions of QB desktop. What happened to it?

Thanks. I am not wanting to see a report of a finished journal entry. I want to be able to see the running debits and credits at the bottom of the entry as I go along. I make some long journal entries, and having the running total at the bottom of the entry ensures that each portion of the entry is accurate to that point.

There used to be totals shown at the bottom of journal entries in earlier versions of QB desktop. What happened to them?

I guess I'll just hit Ctrl-Y after each portion of the entry to see if it balances.

Thanks for your time.

I was going to ask the same question--it's helpful to be able to see the totals as you go. Among other reasons, it allows you to figure out where errors (e.g. what side) and allows you to fix errors BEFORE you enter them and then have to go back into the entry and fix it.

Do the developers ever think to consult with actual accountants before making changes, or are changes dictated by purist designers who think that it "looks better" as a straight unbroken line of rows?  The program is supposed to be designed for us, and not for them.

You aren't serious about this are you?  I have to have a calculator next to me to add up all my debits so I can enter the correct credit amounts because the program can't manage it for me? I know it can autofill the total on one line but that is only good some of the time.  They told me I would have to dumb myself down to run a less complicated accounting system like QuickBooks, but I find this a bit too ridiculous. Has anyone corrected this for Quickbooks Desktop Pro 2021?  I just purchased the program and am already getting horribly frustrated with it's shortcomings.  This was not one of the shortcomings I would have anticipated.

Hi cat-h,

I also provided steps for journal entries to the clients that I assisted, and I know how helpful it is to see the Totals. I haven't heard of any announced changes for it. In fact, I'm still seeing that section on my test file. I'll help you with this.

Let's update your QuickBooks to download the fixes in the program. If nothing happens, you can repair it to fix any damaged components that caused the missing totals.

You also want to be sure to maximize the JE window to see everything.

If nothing really works, please contact our Support team. That way, they can use a screen-sharing tool to check this further.

If you have other questions in mind, you can always go back to this thread.

I just started using QB 2021 (upgrading from 2018) and was shocked to realized this feature was removed from the Journal Entry screen. So, the answer is NO. They did NOT put this feature back in to the 2021 Desktop version. Incredibly annoying to lose what should be a simple feature. It USED to exist. Why the heck can't they put it back???

Hello, DebAngerman. 

Missing features like columns and the inability to modify events are often caused by data issues. I can provide troubleshooting steps here to get this resolve and so you can continue to run the business. 

You can utilize the Verify Rebuild Data tool in QuickBooks Desktop. It identifies the most commonly known data issues within your company file while resolving it right away.

If the program is in multi-user mode, you need to change to single-user mode (Go to File -> Switch to Single User Mode). It's very important to create a backup copy of your company file before running Verify and Rebuild Data.  

Verify Data: 

1. Press the File menu. 
2. Choose Utilities from the drop-down option.  
3. Select Verify Data. 
4. Tap Ok to continue.  

Note: If the verify process is successful, you are done. In case it fails due to some problem, QuickBooks will notify you to run Rebuild data. 

Rebuild Data:

1. Click the File tab at the top. 
2. Select Utilities from the drop-down option. 
3. Choose Rebuild Data. 
4. Click Ok on Rebuild has completed.     

Feel free to visit this article about fixing data damage: Fix data damage on your QuickBooks Desktop company file.    

If you need further assistance with any of the steps I've provided, let me know by posting a comment below. I'm always around. Take care.

Not only it has not been fixed for 2021, it has not been fixed for QB 2022.  I guess Intuit is really pushing to discourage us from using the Desktop version.  

I have contacted 3 different people in support, they don't even know what they are talking about, none of them even knew what a GJ is.  I have deleted and reinstalled my QB, Installed 2022 nothing has helped. 

This is not the impression we want you to experience when using QuickBooks Desktop 2022 version, marjanm.

I appreciate the time and effort you've spent with one of our support agents. I'll personally share your feedback with our Customer Support Team regarding this one. We'll be able to take action on improving our customer service.

If you are using QuickBooks Desktop Pro, the option to see the totals at the bottom is unavailable. If not, we can try opening another company file (if you have one) to check if you're having a problem with only one file and not the program itself. Let me show you how:

1. In your QuickBooks, go to the File menu at the top left.
2. Choose Close Company.
3. In the No Company Open window, click the drop-down arrow in the Open a sample file icon.
4. Choose another company file with an invoice template and click on it.

