In QuickBooks Desktop for Windows, open Edit > Preferences to change settings. Choose My Preferences for a setting that applies to your user, or Company Preferences for defaults that apply to users. The documented Revert option is narrower: it restores specific report-format settings, not every QuickBooks preference.
Choose the right preference scope
Intuit’s Windows instructions put preferences under Edit > Preferences. The tabs determine who a change affects:
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- My Preferences: settings for the individual user making the change.
- Company Preferences: defaults for users. Changing these may require QuickBooks Desktop administrator access.
Menu labels and available preference categories can differ by edition or release. Check that the instructions match your QuickBooks Desktop version before following a click-by-click path. [Intuit: Set report preferences]
Revert report formatting to its defaults
Intuit documents Revert for report formatting, not as a global reset for QuickBooks Desktop settings. Back up your company file before proceeding.
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- Go to Edit > Preferences > Reports & Graphs.
- Select the Company Preferences tab, then choose Format.
- In Report Format Preferences, select Revert under Header/Footer, then confirm the dialog.
- Select Revert under Fonts & Numbers, then confirm that dialog.
This restores the specified report-format settings to their defaults; it does not revert unrelated preferences. Intuit’s guidance says that when preferences are not working as expected in this report-preferences context, the report templates are likely damaged. That observation concerns report troubleshooting, not every kind of preference problem. [Intuit: Set report preferences]
Try One Window for certain display problems
If you are troubleshooting a screen issue in QuickBooks Desktop for Windows, Intuit suggests trying the One Window display preference:
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- Open Edit > Preferences > Desktop View.
- Select My Preferences, then choose One Window.
- Close and reopen QuickBooks, then reopen the company file and check whether the display issue is resolved.
This is a targeted troubleshooting step, not a universal default or reset. [Intuit: Fix screen issues in QuickBooks Desktop]
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Intuit distinguishes the installation routes by whether preferences from a prior version are carried into the new version:
| Installation route | Preference behavior described by Intuit |
|---|---|
| Express install over the previous version | Saves preferences from the previous version. |
| Custom and Network Options install in a different location | Does not add prior-version preferences to the new version. |
This describes preference handling during installation. It is not documented as a supported way to reset preferences in an existing installation. Check Intuit’s installation instructions for your release before choosing an upgrade path. [Intuit: Install QuickBooks Desktop]
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is there a global QuickBooks Desktop preferences reset?
The cited Intuit guidance establishes a Revert action for two areas of report formatting and explains certain individual preferences. It does not establish one Windows command that resets every preference across supported versions. Do not treat the report-format Revert option, an installation route, or a display setting as a complete reset.
If you need every preference restored, first identify your Windows edition and QuickBooks Desktop release, then get version-specific instructions from Intuit. The cited steps apply to Windows; QuickBooks Desktop for Mac uses a different menu path, so these directions should not be assumed to apply there.
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