QBO Reports not showing memo/descriptions?

Greetings, @ashneale!

My colleague, @JaneD, already answered the same question you've posted.

If you haven't checked it yet, you can check it by clicking this link: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/community/Reports-and-accounting/TRANSACTION-DETAIL-BY-ACCOUNT-REPORT/....

Feel free to post again here in the Community if you have any other concerns. We'll be always around to lend a helping hand.

I am not looking for what report to use? I am wondering how to get the memo/description to print in the GL or Transaction Detail for checks written when it is clearly entered on the check and in the register. 

Thanks for getting back to me, ashneale.

Let me take over and help you generate a report that shows memo/description when printing in QuickBooks Online.

If you wish to show the memo/description when printing the report, you can pull up the Transaction Detail by Account.

Here's how:

1. Click Reports in the left panel.
2. Search and select the Transaction Detail by Account in the search field.
3. You'll see the Memo/Description in the report.

You may find this article helpful: CUSTOMIZE REPORTS.

Should you need more information about printing reports, please let me know. Have a good one.

I'm popping into this thread as I have the same problem, which you don't seem to have answered.  The question is NOT about which report to use, as the problem exists in all of them.

The problem is that the memo field, which has clearly been populated, does not display in the report.

I generated a Transaction Detail by Account report.  There are 14 lines in the report.  7 lines show a memo/description, 7 do not.  All 14 transactions have a memo (and a description) entered. 

Why does the report show incomplete data?

And here is the screenshot of the first item in the report that clearly DOES have a memo, but is not displaying in the report.

This problem is NOT unique to this one report, as viewing the register for the distribution account (resulting in an "Account QuickReport" does not display the memo either.

There is clearly a bug...how do we fix it?

Hello dLearned!

Thank you for the screenshots. Let me assist you and explain the difference between memo and description.

The Memo field is used to add notes for the transaction as a whole, while the Description is for the line items. Based on your screenshots, you only added a memo but no description and the line item uses the COGS:Hotel and Travel Expenses account. It'll only reflect if you'll run Transaction Detail by Account or any report specific for American Express which is the payment account unless you'll also add it in the description.

Please check the screenshots I attached for your reference:

You can check this article if you need help in customizing or saving a report: Customize reports in QuickBooks Online.

Shoot a reply if you have other report-related concerns. Take care!

If what I understand you are saying is true, that is the stupidest thing I've heard.  If the Memo is for the "transaction as a whole", then it should display on any report that includes the "transaction as a whole"...otherwise what is the point of filling it in?  I have added in the American Express accounts and rerun, and the report looks the same.

Only if I run a report using ONLY the Amex does the memo/description appear, and then it is not filtered for the distribution account.  If I try to even just group that report by account, the memo doesn't appear again, except under the AMEX account, so there is no way to see just the distribution account transactions with the memo, making the detail transaction report pretty useless (can't use it to validate an expense account for example).

Not your fault, but a really stupid functionality, as it isn't possible to get all the detail entered by expense account, which is a very common need.  As (in my case) the transactions are added from the credit card transactions to reduce data entry, there is no way to populate the description field (especially when the prefilled memo field is perfectly sufficient), without manually entering the entire transaction and then matching them.  That is a huge waste of time.  

Agreed. When you enter information in the Memo in the Register, it should show up in the report. Why are there 2 different Memo fields in the first place? This is a nightmare and creates double work for the user. Please correct this!

New to online version. Have been using desktop version. In desktop when you enter in the memo field it shows on the check. It shows on the reports.  Why can’t the Online version do the same thing?  So far NOT liking the online version. Seems like a HUGE step backwards. 

Still trying to find out what is supposed to be in the DESCRIPTION field 

I'll help you run reports that show the memo information, Campingshadow.

Many reports in QuickBooks Online include a combined Memo/Description column. Depending on the purpose, some display memos, while others contain descriptions. Changing the preference for a given report isn't possible.

You can run the Transaction List by Date report to show the memos and customize it to display only the check transactions. I'll show you how.

1. Go to the Reports menu.
2. Run the Transaction by Date report.
3. Enter the correct reporting period, then click the Customize button.
4. Select Filter.
5. In the Transaction Type dropdown, checkmark the Check box.
6. Once done, hit Run report.

For your reference, you can read this link for more details on customizing reports in QuickBooks Online: Customize reports in QuickBooks Online.

You can also visit our Help Articles page for further tips and resources to assist you with some of your QuickBooks tasks.

