How to Set a Default View for Your Financial Reports in QuickBooks Online
If you find yourself re-customizing your financial reports (i.e. Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss) every single time you open them: changing the date range, adding locations, switching to accrual…you’re not alone.
QuickBooks Online (QBO) doesn’t automatically remember your preferences for built-in reports, but there’s a simple way to fix that: save your preferred default view as a customized report.
Why Consistency Matters
Customizing reports every time can eat up valuable time. By saving your preferred view once, you’ll create a consistent snapshot of your business finances and make monthly reviews far simpler. Consistent reports mean fewer mistakes, better insights, and more time to focus on growing your business.
Example: My Preferred Profit and Loss Setup
When I review my financial reports, there are a few preferred settings I like. If I had to manually customize my reports to my preference every time, it would drive me a little crazy. Below, I’ll walk you through how I set up my Profit and Loss report and save it for easy future access.
Step 1: Open Your Profit and Loss Report
Head to Reports → Standard reports → then search for “Profit and Loss”.
Step 2: Customize It the Way You Want
At the top of the report, choose your preferred settings. For my Profit and Loss report:
Report period: This Year-to-Date
Display columns by: Classes
Accounting method: Accrual
Show non-zero or active only: Active rows/active columns
Click Run Report to preview the result.
Step 3: Save Your Custom View
Once it looks the way you want:
Click Save Customization (top right corner)
Name your report clearly (i.e., Profit and Loss – YTD)
Click Save
Now, this saved report acts as your default. Ready to open with one click, no re-customization needed.
Step 4: Access It Easily
Next time you want to access the report, go to Reports → Custom reports and open your saved view.
Pro Tip: Save It as a Favourite
For even faster access, especially for reports you review often, bookmark your customized report:
Go to Bookmarks → Bookmark this page
Name your report something clear (i.e., Profit and Loss - YTD)
Next time you log in, it’s one click away!
Why This Matters for Small Business Owners
Having a consistent report view saves time and ensures you’re reviewing the same key metrics every time. It’s one of those small QuickBooks tricks that makes your bookkeeping easier, cleaner, and keeps you focused on what matters most: growing your business, not wrestling with reports.
Need Help Getting Started in QuickBooks Online?
If you’re ready to make QuickBooks work for you instead of the other way around, book a free 30-minute 1:1 QuickBooks Online walkthrough with me.
I’ll show you how to:
Set up your reports for faster monthly reviews
Streamline your workflow with custom views
Build confidence managing your own books