Start with the work you repeat, rather than turning on every option. A short set of familiar shortcuts and bookmarks can make moving through QBO less distracting.
Choose a short list of Create actions
With Workflow Polish enabled, turn on Quick Create Button and choose up to six actions. Blank slots are omitted. The + sits beside header Search on supported pages.
For bookkeeping work, start with Invoice, Expense, Find by Amount, Receive Payment, Check, and Bank Deposit. A business owner may only need Invoice, Expense, and Bill. Adjust the order to your own tasks.
Put regular destinations in the sidebar
Bookmark pages such as Vendors, Bills, Receipts, and Reconcile from the offered choices. For a custom bookmark, give it a clear name and a valid QBO path.
These shortcuts change navigation, not company access. A bookmark cannot grant a permission your QBO account does not have.
Reduce the menu and promotional noise
Hide offered menu entries you do not use and choose which supported categories should expand. Keep essential native actions visible while you try the setup.
For promotions, choose automatic hiding or manual Hide ad controls. Intelligence auto-open blocking is a separate setting, with the native manual trigger still available.
Make your report review easier
On supported report-builder reports, use Hide sub-rows for a summary review, then Show sub-rows to bring detail back. Sticky headings help orient longer on-screen reports.
These options change the view rather than the financial calculation. Review the native report dates and basis as you normally would.
Save a setup you can return to
Export a settings backup once the layout feels useful. It contains all 13 supported preferences rather than company accounting data. Keep the file somewhere you can find when moving to another compatible installation.
Creator aliases and bookmark names can appear in a backup. Share it only with intended recipients. Safari uses a full settings page for the download and requires a QBO refresh after import.
Useful next steps
Need a hand? Visit help & support, or check installation and version availability.