Thanks for dropping by. Feel free to post again if you have further questions or concerns. Take care.

This thread is old but I'm experiencing similar problem with MEMO/DESCRIPTION option in reports. A DESCRIPTION in an expense transaction will NOT find its way into a transaction report under the MEMO/DESCRIPTION header.  Only MEMOs appear under that header.

This is very counterintuitive and quite frustrating.  A report header labeled "MEMO/DESCRIPTION" ought to show at least the DESCRIPTION since that is one of the main fields of an expense record.  They are treated as separate fields for transactions but combined for reporting purposes and one is mostly ignored.

I don't get it.

Hi, SBO-OVSAR. I understand the frustration when a desired feature fails to function or operate as intended.

I recommend contacting our Customer Care Support. They have the tools to pull up your account and investigate this memo/description issue on the report. They can provide details and give additional insights about this matter.

Here's how: 

1. Go to the Help menu at the upper right.
2. Select the Search tab.
3. Press Contact Us at the bottom part. 
4. Enter your concern in the What can we help you with? box.
5. Click Continue.
6. Select Chat with us or Have us call you.

Additionally, you can explore the article that discusses various methods for customizing your reports and incorporating additional insights: Common custom reports in QuickBooks Online.

I'm still here if you need more help with the reports. I'll be available to assist.

This almost worked for me.  It does work for check but not Bill Payment Check.  UGH so frustrated.

Thanks for this though.

I'm dedicated to ensuring that your report experience is as smooth as possible.

Could you please let me know which specific recommendation you followed? This information will help me pinpoint the solution that's best suited for your situation. 

Additionally, could you specify the name of the report you're currently working on? This will allow me to provide you with more targeted guidance to ensure that the memo/description of your transactions displays correctly.

Thank you for your cooperation, and I'm looking forward to assisting you further.

In Books review, the add payee tool is super helpful.  But Transactions without payees list should have a column for the transaction description to help identify the payee quickly.  Quite often clients have no info in the memo line. I think some clients set their rules up to have no memo. Not having the description field in this tool sort of defeats the purpose. 

Wish i could go back to desktop. The online version is far inferior! Having same problem when pulling reports.

Hello there, @LPOP.

I'm sharing information about switching back to QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) from the Online version and help you run a report with memo/description in QBO.

To show the memo/description when viewing, you can pull up these Transaction Detail by Account, Transaction List by Vendor, and Transaction List by Customer. 

Here's how:

1. Click Reports in the left panel.
2. Search and select the Transaction Detail by Account in the search field.
3. Click Switch to classic view, select the small Gear icon inside the report.
4. Under the change column tick the box for Memo/Description.

Since, you wish to go back to QBDT, there are things that you need to know. The conversion moves most of your data but excludes certain Online-specific features. These include multi-currency details, payroll transactions, estimates, and purchase orders. 

For full details on what converts and what will need to be recreated, refer to these help articles:

• Learn How Features and Data Move From QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Desktop
• Move Your QuickBooks Online Data to QuickBooks Desktop

If you still have a backup copy of your QuickBooks Desktop file from before you switched to QuickBooks Online, you can update and restore that QB file to use again. This avoids starting completely from scratch.

Here are guides on updating your old backup and using it with a new Desktop version:

• Restore a Backup of Your Company File
• Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, or Enterprise

Let me know if you need more guidance on the process of migration. I'm always here to help.

I had the same problem. It has to do with the way you filter the report.  

Go to Reports

Transaction Detail by Account

Top Right says: "Pivot", "Group by", "Filter", "General Options", "Columns".

Select: Filter   

3 Choices show up:  "Filter by", "Options", "Value"

Click Filter by and choose "Memo/Description"

Click Options and choose "Contains"

The report should now show what has been written in the Memo and Description fields that were placed in each transaction.

I had the same problem. It has to do with the way you filter the report.  

It all depends on how you Filter or what perimeters you set for the report.

Go to Reports

Transaction Detail by Account

Top Right says: "Pivot", "Group by", "Filter", "General Options", "Columns".

Select: Filter   

3 Choices show up:  "Filter by", "Options", "Value"

Click Filter by and choose "Memo/Description"

Click Options and choose "Contains"

The report should now show what has been written in the Memo and Description fields that were placed in each transaction.

Thanks so much for sharing that info, ds87. Your post is one example of what makes the Community so great - fellow QuickBooks users offering assistance based on real life, everyday use. Take care!