QBO Universal Search Is Da Bomb
I love the universal search in many of my apps. It’s a feature I vet for, and apps that have it move further up on my “yes” list. QBO’s is shockingly good, so I want to spread the word.
I’m thinking most of you know about the QBO universal search. It’s the “magnifying glass” icon at the top right of the page. But I’ve seen many of you in action, clicking through the awkward QBO navigation—multiple clicking, actually—rather than doing a quick search and jumping directly into what you need to action or view.
This icon allows you to search for just about anything in QBO. Seriously, almost everything!
What can you search for?
First, I want to note that as soon as you click on the search icon, it surfaces your most recent searches and transactions, so that’s fun ⬅️ really, Kellie, fun? For crying out loud, go get a life…
Accounts from your Chart of Accounts
Accounts Payable transactions - credits, deposits, estimates, invoices, received payments, refunds, sales receipts
Accounts Receivable transactions - bills, bill payments, cheques, credits, expenses, refunds
Amounts (dollar values) ⬅️ this is the one I see most people using it for
Customers
Journal entries including line item amounts (most days)
Jump to actions - ⬅️ I use bookmarks for this, but search is a good alternative (simply type in the action - like “expense” or “reclassify” - and you can “jump to” that action directly
Payroll transactions
Reports, including your custom ones ⬅️ I love my bookmarks waaaaay more for this
Suppliers
Transfers
Not Products and Services ⬅️ this is a limitation I have noticed.
What I don’t love is being moved out of universal search into the “Search your transactions” screen. To me, this is a hot, overwhelming mess. But it does let you narrow down your parameters, which is useful in some situations, like many transactions with the same amount.
Of course, universal search disappears when you are in a transaction and have to peck in what you are looking for, and some days it takes a sick day, so combine it with a Chrome folder and bookmark system for amazing click efficiency. And to really up your QBO game, add in RightTool!
