We heard a lot about the QuickBooks Online Advanced App during "QuickBooks Connect"—from what it would do for ProAdvisors, bookkeepers and accountants, to how it “takes what you love about QBO Accountant and makes it better.” But in reality, this new app provides a lot more than just enhancements for accountants and ProAdvisors.
The QuickBooks Online Advanced Desktop app for Microsoft Windows (64-bit required) offers more innovative navigation and enhancements to speed up workflows. With multi-tab and company switcher features, the app stabilized for power users spending several hours using QuickBooks Online. It is especially beneficial to QuickBooks users who access QuickBooks multiple times per day or have more than one QBO Account.
When you elect to use the QBO Advanced Desktop app for MSW, rather than access QuickBooks Advanced via a web browser, you can stay signed in for up to six-months, unless you choose to sign out manually. You can sign in once and remain signed in so that you can access QBO as often as necessary without any additional sign-in requirements.
Users will have the option of a navigation map view similar to the home page workflows found in QuickBooks Desktop. This may speed up and simply workflows for some users by providing a roadmap of related steps and processes.
Another significant benefit of the new app is accessing multiple QuickBooks Online companies simultaneously and switching between them without reloading each company. With this functionality, you can easily manage all your QBO clients no matter what version of QBO those clients are using.
Not only will you have all your clients accessible through your client list, but the ability to have multiple client companies open simultaneously means you can switch back and forth as you work during the day because Intuit recognizes that accountants, bookkeepers and ProAdvisors are indeed multi-taskers.
Downloading the App
- To get the app, go to QBO-Accountant or QBO-Advanced and click on the Gear icon. You will see a link to Get the desktop app.
- Depending on your settings, the app may install automatically. Or, you might be prompted to save the .exe file, in which case you'll have to choose where you want the file saved and then select Save. Then, open the QuickBooks Advanced Setup file to start the installation.
- During installation, a shortcut to the app is installed on your desktop. After the app is installed, it should open automatically. If it doesn’t, open the app from the shortcut.
- On the sign-in screen, enter your user ID and password. Then, select Sign in.
- If you see more than one QuickBooks Online Advanced company, select the company you want to open. (If there is no QuickBooks Online company associated with your user ID, an error message will be displayed.)
- The first time you use the Advance Desktop app, you’ll select how QuickBooks is to be displayed on the main homepage. (You'll be able can change this option later.)
Switching Views in the QBO Advanced Desktop App
You can view accounts with a navigation map similar to that used in QuickBooks Desktop. The map view displays QuickBooks Online processes like sales, expenses, payroll and reporting in workflow diagrams, giving you quick navigation to the needed work areas.
To switch between the navigation map view and the QuickBooks Online dashboard view, select either Map view or Dashboard view in the app [highlighted in the green box in the illustration below].
Accessing Multiple QBO Accounts
To access multiple QBO Accounts in multiple tabs, select the "You’re viewing (company name)" drop-down, and choose the QBO Company Account you want to switch to [highlighted in the green box in the illustration below].
Using the QuickBooks Online Advanced Desktop app for Microsoft Windows instead of using QuickBooks in a web browser offers tremendous advantages for ProAdvisors, bookkeepers and accountants using QBO-Accountant and users of QuickBooks Online-Advanced.
The new app is a free add-on for all QuickBooks Online Accountant and Advanced users.