How do I generate an excel report or export to excel without having to save the file first.

Hi there Robin,

Exporting your reports is a great way to manipulate the data included and share it if necessary. QuickBooks Online makes this easy, but it's slightly different from the process you're used to in QuickBooks Desktop. Different isn't a bad thing, it just takes some adapting to. Let me go over this with you.

The only way to export a report from QuickBooks Online is by selecting the small export icon at the top right of the report. That automatically saves the report as PDF or Excel, depending on what you select. You don't have the option to generate the report in Excel without saving it. To modify it you'll have to download and save it first.

Since I know that being able to export a report without saving it first would save you time, I'd like to encourage you to submit feedback on this. Navigate to the Gear icon, then select Feedback. These messages are sent to our product development team, and while they won't respond to your requests, rest assured that they take these into consideration when implementing new features and product improvements.

I wish you the best of luck. Have a great day!