How to attach files in QuickBooks

Check the file. QuickBooks accepts PDF, JPEG, PNG, DOC, XLSX, CSV, TIFF, GIF and XML attachments. Files of 0 KB won't go through, and the file name can't include special characters, so rename it first if it does.

Check where it's going. Files can be attached to customer and supplier profiles, and to bills, cheques, credit card transactions, adjustment notes, delayed charges, quotes, expenses, invoices, received payments, refund receipts, sales receipts and supplier credits. List items such as accounts can't take one, and a PDF can't currently be attached to a statement you send a customer.

If the file is a receipt or bill you haven't entered yet, the Receipts page may suit you better than a plain attachment, since QuickBooks reads the file and drafts the transaction. Receipts can be PDF, JPEG, JPG, GIF or PNG files, with one receipt or bill in each file. Intuit advises against uploading receipts that show sensitive or personal details, such as credit card numbers or government identifiers.

1. Open the transaction you want to attach the file to. It can be a customer or a supplier transaction.
2. Select Add attachment.
3. Browse to the document and choose it.
4. Select Open, then select Save and close.

For a supplier profile, go to All apps, select Expenses & Bills, then Suppliers. Choose the supplier, open the Supplier Details tab, select Add attachment, pick the file and select Open.

For a customer profile, go to All apps, select Customer Hub, then Customers & leads. Choose the customer and select Edit, then choose Add attachment from the Notes and attachments dropdown. Pick the file, select Open, then select Save.

The file is kept with the transaction or profile you added it to. Intuit's point is tidier records, and it notes that attachments can help your accountant work through your books.

All your files can be managed from the Attachments list: go to Settings and select Attachments. Use Add attachment there to upload a file without linking it to a transaction or profile. Select a file and choose Download to save a copy. In the Action column dropdown, Edit lets you change the File Name or add a Note, and Delete removes the file once you select OK.

The same dropdown can start a transaction from a file. Create Invoice and Create Expense each open a new form with the file already attached.

Receipts you upload wait in the For review tab of the Receipts page, where QuickBooks flags any transaction already in your books that looks like a match. Select Match to link the receipt to it, or check the details, select Save and next, and choose Create bill or Create expense. In the mobile app, the Reviewed tab lists the receipts and bills you've added, and swiping right on one undoes it and sends it back to For Review.

Upload refused? Check that the file type is on the supported list, that the file isn't empty, and that its name has no special characters.

Attachment won't open from webmail such as Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook? Intuit says your browser needs the latest version of Adobe Acrobat selected as its PDF viewer plugin.

Photos from a newer iPhone or iPad may be saved in HEIC format, which the Receipts page doesn't take. Convert them to a supported format before uploading.