In QBO when i go to Products and Services and Select the dropdown More ▼, i do not see an option to Manage categories - why? how do i set up categories?

Hello there, @bschimanski.

Let me guide you on how to have the Manage categories option in QuickBooks Online by doing some basic troubleshooting. 

Let's begin by logging in to your QuickBooks account using a private browser since this mode prevents browsing history from being stored.

You can clear the cache that helps deletes any necessary content saved and enables your browser to function more efficiently. 

These are the keyboard shortcuts you can use for private window:

• For Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + N.
• For Internet Explorer or Firefox, hit Ctrl + Shift + P.
• For Safari, hold down Command + Shift + N.

For additional reference, I've attached this article you can use about categorizing products and services to keep things organized: Group your products and services into different categories.

 Please let me know if there's anything I can help you with QuickBooks. I'm always around whenever you need help.

ok - thanks for trying to help

i did that and logged back in using private window, but there still is not an option for categories when I click the "more" menu in products and services or when i hit "edit" on a product. what now?

I also restarted my computer - still no option for categories. 

thanks

Thanks for the screenshot, bschimanski.

I'm here to clear things out for you. Only the master administrator of the account can see the Manage Categories option and assign one for the item. 

You'll want to contact the admin of your QuickBooks Online account to change your access on the file. This way, you'll be able to manage the item categories.

However, if you're the admin of the account and isn't seeing this option, I highly recommend contacting our QuckBooks Support Team. They can create a ticket and send it to our Product Team for further investigation.

Here's how you contact them:

1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online company.
2. Go to Help (?).
3. Select Contact Us.
4. Enter your concern, then select Let's talk.
5. Choose Start a chat to connect with us with a support expert.

Feel free to read through this handy article for more details: User types in QuickBooks Online. It will tell you the different levels of access to the system.

Don't hesitate to post again if there's anything else you need. I always have your back.

Thank you and stay safe!

I am the master admin

this is very frustrating but will try to contact tomorrow - i had a project i wanted to get done today and found out about categories and was hoping to implement.  to confirm - I have the plus plan - is this option available on this plan? thanks

Yes, the Manage categories option should be available in QuickBooks Online Plus, bschimanski.

There's another way to manage the product categories within QBO. Here's how to do it:

1. Click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner and select All Lists.
2. In the Lists page, you can click Product Categories under Products and Services.
3. From there, you can add, edit, or remove the categories.

If the same thing happens, you can contact our Customer Care Team to further review the issue. You can follow the steps provided by MaryLandT to reach them.

We'll be right here if you have more questions.

thanks for trying to help, but it wasn't listed there either. Only 'price rules' is listed. I want the categories so I can put certain products under a category, and then under price rules, I would be able to select the category of products instead of selecting "all products and services" or "select individually" b/c I am only allowed to individually select 10 items/price rule and I have more at least 60-items i want to apply a price rule to.  

I thought maybe I I could "select all" and then delete the products I don't want to use, but there is no trash can to do that. 

Unless you know of another way, I will contact QB tomorrow to see why the category option doesn't show up 

thanks

Was this resolved? I'm having the same issue 

Hello,

Did you fix the problem with categories? I ws wondering because I have been having the same problem for months now. Finally QBO gave me  case number so it has been under investigation since July 14th and still nothing.

I appreciate you for posting here to find an update about an issue with the missing Manage Categories in QuickBooks Online, @Alma L.

To see the Manage Categories option, ensure to log in to your account as the master admin. If not, request the admin of your QuickBooks Online account to change your access to the file. 

If the issue persists despite having access, I recommend using a private browser when signing in to your account. There are times that the browser is full of frequently accessed page resources which cause some errors or unusual responses.

You can use either of these shortcut keys to access one:

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

If it works successfully, you'd want to clear your regular browser's cache to prevent any unexpected behavior. Also, you can use other compatible browsers in QBSE. 

If the same thing happens, I recommend contacting our support team again. They have the tools to open your account in a safe environment. By doing so, they can verify the status of your issue using the case number given to you. 

I've also added some articles you can use to classify your products and services, as well as some information about class tracking:

• Group your products and services into different categories.
• Turn on class tracking in QuickBooks Online

Feel free to visit us again if you have other concerns with managing your products and services. I'll be around to assist you. Keep safe always.

Has this been resolved?

I to cannot see Product Categories, i only see product Services

Thank you for posting here in the Community, @passuello. I'd like to help you get the option back on the product and services page.

Your account may be using the sub-items feature. We can switch it to Categories by following the steps below. Note: Once modified, you can no longer go back to the sub-items feature.

1. Go to the Gear > Products and Services.
2. In the suggestion box that says Categories make organizing your products and services even easier than sub-items - and can make entering transactions a snap, select the Ready to make your life easier link 
3. Click the Switch now button.

Once done, you can now see the Manage Categories under the More drop-down menu.

Also, you can follow the workaround shared by my colleague to log in to your account as the master admin and open it through a private browser. This is to verify that is not a browser-related issue.

If the issue persists, I highly suggest reaching out to our technical support team. They can securely do a remote session with you to help check and identify the cause and fix the problem. Just click this link on how to reach them: Customer Care Team.

I'll add this article as your reference in grouping items when managing categories: 

• Group your product and services into different categories
• Change The Account for a Product/Service Item.

Please keep in touch with me here should you need any further assistance. I'd be delighted to help you some more. Take care and have a great day, @passuello.

Hi

Thanks for your reply

I did all you suggested, none of it worked, i then contacted QB support and they shared my screen and tried to get it to work, they lady online helping then said to hang on, ended her chat with me and i sat there looking at my screen like a dummy for a while before i ended her remote access. 

Is there anyone in here that doesnt just cut and paste answers, but actually knows the system, Maybe there is a technical branch of support that i can contact for help here? Please advise

I appreciate all the efforts that you've exhausted just to get this working, passuello.

Let me route you the best support so this will be taken care of as soon as possible.

You can go to the Help menu within your QBO account to connect with our technical supports. This way, we will be able to further check your account and investigate this issue. Here's how:

1. Go to the Help icon.
2. Select Talk to a human.
3. Enter "Talk to a human" again in the search bar.
4. Choose I still need a human, then click Contact us.
5. Select Get a callback or Send a message to start a conversation.

I've also included an article that will help you organize the services and products that you sell: Group your product and services into different categories.

If I can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to tag me in your comments and posts. I'm always here to back you up.

Multiple people with the exact same problem for over two years!! How is there not a fix for this. I have the same problem and tried all of the suggestions above, to no avail. 

Thanks for joining this thread and letting us know about this problem, @bhammack.

I want to help and share some insights with you about this topic. I just need to ask some clarification about what you're currently seeing in your account. Can you please confirm if you're seeing the Is sub-product/service option instead of categories?

In newer QBO accounts, sub-products/service were replaced by Categories. We use this new feature to keep track of company sales/expenses and help organize reporting. However, for older accounts, the system retains the sub-items option instead of allowing users to add a category.

Kindly come back here for additional questions or details about the problem you're getting. I'll be right here to help you out.

yes....still seeing the "Is sub-product/service" section.

I had the same issue that the categories option was nowhere available. After opening a chat and ticket with NATACC from Intuit, they sent me this link. I clicked it and it worked. They said to share with others. I hope it helps!

https://app.qbo.intuit.com/app/categorymigration

I just switched over from quickbooks desktop and that link didn't work for me and they say it's because I came from desktop but don't have any other answer than that for me.