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JohnnykT
Mar 11, 2025 5:36 PM UTC
Question

How do you actually use the Export to Excel function in real life?

I can successfully use Excel to run a report and get data from QBO -- and it's a pretty nice feature.  But beyond that, I can't do much with it... and can't find anything in the documentation to help.

 

As usual, "support" is useless... they know how to do as much as I do and have no concept of how spreadsheets work, how companies work, or how people actually use the software.

 

So, here's my SPECIFIC QUESTION:

 

I have a report in QBO called Elk Street Invoices.  It is a simple and just shows me all of the invoices for Elk Street.

 

I have Excel connected to that report and it displays all of the relevant data.

 

I save Excel.  Three days pass and I want to quickly see if any more invoices have been created for Elk Street... the Excel file has that report so I SHOUDL JUST BE ABLE TO OPEN IT AND SEE THE LATEST DATA.

 

However, that's no how it works... when I open Excel, I have to go through he whole process of re-running the report to extract the latest data.  There is nothing "automatic" -- it takes all of the work everytime to get Excel to show me updated informtion.

 

HOW DO I MAKE EXCEL ALWAYS HAVE THE LATEST INFO?  Where and how do I use QBO to make the connection to Excel "live" so that I can open the Excel file whenever I want and it always has the latest information -- automatically, without me having to manually update it?

    2 replies

    FishingForAnswers
    FishingForAnswers
    Mar 11, 2025 8:17 PM UTC

    @JohnnykT  Unless somebody took it upon themselves to create a specific app to bridge this need, it's working as designed; QB doesn't have that capacity built-in.

     

    I'd be surprised if it ever will; QBO in particular can't even handle its own cache properly, let alone something like this.

    Candice C
    Candice C
    Mar 11, 2025 8:35 PM UTC

    Hey there, @JohnnykT. 

     

    We appreciate you coming back to the Community with a new question about exporting to Excel. 

     

    I can see how frustrating this could be for you and your business. With the export to Excel feature, nothing is automatic. You'll have to run the report and then see the latest information. 

     

    We recommend submitting feedback to our Product Developers so they can consider adding this to QuickBooks in the near future: 

     

    1. Go to the Gear icon in the top right-hand corner. 
    2. Tap the Feedback option. 
    3. Enter your suggestions. 
    4. Click Next to submit them. 

     

    I hope this helps answer your question. If you have any other concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out. Take care! 

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