To delete an invoice in QuickBooks Online, go to Sales & Get Paid, select Invoices, open the invoice you want to remove, then click More at the bottom and choose Delete. Before you do, know that deleting permanently erases the invoice from your books. In most cases, voiding is the safer choice because it keeps a record while zeroing out the amount.
Deleting a Single Invoice in QuickBooks Online
There are two ways to delete an individual invoice, depending on whether you open it first or act from the list view.
From the invoice page:
- Go to Sales & Get Paid, then select Invoices.
- Find and open the invoice you want to delete.
- At the bottom of the invoice, select More, then Delete.
- Select Yes to confirm.
From the invoices list:
- Go to Sales & Get Paid, then select Invoices.
- Find the invoice in the list.
- In the Action column, open the dropdown and select Delete.
If you need to remove several invoices at once, check the box next to each one in the list, then click the Batch actions button and select Delete. This saves time when you’re cleaning up test invoices or duplicates.
When to Delete vs. When to Void
QuickBooks gives you two options for getting rid of an invoice, and they work very differently behind the scenes.
Voiding cancels the invoice but leaves it visible in your system. The dollar amount changes to zero, and QuickBooks marks it as VOID in your records. It still appears on reports like your balance sheet, so you have a paper trail showing the invoice once existed. Any inventory items linked to the invoice return to stock, and any payments already applied become unapplied so you can redirect them.
Deleting erases the invoice from your records entirely. It no longer shows up in financial reports, customer transaction histories, or anywhere else in QuickBooks. The only trace it leaves is a line in your audit log. You cannot undo a deletion.
Voiding is the better choice in most situations. If you sent an invoice to the wrong customer, billed the wrong amount, or need to cancel a transaction you’ve already recorded, voiding keeps your audit trail intact. Delete only when the invoice should never have existed at all, like a duplicate entry or a test transaction you created while setting up your account.
Invoices With Payments Applied
You cannot delete or void an invoice that has a payment linked to it until you deal with the payment first. If a customer already paid (or you recorded a partial payment), you need to delete or unapply that payment before QuickBooks will let you touch the invoice. Open the payment transaction, remove it, and then return to the invoice to delete or void it.
If you void the invoice instead of deleting it, any linked payments become unapplied automatically. That means the payment still exists in your system, just no longer connected to that specific invoice. You can then apply it to a corrected invoice or refund it.
What You Can and Cannot Delete
QuickBooks Online lets you delete any sales transaction, but voiding is limited to certain transaction types: invoices, bill payments, payments, and sales orders. On the expense side, you can delete any expense transaction, but you can only void checks, expenses, and bill payments. If the Delete option is grayed out or missing, the transaction likely has a linked payment, is part of a reconciled period, or your user role doesn’t have permission to delete transactions.
If your company uses a closing date to lock prior accounting periods, you’ll need the closing date password (set by the account admin) to delete or void anything dated before that cutoff. This is a safeguard to prevent accidental changes to financials that have already been filed or reviewed.
Checking the Audit Log for Deleted Invoices
Once an invoice is deleted, you can’t restore it. But QuickBooks does record the deletion in your audit log, which tracks every transaction change made by every user. To find it, go to Reports and look for the Audit Log. Use the filter dropdown to search specifically for Deleted/Voided transactions. You can narrow results further by setting a date range for when the invoice was originally created.
The audit log shows who deleted the invoice, when they did it, and basic details about the original transaction. This is useful if invoices are disappearing unexpectedly or if you need to recreate a deleted invoice manually. Since QuickBooks does not offer an undo or restore function for deletions, your only option is to create a new invoice with the same details.
Deleting Invoices in QuickBooks Desktop
The process in QuickBooks Desktop is slightly different from the Online version. Open the invoice you want to remove, then go to the Edit menu at the top of the screen. You’ll see options for both Void Invoice and Delete Invoice. Choose the one that fits your situation. QuickBooks will ask you to confirm before completing either action.
The same rules apply: voiding zeroes out the amount and keeps the record, while deleting removes it permanently. Desktop also maintains an audit trail, so deleted invoices still appear in your transaction history log even after they’re gone from your books. If you’re working in a multi-user environment, make sure you have the right permissions before attempting to delete. Admins can restrict which users are allowed to void or delete transactions through the user role settings.