Then, try creating a journal entry in QuickBooks again. If it works, it's possible there's a damaged component on the software. Let's try repairing QuickBooks. Before diving, ensure to create a backup of your company file first. This way, we can restore your data if you ever run into problems. Once done, restart your computer to close the programs that may affect the repair. When you're ready, here's how to repair the software:

1. Open the Windows Start menu, then select Control Panel.
2. Choose Programs and Features then Uninstall a Program.
3. Select QuickBooks from the list, then click Uninstall/Change.
4. Hit Continue or Next.
5. Select Repair, then click Next.
6. Once it's done, select Finish. Please know that you may have to restart your computer to complete the repair.
7. Update your QuickBooks to the latest release to get the latest security update.

We can also run the Rebuild Data tool to fix any company file data issues. Just follow the steps and detail in the Fix data damage on your QuickBooks Desktop company file article.

If the problem persists, I'd suggest contacting our Technical Support Team. I know you already contacted our support however, this is the best option we can have for them to further investigate what's causing this issue. You may send a message via chat, call us at a time convenient to you, or we’ll get in touch with you instead. To ensure we address your concern, our representatives are available from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays and 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM on Saturdays, PST. See our support hours and types for more details about this one.

Feel free to visit our Banking page for more insights about managing your bank feeds and reconciling accounts.

I want to make sure everything is taken care of for you, please let me know how it goes or if you have any other issues or concerns. Please leave a comment below and I'll get back to you. 

I just returned QB Desk Pro 2021 when I discovered GJE do not have Totals or History!
I bought an old 2018 Version (still over $400 without support or updates) and the Totals feature doesn't exist here either.
My question is, what is the last year of Quickbooks Desktop Pro that had the running Total and History for General Journal Entries? I do not care if I don't get updates, I need this feature and do not want to have to run a report to see it.
I cannot have a program that needs the Internet to run and I need to be able to backup to a flash drive.

Apparently QB Desktop Premium 2022 has the feature but also has a $350 YEARLY licensing fee. What happens if you don't pay it? Does it stop working? Do I lose access to all my data? 

Hello there, liz19601.

I recognized the importance of being able to see the Totals section in the Make General Journal Entries screen. This lets you see the running totals for your debits and credits.

As mentioned by @JessT, we haven’t received any updates about the changes in the journal entry feature. Since the mentioned item above is missing in your company file, I recommend contacting our Technical Support Team. They have tools to determine the cause of this unusual behavior in your company file (The Totals section is missing). Once the solution is available, our specialists will guide you through the process on how to apply the permanent fix.

In the meantime, I suggest sending about adding the Totals section in the Make General Journal Entries. This way our engineers will know that this option is beneficial to your business.

Here’s how:

1. Press the Help menu at the top bar to choose Send Feedback Online and Product Suggestions.
2. In the QuickBooks Feedback window, click the Type of Feedback drop-down to select Product Suggestion.
3. Tap the Product Area drop-down and choose the correct information.
4. Then enter your product suggestions in Here is my suggestion box.
5. Fill in the remaining fields and click Send Feedback.

In regard to your other concern, you’ll still be able to access all the data in your company file and use the program to record transactions. For discontinued products, you’ll no longer be able to utilize our add-on services such as payroll, payments, online banking, and technical support. Let me share this article for more details: QuickBooks Desktop service discontinuation policy and upgrade information.

I don’t want to leave you empty-handed, so I’m adding some links below for future reference. These articles provide an overview of how the latest QuickBooks version helps you effectively manage accounting processes. You’ll see the complete list of the newly added features and enhancements for each desktop program.

• What’s new in QuickBooks Desktop 2021
• What’s new in QuickBooks Desktop 2022

Reach out to me again if you still need help with running journal entries or other QuickBooks tasks. I’m always ready to assist further. Have a good one.

I too was disappointed to find that QuickBooks Pro does not total up the columns for debits and credits while making General Journal Entries. As a regular user of QuickBooks Enterprise, I was accustomed to this feature. The only workaround I can suggest is that as you enter the various lines of your journal entry, you can tab to the next new line, and if the debits and credits are not in balance, the difference will automatically calculate and appear in the next line. If you tab to the new line and no figure appears, you can assume the debits and credits are in balance. I agree with everyone else who complained that this is a ridiculously simple feature that should never have been omitted by the developers.