How Do I Turn On Advanced Inventory In QuickBooks Online?

Advanced Inventory is only available on QuickBooks Online Plus or Advanced plans.

Here’s the deal: Advanced Inventory only works on QuickBooks Online Plus or Advanced plans. It gives you site-specific reorder points, barcode scanning, and serial/lot tracking. Enterprise users get it too, but the setup process isn’t quite the same. If you're curious about how advanced features compare across platforms, you might want to read about historical technological advancements to see how far inventory systems have come.

Turn on Advanced Inventory via Edit → Preferences → Items & Inventory → Company Preferences.

First, log in as an Administrator. From the top menu, pick Edit → Preferences. In the left sidebar, select Items & Inventory, then click the Company Preferences tab. Check the box for Inventory and Purchase Orders are Active. If you’re on Plus or Advanced, the Advanced Inventory Settings button will pop up—click it to turn on Site Tracking or Barcode Scanning as needed. Hit Save to lock it in.

Enterprise users? Head to Company → My Company → Set Up Advanced Inventory instead. Just make sure your user roles have “Full Access” to the Inventory module. For more on user role management, check out advanced search techniques that can help streamline your workflow.

If Advanced Inventory won’t turn on, check your plan, user permissions, and clear your cache.

If Advanced Inventory still won’t cooperate, start with the basics. Double-check your plan—Essentials or Simple Start users need to upgrade to Plus or Advanced (plans start at $80/month and $200/month, respectively QuickBooks Pricing (2026)). Next, verify your user permissions by going to Company → Manage Users and ensuring your role has “Full Access” to Inventory. Standard or Custom roles won’t cut it. Finally, clear your cache: press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac), select “Cached images and files,” then reload QuickBooks Online. Browser extensions—especially ad-blockers—can mess with the interface. If you're troubleshooting other software issues, you might find tips in our guide on beating paraphrase detection.

Assign a dedicated “Inventory Manager” user role with full permissions to maintain Advanced Inventory.

To keep Advanced Inventory running without a hitch, give one user role Full Access to Inventory. Avoid flipping the feature on and off repeatedly. Run a monthly inventory audit by exporting the Stock Status by Item report (Reports → Inventory → Stock Status by Item). For multi-site setups, enable Site Tracking in Advanced Inventory Settings to dodge stockouts. Wondering how inventory tracking evolved over time? Learn about advanced science applications that have shaped modern systems.

Plan	Advanced Inventory?	Site Tracking?	Barcode Scanning?
Simple Start	No	No	No
Essentials	No	No	No
Plus	Yes	Yes	Yes
Advanced	Yes	Yes	Yes
Enterprise	Yes	Yes	Yes

You can’t see the Advanced Inventory Settings button because you’re likely on the wrong plan.

Advanced Inventory is locked behind Plus or Advanced subscriptions. If you’re stuck on Essentials or Simple Start, the button won’t appear—no amount of refreshing will change that. QuickBooks Online Enterprise includes it, but the activation path is different, so check your plan first. For insights into how different systems compare, explore educational platform comparisons.

Only users with Full Access to Inventory can enable Advanced Inventory.

Standard or Custom roles won’t see Advanced Inventory options. To confirm permissions, go to Company → Manage Users and check if your role has “Full Access” to Inventory. That’s the only way to avoid running into dead ends. If you're managing multiple systems, you might appreciate learning about advanced search methods to optimize your workflow.

Both Plus and Advanced unlock Advanced Inventory, but Advanced includes extra reporting tools and customization.

Plus and Advanced both deliver site-specific reorder points, barcode scanning, and serial/lot tracking. Advanced steps it up with advanced reporting tools and deeper customization options—perfect for businesses drowning in inventory complexity. Curious about how advanced features apply in other contexts? Discover practical uses for advanced products.

Feature	Plus	Advanced
Site Tracking	Yes	Yes
Barcode Scanning	Yes	Yes
Serial/Lot Tracking	Yes	Yes
Advanced Reporting	No	Yes
Custom Fields	No	Yes

Simple Start does not support Advanced Inventory—you must upgrade to Plus or Advanced.

Advanced Inventory isn’t an option on Simple Start. To unlock these features, you’ll need to upgrade to Plus or Advanced. No shortcuts exist, so plan ahead if inventory management is non-negotiable for your business. For a deeper dive into advanced tools, check out advanced science applications in modern systems.

Advanced Inventory is exclusive to QuickBooks Online—it’s not available in QuickBooks Desktop.

Advanced Inventory is a QuickBooks Online-only feature. QuickBooks Desktop users have to move up to Enterprise (which has its own Advanced Inventory module) or switch to QuickBooks Online Plus/Advanced to get their hands on it. If you're exploring other advanced software options, you might find our article on color-changing reactions fascinating.

