QuickBooks 2005: The Missing Manual

Modifying Accounts

If you stick to your account numbering and naming standards, you'll have few reasons to edit accounts. Should you want to tweak an account name or description, adjust an account number to make room for new accounts, or change an account's level in the Chart of Accounts hierarchy, you can do so in the Edit Account dialog box.

You're not likely to change the Type field, unless you chose the wrong type when you created the account. If you do want to change the account type, back up your QuickBooks file first (see page 160), in case the change has disastrous effects that you didn't anticipate. QuickBooks has several restrictions on changing account types. You can't change account types under the following conditions:

• An account has subaccounts.

• You try to change an Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable account to another account type, and vice versa.

• QuickBooks automatically created the account, such as Undeposited Funds.

To modify an account, in the Chart of Accounts window, select the account that you want to edit and press Ctrl+E. In the Edit Account dialog box, make the changes you want and click OK when you're done.

Note

If your company owns multiple copies of QuickBooks Pro, Premier, or Enterprise, no one else can access the QuickBooks file while you're editing accounts. To switch QuickBooks to single-user mode, ask others to exit QuickBooks. When everyone has logged off, choose File→Switch to Single-user Mode. After you complete your account changes, choose File ...