Classic vs Modern View Reporting in QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is replacing its classic reports with a redesigned "modern" reporting experience. Your reports and numbers haven't changed, but several controls have moved out of the Customize panel and onto the report toolbar, and reports now update live instead of waiting for a "Run report" click. Here's exactly what's different, what's the same, and where to click in the new view.

Classic view has now been retired across QuickBooks Online, so the modern view is the only reporting option. For the timeline and what the switch means for your standard and saved custom reports, see what QuickBooks Modern Reports changed.

What changed at a glance

Task / feature	Classic view	Modern view
Running a report	Click "Run report" to apply each change.	Updates live. There is no "Run report" button.
Grouping columns (by month, customer, class…)	Customize → Rows/Columns → "Columns".	"Display columns by" dropdown on the report toolbar.
Period comparison (year-over-year, prior period)	Customize → Rows/Columns → comparison checkboxes.	"Compare to" dropdown on the toolbar (Previous year, Previous period, $ / % change).
Date range	Report period and date fields in the report header.	Report period + From/To fields on the toolbar.
Filtering	Customize → Filter.	Customize side panel → Data tab → Filters (Filter by / Condition / Value).
Formatting & appearance	Customize → General and Header/Footer.	Customize side panel → Visual tab.
Saving a customized report	"Save customization".	"Save As" → "Save as new report?" dialog.
Accounting method	Cash/Accrual setting in the header.	Cash/Accrual toggle on the toolbar.

The five differences that trip people up

Reports update live. There's no "Run report" button anymore. As soon as you change the date range, columns, or a comparison, the report recalculates on screen.
The controls you use most moved to the toolbar. "Display columns by" (month, quarter, customer, class, location) and "Compare to" (previous year or period) now sit at the top of the report, next to the date fields, not buried under Customize → Rows/Columns.
Customize is now a side panel with two tabs. Clicking Customize opens a panel on the right with a Data tab (Filters, number format, section titles) and a Visual tab (appearance and formatting). Filtering lives here under "Filter by → Condition → Value."
"Save customization" is now "Save As." The green Save As button opens a "Save as new report?" dialog where you name the report, optionally share it, and add it to a group. It saves under Custom reports, just like before.
The reports and your data are unchanged. The Standard reports list, the numbers, the drill-down into transactions, and the export to Excel all work the same. This is a layout change, not an accounting change.

How to tell which view you're on

Open any report, such as Profit and Loss. If you see a "Display columns by" and "Compare to" dropdown on the toolbar and the report updates the moment you change something, you're on the modern view. If instead you see a "Run report" button and have to open Customize to change the columns, you're still on the classic view. Your account may not have been migrated yet.

Frequently asked questions

Is the modern view replacing the classic reports?

Yes. Intuit is rolling the modern reporting experience out as the default in QuickBooks Online, and the classic view is being phased out. The exact timing varies by account, so you may still see the classic layout for a while.

Can I switch back to the classic view?

During the rollout, some accounts show a toggle or banner near the top of a report to return to the classic view temporarily. Availability varies and it is going away, so it is worth getting comfortable with the new layout rather than relying on switching back.

Did the change affect my numbers?

No. This is a user-interface change, not a data change. The underlying reports, filters, and totals are the same. Only where you click to configure them has moved.

Are my saved custom reports still there?

Your saved reports remain under Custom reports. A few layouts can look slightly different in the new view, but the data and grouping carry over. Going forward, "Save As" creates a new custom report from whatever is on screen.

A report I used looks different or hard to find. What happened?

The core reports (Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, and the Profit and Loss breakdowns by month, customer, class, and location) are all still in the Standard reports list. If a specific legacy report looks different, open the Standard reports menu and search for it to find its modern equivalent.

Tired of rebuilding reports? Need more customization?

Classic or modern, you're still stuck re-exporting a report to change how it looks. Retriever pulls QuickBooks Online reports into Google Sheets on a schedule, so the data refreshes itself, and you can pivot, chart, and reshape it however you need, well beyond what QuickBooks reports allow.

See how Retriever works

Report guides for the modern view

Questions about the new reporting view? Reach out at aubrey@retrieverhq.com.