You’ll know the upgrade worked when the Advanced Inventory Settings button appears in the correct location.

After upgrading to Plus or Advanced, go back to Edit → Preferences → Items & Inventory → Company Preferences. If the Advanced Inventory Settings button shows up, you’re golden. If not, double-check your plan and permissions—sometimes it takes a few minutes to sync. For troubleshooting tips that apply beyond QuickBooks, read about optimizing digital workflows.

Enterprise handles Advanced Inventory differently due to its separate workflow.

Enterprise users access Advanced Inventory through Company → My Company → Set Up Advanced Inventory, not the standard web interface. This keeps things streamlined for Enterprise while keeping the same core features intact. To understand how different systems handle complexity, explore historical technological solutions.

If you’re still stuck, contact QuickBooks support for immediate assistance.

If you’ve confirmed your plan, permissions, and cache and Advanced Inventory still refuses to activate, reach out to QuickBooks support. They can squash glitches and walk you through the exact steps to enable the feature. For general tech support insights, consider reading about advanced troubleshooting methods.

QuickBooks offers a 30-day free trial for Plus and Advanced plans.

Head to the QuickBooks Pricing (2026) page to sign up for a 30-day free trial of Plus or Advanced. Use the trial to test Advanced Inventory and see if it fits your workflow before committing to a paid plan. Want to explore other advanced tools? Check out advanced healthcare solutions.

You can downgrade later, but you’ll lose access to Advanced Inventory immediately.

If you upgrade to Plus or Advanced and later decide you don’t need Advanced Inventory, you can downgrade to Essentials or Simple Start. Just know you’ll lose all Advanced Inventory tools the second you switch plans, so be sure you’re ready to let them go. For insights into how changes affect systems, read about seasonal adaptations in nature.

Is QuickBooks Online good for inventory management?

QuickBooks Online focuses on accounting needs, so its inventory tools are pretty basic. Honestly, it’s not built for deep inventory management, so don’t expect it to handle complex stock tracking.

Does QuickBooks Online have advanced inventory?

Inventory features are available for QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced . If you’re not on Plus or Advanced, upgrade your plan to start tracking your inventory.

Does QuickBooks Online have inventory assembly?

1. From the Inventory menu, select Build Assemblies.
2. Pick the product you want to build from the Assembly Item drop-down.
3. Check the quantity available for this product at the top.
4. You’ll see the list of components needed to build your product.
5. Enter the Quantity to Build.

How much does QuickBooks advanced inventory cost?

Advanced Inventory is a subscription add-on for QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions. Right now, it runs about $999 per year , on top of the Enterprise subscription cost.

Can you manage inventory on QuickBooks?

QuickBooks Online has everything you need to manage your inventory . Track stock levels, get alerts when it’s time to restock, and pull insights on what you buy and sell. You can also add non-inventory products and services to your sales forms quickly.

Which software is best for inventory?

• Best Overall: Orderhive
• Best for B2B Companies: inFlow
• Best for Retail Stores: Lightspeed Retail
• Best for Restaurants: Upserve
• Best for Manufacturing: Megaventory
• Best Free Option: Zoho Inventory

How do I set up an inventory assembly in QuickBooks?

1. Go to List.
2. Choose Item List.
3. Click the Item drop-down arrow.
4. Select New.
5. Pick Inventory Assembly as the type.
6. Enter the Inventory Items included on the Bill of Materials.
7. Fill in the inventory assembly details.
8. Click Ok.

Can QuickBooks Online Do bill of materials?

If you’re running a manufacturing business, you might worry QuickBooks Online can’t handle bills of materials. QuickBooks Online can manage bills of materials , but you’ll need to pair it with a manufacturing scheduling tool for small businesses that integrates with your QuickBooks account.

What is bundle in QuickBooks online?

A bundle isn’t a real purchased product— it’s a collection of multiple variants . In Quickbooks Commerce, head to Products to set one up.

What does Advanced inventory do in QuickBooks?

Advanced Inventory lets you track site-specific reorder points for each item . That means you can set different reorder points for each location, and QuickBooks Desktop will warn you when stock runs low at a specific site.

What is the best inventory software for small business?

• Zoho Inventory
• ShipMonk
• NETSTOCK
• inFlow Inventory
• Veeqo
• Vin eRetail
• Kintone
• Cin7

How do you record inventory?

Inventory purchases go on the operating account with an Inventory object code, and sales land on the operating account with the right sales object code. A cost-of-goods-sold transaction moves the cost of goods sold to the operating account.

How do you keep track of inventory?

1. Fine-tune your forecasting.
2. Use the FIFO approach (first in, first out).
3. Spot low-turn stock.
4. Audit your stock regularly.
5. Use cloud-based inventory management software.
6. Monitor stock levels in real time.
7. Cut equipment repair times.