Where is Audit Log and How to Delete Audit Log in QuickBooks?

In QuickBooks, Audit Log or Audit Trail can be used to manage all the reports. In addition, it helps you to track the reports to which any changes have been made by the user. For instance, if someone makes changes to the report such as adding the new transactions, modifying the bills or invoices, or deleting the report, the Audit Log keeps track of all the amendments in your QuickBooks reports. However, most users have no clue about this feature and thus they come up with a question “where is Audit Log in QuickBooks?”. If that is the case, we will help you to spot this option.

Furthermore, we will draw your attention to how to delete Audit Log in QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop and the benefits of removing the Audit Log data.

Where is Audit Log in QuickBooks?

Audit Log report is quite helpful for accountants, business owners, and bookkeepers. This particular report helps in finding removed transactions that cause discrepancies in reconciliation. Moreover, by using the Audit Log in QuickBooks, you can locate the previous account name, track user activities or login time, identify incorrect transactions, find lost or deleted transactions, and get informed about who accesses the books.

However, most users have no idea where is Audit Log in QuickBooks. In the following discussion, we will show you where you can find the Audit Log feature in QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online.

Where is the Audit Log in QuickBooks Desktop?

Audit Log can have a different name in QuickBooks Desktop. If you are a user of the QuickBooks software application, the following steps are for you:

• Open “QuickBooks” software on your computer.
• Then, navigate to the “Reports” menu.
• After this, click on the “Accountant and Taxes” option.
• Here, you can select the “Audit Trail” option.

Once you click on this Audit Trail feature, you will have all the details related to reports and company data changes.

Where is Audit Log in QuickBooks Online?

Finding the Audit Log option is quite easier in QuickBooks Online than the QuickBooks Desktop. All you have to do is go to the Gear icon and select the Audit Log button. Let’s have a look at the following steps:

• Browse the “Intuit QuickBooks” website.
• Then, log in to the account.
• After this, click on the “Gear” icon located on the top right.
• Here, you can choose the “Audit Log” option.

As you select the Audit Log option, it will display all the amendments related to reports, bills, or invoices including all the deletions.

By default, the Audit Log or Audit Trail report is sorted by date range, user, and event type such as sign in/sign out, transactions, templates, lists, etc. However, you can sort and filter these reports to meet your requirements.

How Do I Delete an Audit Log in QuickBooks Online & Desktop?

Although there are several benefits of using Audit Log in QuickBooks, users may still find some issues with this. For instance, you may not access the proper functionality of the Audit Logs. For some users, it becomes difficult to locate the transaction history. Moreover, using the Audit Log service may slow down your QuickBooks account. Since the Audit Log keeps essential data for multiple activities, it may increase the file size which results in slow QuickBooks.

In such a scenario, you may want to clear or delete the Audit Log. Fortunately, QuickBooks makes it easy for you with the Condense Data option. Let us give you some insights on how to clear Audit Log in QuickBooks Online and Desktop.

• Navigate to the “File” menu.
• After that, hover over the mouse on the “Utilities” option.
• Then, select the “Condense Data” option.

• When the “Condense your company file” screen opens, you need to choose the option for “Remove the transactions you select from your company file….”.
• Once selected, click the “Next” button.
• After this, you will see the “Condense Data” window. Here, you can select the “Transactions outside of a date range….” option.
• Now, you can choose the date range and enter it in the “Remove transactions before” and “and after” fields.
• Once done, press the “Next” button to continue.
• In the next window, you can select the “Create one summary journal entry….” option.
• After this, click the “Next” option.
• Here, you can follow the prompts given on your screen and complete all the fields.
• When everything is ready, you can hit the “Begin Condense” option.

By implementing these steps, you can smoothly clear the Audit Trail or Audit Log in the QuickBooks account.

What Happens When You Delete the Audit Log in QuickBooks?

Audit Trail gives a number of benefits to manage and track the reports or transactions. However, users may clear or delete the Audit Log due to certain reasons. When you delete the Audit Log, it may not give you the ability to view the changes in reports. On the contrary, deleting the Audit Log gives you certain benefits. Check out the following pointers to know about the important considerations of clearing the Audit Log in QuickBooks:

• By clearing the Audit Trail, you can reduce the file size of your data file. This will help you to boost the speed of your QuickBooks software.
• Removing the Audit Log data does not have any impact on QuickBooks rather it helps to maintain the low file size.
• As you clear the Audit Log data, it improves the functionality and performance of your QuickBooks program.

Users can also use a typical Audit Trail Removal service to clear the Audit Trail data. However, removing the data from Audit Trail will not let you see the modified transactions, voided transactions, and deleted transactions.

Conclusive Words

The Audit Log feature helps business owners to locate the lost transactions and other company data such as modifications in transactions and voided transactions. However, this feature may grow the data file size. As a result, it slows your QuickBooks accounting software. By clearing the Audit Log data, you can reduce the file size. In this guide, we have shown you where you can locate the Audit Log feature and how to delete Audit Log in QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.

Do you want to customize your QuickBooks reports or merge customers in your account? Follow these guides to know the right information:

• How to Create QuickBooks Desktop Custom Reports?
• How to Merge customers in QuickBooks