In QuickBooks Desktop software, you can use keyboard shortcuts to accomplish several tasks. You can build invoices and switch between windows with only a few keystrokes instead of using the menus.
Please note that specific forms and buttons underlined can found in letters. This is a collection of shortcut marks. To use the shortcut, click the underlined letter while keeping Alt.
Table of Content
| Action | Keyboard |
| Open the Help window | F1 |
| Close current window | Esc |
| Open the Product Information window (Product and License number, company file location, etc.) | F2 or Ctrl + 1 |
| Open the Find Transaction window (Transactions, invoices, etc.) | Ctrl + F |
| Open the Search window (Customers, accounts, transactions, etc.) | F3 or Ctrl + 2 |
| Open Tech Help / Technical Info window (System info) | F2 to open the Product Info window, then press F3 |
Data Fields Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Keyboard |
| Increase or decrease the amount | + or – |
| Go to the next data field | Tab |
| Go to the previous data field | Shift + Tab |
| Copy, paste, undo, cut | Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Ctrl + Z, Ctrl + X |
Data Field Related Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Keyboard shortcut |
| Open calendar to select a date | Alt + ↓ |
| Advance a day | + |
| Back a day | – |
| Go to today | T |
| Go to the first day of the week | W |
| Go to the last day of the week | K |
| Go to the same day next week | ] |
| Go to the same day last week | [ |
| Go to the first day of the month | M |
| Go to the last day of the month | H |
| Go to the same day of the month following month | ; |
| Go to the same day of the month last month | ‘ (apostrophe) |
| Go to the first day of the year (Jan 1) | Y |
Transactions and Forms (Keyboard Shortcuts)
| Action | Keyboard shortcut |
| Record or save a transaction | Enter |
| Add a new transaction line | Ctrl + Ins |
| Delete selected transaction line | Ctrl + Del |
| Copy a transaction line | Highlight a transaction line, then press Ctrl + Alt + Y. *Only available in QuickBooks 2018 and later. |
| Paste a transaction line | Highlight a blank transaction line, then press Ctrl + Alt + V. *Only available in QuickBooks 2018 and later. |
| Go to the next or previous transaction line | ↑ or ↓ |
| Open the complete list for the selected dropdown menu (product, service, customer, etc) | Highlight the ▼ dropdown menu, then press Ctrl + L. Press Ctrl + U to add a selected item from the list to your open form. |
| Move between pages on forms and reports | Page Up or Page Down |
| Save and close the current form | Alt + S |
| Go to your last open form of the same type | Alt + P |
| Save and go to the following form of the same type | Alt + N |
| Print form (or list) | CTRL + P |
| Memorise current form and its transactions | Ctrl + M |
| Open Memorized Transaction List | Ctrl + T |
| Open transaction history (for current form) | Ctrl + H |
| Open transaction journal (for current form) | Ctrl + Y |
Items Lists Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Keyboard shortcut |
| Go to the first item or last item on a list or register | Ctrl + Page Up or Ctrl + Page Down |
| Create a new item on a list (account, customer, product or service, etc) | Ctrl + N |
| Edit an item on a list (account, customer, product or service, etc) | Ctrl + E |
| Delete an item on a list (account, customer, product or service, etc) | Ctrl + D |
| Run a Quick Report for an item on a list | Ctrl + F6 |
| Refresh list (You only see this if you are in the multi-user mode. This is useful if multiple users edit the same list.) | F5 |
Regular QuickBooks Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Keyboard shortcut |
| Create a new invoice | Ctrl + I |
| Create a new check | Ctrl + W |
| Open the Customer Center | Ctrl + J |
| Open the Chart of Accounts | Ctrl + A |
| Open an Account Register | Ctrl + R, then select an account. If you are in an account register, choose a transaction and press Ctrl+G. This opens the record for the associated “transfer” account. |
Basic QuickBooks Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Keyboard shortcut |
| Open your company file with no open windows or menus | Hold Alt after you open your company file on the Open Company window |
| Close QuickBooks | Alt + F4 |
| Open QuickBooks Service Keys (Payroll only) | Ctrl + K |
| Set up YTD Amounts for Payroll (Payroll only) | Select the Help menu and then About QuickBooks. When the product screen appears, Ctrl + Alt + Y. |
To End With
QuickBooks Desktop software has always made managing and handling accounting so easy and learning all these topics that are stated above will make you save a lot of your time. I hope that this blog helps you learn some shortcuts of the QuickBooks Desktop software.