Why did the description of items disappear from the drop down menu when invoicing?

It's one of the many capabilities removed from the "new layout" invoices. It seems Intuit's idea of improving QuickBooks Online these days is to scrap as many useful things as possible from QuickBooks. They're probably trying to make it work on a phone or something else like that - that no one wants.

How do we get them to change it back? This new "upgrade" sucks!

I can see the importance of item descriptions for you, @Repairs2day. 

Recently, QuickBooks Online updated its estimates and invoice layout to a newer one. This explains why the description of items isn't showing up on the drop-down menu like it used to.

No worries, because the description of items will continue to show up on the Description column once you've clicked the specific item you want to add. You can continue doing the steps on how to create an invoice. 

You can also check this article to see what’s new with estimates and invoices in QuickBooks Online.

Don't hesitate to reply below for more questions. The Community is happy to help. Enjoy the rest of the day, keep safe. 

Yea, it's one of the biggest messes I've seen Intuit release. It's not quite as bad as the complete screw up on Desktop for employees, but it's close.

@Jane Reyzel  

RE: No worries, because the description of items will continue to show up on the Description column once you've clicked the specific item you want to add. You can continue doing the steps on how to create an invoice. 

That's not helpful at all. You don't seem to understand is that customers rely on the description next to the item to they can tell which item they need to pick.

That's why the description was added to the drop down list in the first place, but Intuit seems to have forgotten that, along with nearly every other thing about how customers use invoices, and even what they should look like when they're printed.

You do not understand. I need the description sometimes to help pick out the correct part. Is it in the works to return that ability?

The description showing up AFTER I click on it does NOT help AT ALL! I use the description to help me pick the CORRECT part to invoice. Now Intuit wants me to click solution to one of these answers. There is not a solution until Intuit restores the description in the drop down menu. I guess another solution is to change to a different accounting program! This last update did prompt me to start looking at different programs.

I am having the exact same issue suddenly NOW in May 2024 after another layour update. This is AWFUL!!!.

All of our products are 3 digit number codes. How am i supposed to pick the right one if the description isn't listed next to it in the drop down. There is no way of remembering the numbers since we change often.

Can i revert to old way?

I'll also feel the same if I were in your situation, @KevinNEP. I acknowledge your sentiments about being unable to select the description box when working on your invoices. Let's send product feedback about this. 

Please know that starting May 6, 2024, all QuickBooks Online Plus and Advance users will opt to use the new layout experience. Users will no longer be able to return to the old layout.

Furthermore, some features won't be available once you're in this layout. This includes the selection on the description for your products and services. 

I recognize the importance of being able to select an accurate description code for your items, this, I suggest sending a product request about this. Your comments will help us improve our interface and at the same time, provide you with the best possible experience.

To send one, you can follow the steps I'll share below.

1. Open your QBO account.
2. Go to + New, then Invoices.
3. On the upper right corner, click Feedback. 
4. Write a brief suggestion in the space provided and Send feedback.

Additionally, I'm adding this helpful article you can read about processing customer-based payments in QBO: Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online.

Please ensure that your voices are highly valuable to us. If you have other concerns about the disappearance of your description of your items, don't hesitate to get back to this post by replying. I'll ensure to address it promptly.

 QuickBooks Online updated its estimates and invoice layout to a newer one. This explains why the description of items isn't showing up on the drop-down menu like it used to. This is not an update - its a DOWNGRADE!

No worries, because the description of items will continue to show up on the Description column once you've clicked the specific item you want to add. Well that's just BS! Many businesses have a multitude of items with part numbers that are very similar to each other. Seeing the description as they display helps to locate the one you need. Our efficiency is hampered without this feature. Quit calling these changes 'upgrades'. 

On 5/9/2024 I was able to see the description of my items as I searched a block of item numbers.  Today, 5/10/2024, they have disapeared.  Why?  That cripples my business!

Ya, my employees all called me immediately today when this updated. It takes forever now to enter an estimate or invoice. This needs to be fixed immediately. How are companies like this so oblivious.

I'm all ears with your comments, @CP86. 

We'll conduct a thorough investigation into this, I'd like to ask for clarification. Did you encounter the same issue where the description of items disappears from the invoice dropdown? Did you experience that the invoices and estimates load slower? Any additional information regarding this will greatly help us find a fix.

In the meantime, let's perform basic troubleshooting to see if it's a browser issue by opening a Private/incognito window and up-to-date browsers. The browser cache and cookies become corrupted, causing problems when accessing websites or files. Refer to the following keyboard shortcuts based on your browser type:

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

If the private browsing session works, clear the browser's cache, as the system restarts. Clearing the cache will reboot the system, allowing it to clear the stocked cache and cookies causing the issues.

Consider checking the computer’s processing power, amount of available RAM, and bandwidth of your internet connection, as this is the basis for QuickBooks Online functionality. Check out this guide to further help narrow down the reason for slow performance: Why is my QuickBooks Online slow?

Check out this link to access some of the most commonly used articles if you need additional references: Getting Started With QuickBooks Online.

Let us know if you have additional questions about invoices and estimates performance. We'll get back right away. Stay safe.

Incognito browser did not work, i tried multiple browsers and multiple computers and there is no description in the products/service drop down menu, just the name which we use a 3 number code.  Thanks

EXACTLY what my view is. we use 3 digit number codes for all our services that CHANGE a lot but the service/description does not. This is unusable.

I'm thrilled you've joined this thread, Kevin.

At the moment, there's an ongoing investigation (INV-104580) into why the Description field doesn't show in the new invoice layout. I see that this has been challenging on your end. However, we appreciate you for performing the troubleshooting steps provided by my colleague.

If you wish to be added to the notification lists for affected users so you can receive updates about the investigation, you can contact the QuickBooks Online (QBO) Care Team. Here's how: 

1. Click the Help icon.
2. Choose the Search tab. Then, tap Contact Us.
3. Type in a short description of your concern. Then, Continue.
4. Pick how you would want to be contacted. Either Chat or Callback.

Also, I'll add this article to help you personalize your sales form: Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

For additional queries about managing your invoice transactions, you can reply to this post. I'll be willing to help. Keep safe always.

This is gone from all versions. Android, iPhone, and PC. I have been a customer for 7 years and am currently evaluating other software to use for my business because of this terrible downgrade! 

@Bryan_M  RE: At the moment, there's an ongoing investigation (INV-104580) into why the Description field doesn't show in the new invoice layout. 

It is my fullest joy to be here to help you. I will now explain it to you. It's not an "investigation". It's called a "bug". It's a coding error. A mistake that you shipped because you, Intuit, seem incapable of testing your software before you foist it on customers. There now, isn't that better?

When I spoke to tech support over the weekend they even had the nerve to gaslight me and said that the description has never shown up when adding an item. I guess I have completely lost my mind. Fix it! Or turn the legacy system back on until you can!!

I guess I was lucky to be unaffected by this until today. I finally figured out how to make the Description field available in the invoice template. See the attached screenshot. 

I just discovered this has happened to me also. This is ridiculous! Just rollback that update so we can have that feature back. The products/services list is useless if you cannot choose from a dropdown list.