How To Customize Invoices in QuickBooks Online

Step 1: Enable Import Styles in QuickBooks Labs

• Click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner.
• Select QuickBooks Labs.
• Scroll down and turn Import Styles On.
• Click the blue Done button to save changes.

Step 2: Create Your Template in Word

Mark Fields for Mapping

• Place opening and closing angle brackets < > around the fields you want QuickBooks to map.
• Use the EZ Map Field list to see all supported QuickBooks fields.

Leave Static Information Unmarked

• Company name, address, and contact details do not require brackets.

Use Supported Fonts Only

• Arial Unicode MS
• Courier (Regular, Bold, Oblique, Bold-Oblique)
• Helvetica (Regular, Bold, Oblique, Bold-Oblique)
• Times Roman (Regular, Bold, Italic, Bold-Italic)
• Symbol
• Zapf Dingbats

Understand Field Types

• Scalar Fields: Independent fields that do not repeat (e.g., invoice number, due date, total).
• Table Fields: Fields that repeat as part of a table (e.g., Activity Table, Account Summary).

Field Placement Best Practices

• Scalar Fields can be placed inside text boxes or tables.
• Do not mix Scalar Fields and Table Fields in the same table.
• Table Fields must be inside a table.
• Formatting from the first non-header row applies to all table rows.

Avoid Unsupported Elements

• Audio files
• ClipArt or WordArt
• Animated GIFs
• Embedded files
• Hidden links or merged fields
• Files larger than 2 MB
• Non-.docx files or older Word files renamed as .docx

Step 3: Import Your template into QuickBooks Online

Follow the below steps to import your customer template:

1. Click the Gear icon in the top-right corner and choose Custom Form Styles.
2. Select the arrow next to New style, then click Import style.
3. Pick the form type and upload your template file.
   1. Upload your existing .docx file (MS Word 2010 or later).
   2. To create a new template, download a sample template and customize it.
4. Click Next to upload the document. 
5. QuickBooks will scan the document and detect all marked fields for mapping.

Error code	What does it mean?	How can I fix it?
size_validation_error	Your file is too large to upload	Your document must be less than 2MB
extension_format_error	The file you selected isn’t of a type we support	Try uploading a Microsoft Office 2010 (*.docx) file

Step 4: Map Marked Areas to QuickBooks Data Fields

Once the upload is complete, QuickBooks will make an initial attempt at mapping fields using an algorithm that predicts the most suitable data for the marked areas on your template.

Review each field to ensure it matches the correct QuickBooks Online data field.

Each marked section on your template shows a number. This number corresponds to the number on your invoice preview.

To adjust the mapping, you can either:

• Click the drop-down menu for the line you want to change and scroll until you find the correct mapping.
• Type in a word that matches the mapping in the drop-down field and select from the results. For example, type “Total” to filter and display only fields containing that word.

Once all fields are correctly mapped and look accurate, click the Next button at the bottom of the screen to view a preview of your invoice.

If the preview looks correct, click Save and name your new style. Your template is now ready to use.

For errors during mapping, review the marked fields and ensure they match QuickBooks’ supported data fields.

Step 5: Use Your Custom Invoice Style

To use your new custom template, create your invoice as usual. Then, click Customize at the bottom of the screen and select your saved template.

Frequently Asked Questions