Blog

Quickbooks has a nifty tool that streamlines company data by condensing closed transactions, turning into a summary journal entry while subsequently removing any unused list elements. Known as the Condense Data Utility tool, it’s a great to clean up your Quickbooks account, especially if you have lots of unnecessary data cluttering your account.

Before we begin, it’s important to note that the Condense Data Utility tool typically does not offer any improvements in performance. If your Quickbooks is running slow, you should first attempt to run the File Doctor tool.

So, what’s the purpose of using the Condense Data Utility tool? Among other things, it typically reduces the size of company files. It’s able to shrink company files by removing excess transaction details and list entries. With that said, accountants who primarily use inventory items may not notice any tangible benefits from its use. But if you have lots of open transactions, you will almost certainly benefit from using the Quickbooks Condense Data Utility tool.

When you are ready to begin, log into your Quickbooks account and access File > Utilities > Condense Data. From here, select “Transactions before a specific date,” at which point you should enter an appropriate date. Next, place a checkmark next to “Optional: Create a report showing which transactions cannot be remove.” You may then click next > select the transaction groups you want to remove > select the unused list entries you want to remove > Next > Begin Condense.

This doesn’t actually start the condense process, but instead it starts the report. As the report populates, you’ll have the option to fix all of the respective transactions or skip them.

Be patient while the Condense Utility Tool is working, as it may take some time. Depending on the size of your company file and system resources, it could take several hours or even days. To facilitate the process, it’s recommended that you close any unnecessary programs or applications that are running on your computer.

Running the Condense Utility Tool isn’t something that should only do once. Assuming you have a lot of data in your company file, you should run it every couple of months to keep your file size small. Of course, there’s no rule saying that you must run the tool, but doing so is a simple yet highly effective way to clean up unnecessary data while consolidating your company file. Refer to the steps listed above the next time you want to condense your company file.

Did this tutorial work for you? Let us know in the comments section below!