Templates

Customize form templates in QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online allows you to personalize the look and content of your sales forms, such as invoices, estimates, and sales receipts. You can adjust the layout, add your logo, and customize email messages to maintain your brand identity.

Access and create custom styles

Unlike older versions of QuickBooks where templates were separate files, your custom designs are stored directly in your company file. You do not need to back up separate template files; as long as you back up your QuickBooks Online company data, your form designs are safe.

To create or manage your templates:

1. Select the Settings gear icon.
2. Under Your Company, select Custom Form Styles.
3. To create a new design, select New style and choose the type of form (Invoice, Estimate, etc.).
4. Select the specific layout you want to use and follow the on-screen steps to design it.

If you previously only saw a “Standard” option, ensure you are looking in the Custom Form Styles menu, not the older “Customize” link within Company Settings.

Customize the email message

You can create custom email text that appears when you send forms to customers. This allows you to include specific greetings or instructions.

1. Go to Settings and select Custom Form Styles.
2. Edit an existing style or create a new one.
3. Go to the Content or Emails tab (depending on your version).
4. You can edit the subject line and the email body.
5. Use the Insert Field option to pull specific data (like the customer’s name or invoice number) directly into the email text.

Note: If you use Microsoft Outlook integration to send emails, QuickBooks may default to the standard email template rather than your custom design. This is a known limitation with some Outlook integrations.

Manage text and disclaimers

QuickBooks Online forms are designed to pull data directly from your records, so they function differently from a word processing document.

• Multi-page forms: If an invoice or estimate contains many line items, it will automatically extend to multiple pages. The header (logo, address) and footer will appear on every page.
• Long text disclaimers: You can add a standard disclaimer or note in the footer area. There is a character limit for this field (typically around 1,000 characters). This limit is fixed by the system and cannot be increased by changing margins or box sizes.
• Terms and conditions: Due to space limitations, we recommend attaching full terms and conditions or contractual language as a separate PDF document rather than trying to squeeze them into the form template.

Importing and limitations

Currently, you cannot import external template files or upload designs created in other programs. You must use the Custom Form Styles tools within QuickBooks Online to modify the appearance of your forms.

While you can create multiple styles for invoices and estimates, QuickBooks Online does not currently support specialized industry-specific templates (such as micro-finance loan books) outside of the standard sales form structures. If you require a specific feature, we suggest sending feedback to the developers via the Gear icon > Feedback.