Knowing QuickBooks' Two 'View' Options and Which Is Best For You

Ask the Accountant…

Question: In QuickBooks Online, I have gotten used to the options on the left side of the screen that included things like Dashboard, Banking, Sales, and Expenses. Now an entirely different list of options is showing with things like "Get things done," "Business Overview," "Bookkeeping," and "Commerce." What happened?

Answer: QBO offers two choices for a view of functions: Accountant View and Business View. To switch back and forth, go to the big gear icon at the top right of your screen. At the bottom of the dropdown panel, it will tell you which view you are in, and there is a button so you can switch to the other view.

Intuit has tried to make QBO “user-friendly” and make you feel as though you are not doing accounting. I find the Accountant View much more straight forward and understandable. Conversely, I find the Business View less clear. This choice of views is yours, and switching back and forth between views is very simple once you know where to look. Your accountant likely prefers the Accountant View, so you may find that something has changed if your accountant has logged in to work.