When I first heard about this app, I was skeptical. After all, I already used and loved QBO on my Mac using Chrome, but the QuickBooks App for Mac stunned me with a feature set that means I’ll never use QBO from a browser again. Overall, working in a QBO company file from the app is much faster and easier.
QuickBooks for Mac has always suffered from having to play catch-up to the Windows version. This application is one way to stop playing that game. Bridgette Haymaker, senior product manager for the QuickBooks App for Mac, says with the release of the “next generation” QuickBooks, Intuit® had a chance to develop a Mac-specific product for the QuickBooks Online ecosystem. By making it drop-dead simple to use QBO on a Mac with the feel of a native Mac application, Intuit has provided a very attractive alternative to using the desktop version of QuickBooks for Mac.
The application can be added from the Mac App Store. It currently only works with Mac OS 10.9, known as Mavericks, but will also work with the next version of Mac OS, Yosemite, which is due out in the fall. Since it is downloaded from the App Store, updates can be downloaded and installed straight from the App Store, or automatically, depending on your Mac settings. Once installed, you simply log in with your Intuit ID and choose the company account to open. It also makes it easy to convert your QuickBooks for Mac data file.
The program opens a standard Mac interface window with all the same functionality and appearance of QuickBooks Online. If you are designated as an Accountant user, all the accountant tools will be there as well.
However, the app has additional features that make it a better experience for Mac users to work in a QuickBooks Online company:
Speed – This is the single biggest selling point, as far as I’m concerned. No more waiting for pages to load or refresh. I’ve been really happy with the speed of the ”new” QBO, but this was truly like using a desktop app with a fast computer.
Menus – The app has a standard menu interface, with one-click access to common functions like the Downloaded transactions. The app also includes many keyboard shortcuts to these menu items, as well as common QuickBooks shortcuts used in forms. Some of these are different from the browser-based version of QBO, but they will be more familiar to anyone used to the Mac OS.
QuickView – If you set your preferences to allow it, QuickBooks will install a QuickView icon in your Mac’s toolbar. The icon allows quick access to your company file, if you haven’t chosen to keep the application in your Dock. It also displays a badge if something needs to be addressed in your company file, like new downloaded transactions, overdue invoices, or a payment received from a customer. They’re looking into adding search to QuickView as well.
Mac ToolBar – The app includes a standard Mac Toolbar at the top. The toolbar adds a number of handy functions. If you have access to multiple files, you can switch to a new one using a dropdown menu. There is quick access to the Feedback link, which I always need and hate digging down layers to find. The toolbar also includes a Back button and a Refresh button, in case the data seems stale (which was not a problem I encountered in my testing).
Open Multiple Windows – This is often a frustration for accountants used to desktop versions. We are used to working with multiple reports and forms open at the same time. In the QuickBooks App for Mac, you can easily pop-out any report or transactional document that has the icon next to it, and drag it to anywhere on your desktop. Much easier than opening multiple browser tabs! There is an article on the Help menu about using this.
Stay Logged In – Unlike using QBO from a browser, which times out 1-3 hours after your last save, you can choose to stay permanently logged into QBO. This means that you can stop working on a file, go into to a meeting or lunch, and come back to working right where you left off. You can even stay logged in overnight, and unlike the desktop version of QuickBooks, the app knows exactly what day it is when you start a new transaction.
I’ve been using a Mac since they arrived in 1984, but I’ve never felt so smug. This is truly an amazing way to use QuickBooks Online and will make my Windows and Chromebook colleagues jealous. I tested Version 1, but found it rock solid and bug free. The team has lots of plans for feature improvements, hopefully going deeper into the Mac OS. Use that handy Feedback link to help them prioritize!
Victoria Cameron Victoria Cameron is the principal of Victoria Rehrig Cameron Consulting, LLC, specializing in providing QuickBooks support and training to small business.
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