How to Change a Customer to a Vendor or Employee in QuickBooks?


Last Update: January 12th, 2026     Author: Adams Williams

Reviewed By: SMBAccountants Editorial Team

There is no choice in QuickBooks to change a name type from customer to vendor. It’s dependent upon you to additionally characterize and order vendors into types depending on the necessities of your business.

Since there are some limitations with QuickBooks, this is one of them. You cannot directly change the customer to the vendor, but we have some alternative solutions that can help you out.

Firstly, you should be very clear with the concept of the customer and vendor relationship in QuickBooks. Let’s take a quick overview. The customer is the one who pays the vendor for the services or the products, whereas the vendor is someone who provides or offers the products and services to the customers.

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How to Change a Customer to a Vendor or Employee in QuickBooks?

Method 1: How to Change Customer to Vendor or Employee Name Type?

As of now there is only the change name option in QuickBooks but you can also change the name type by following the steps provided below:

Total Time: 2 minutes

  1. Login QuickBooks

    Open your QuickBooks software.

  2. Delete The Name

    Go to the customer tab and delete the name.

  3. Recreate The Name

    After that recreate the name under the appropriate name type. But this can only be done if there is no transaction corresponding to that name.

  4. Navigate to Center Tab

    Now navigate to the Center tab like the Customer Center, Vendor Center, or Employee Center to see where the name exists currently.

  5. Last Step

    Next, you need to locate the name, right-click on the name and select the delete command.

Read This: How to record a refund from a vendor in QuickBooks

Method 2: Change Customer to Vendor

  • Open your QuickBooks software.
  • Go to the customer tab and make the name inactive.
  • After that, you need to recreate the name under the proper name type. You can use this option if there are transactions corresponding to that name.
  • Now navigate to the Center tab like the Customer Center, Vendor Center, or Employee Center to see where the name exists currently.
  • Next, you need to locate the name, right-click on the name and select the make [Customer: Job/Vendor/Employee] inactive command.
Note: Once the change has taken place, the name type cannot be altered again.

Issues Faced While Changing Customers To Vendors

The name can sometimes be entered incorrectly or changed incorrectly.

  • The name you are entering already exists. Another customer, vendor, or employee is already using this name. Please use a different name.
  • QuickBooks Customer and vendor name suddenly disappears.

Alternate Step: Change a Customer to a Vendor

  1. Create a new vendor name.
    • Select Vendors in Get paid & pay.
    • At the top right, select New Vendor.
    • Choose a name one keystroke different from the Customer’s name in the Full Name field.
    • Complete the rest of the contact information.
    • Select Save.
  2. Generate a Transaction List by Customer report to retrieve the account details, dates, and amounts associated with the specific customer.
  3. Modify each transaction that is associated with the customer and save them under the new Vendor name.
  4. After all transactions have been edited or added, remove the Customer name from the records.
  5. If required, make changes to the Vendor name as well.

Steps to Change Employee to Vendor

Simply create a new vendor. Enter the employee’s transactions as checks. And inactive employees.

Follow the Steps to Create Checks:

You can create checks in QuickBooks Online to track your expenses and organize your checking account and bank statement reconciliation.

To create checks:

  1. Select the Create icon.
  2. Under Vendors, select Check.
  3. Drop down the list and select Payee.
  4. Select the bank account where the money will be withdrawn.
  5. All checks must be filled out. The Memo field is optional. Enter text in the Memo field in the register, on print checks, or on the reports containing this check.
  6. Print or preview checks if you need them printed.
  7. Select Save and close or Save and new.

You are now ready to write a check in QuickBooks Online.

Note: The Register is an easy way to insert checks, or you can download transactions directly from the bank if you have a lot of checks to write.

The employee’s transaction needs to be entered into the checks, then the employee needs to be inactive.

Add, Edit, or Inactivate an Employee

You can easily add, edit, or inactive employees in QuickBooks Online without subscribing to payroll by following these steps.

Add an Employee

  • Choose Workers > Employees.
  • Click on Add an employee.
  • Insert the employee’s information.
  • Click on the Save option.

Edit an Employee’s Information

  • Select Employees under the Workers option.
  • Go to Action and choose Edit.
  • And edit information according to you.
  • Then Save it.

Make an Employee Inactive

  • Click on Employees under the Workers option.
  • Select Edit from the drop-down menu beside Action.
  • Choose to Make inactive.

Follow these steps to make employees active again:

  • Under Add an employee, select the Gear icon.
  • Include inactive users.
  • Select Make active.

How to Create a Vendor

  • Click on Vendors under Expense in the left-hand menu.
  • On the upper right, click New vendor.
  • Set the vendor information.
  • After that, click on Save.

How to Change a Vendor to a Customer In QuickBooks

  1. Set up a new Customer name (QuickBooks Online doesn’t allow duplicate names):
    • Navigate to the “Get paid & pay” section and click on “Customers” to access the desired page.
    • Click on “New Customer” located at the top right corner of the page.
    • In the “Last Name” field, enter a name that differs by just one keystroke from the Vendor’s name.
    • Complete the remaining contact information for the new customer.
    • Click on “Save” to save the new customer details.
  2. Generate a Transaction List by Vendor report to retrieve the account details, dates, and amounts associated with the specific vendor.
  3. Modify each transaction that is associated with the vendor and save them under the new Customer name.
  4. After all transactions have been edited or added, remove the Vendor name from the records.
  5. If necessary, make changes to the Customer name as well.

It will change the automated process that you can access with regard to an organization or an individual when you change a customer to a vendor or vice versa in QuickBooks. These changes may result in the loss of data associated with them regarding any person or company. In QuickBooks, each user or vendor has a notepad where you can add, append, or edit notes.

Need Professional Help?

For more information on QuickBooks and related software, you can contact our SMB tech support team at Toll-Free Number smbaccountants.com. They will provide you with the easiest and best solution for any of your queries. We have very knowledgeable and skilled professionals who have immense knowledge and can guide you instantly.

FAQs

  1. Will a Customer be a Vendor in QuickBooks?

    The answer is No, customers, and vendors both are apart from each other. All of them are independent of one another in QuickBooks accounting software. That implies there isn’t any approach to applying vendor credit to a customer receipt.

  2. Is There Any Path to Categorize Vendors?

    💠 From the left panel, you have to open the  Reports and click on it.
    💠 Now, you have to look down to the Expenses and Vendors fields.
    💠 Then, you have to locate and open the “Vendor contact list report”.
    💠 If there is other data you need, hit click on the “Customize” button.
    💠 After that, you are all set to click on the Run Report to categorize the vendors.

  3. How would I change my vendor payment in QuickBooks?

    💠 You can easily change a vendor payment method as per your preference.
    💠 First of all, open Expenses and choose the “Vendors” from the drop-down menu.
    💠 Now, you have to locate and choose a “Vendor” option to open it.
    💠 After that, check the flag on top and choose likewise: For solicitations: you have to choose the  “Manage Invite” option.
    💠 For the manual bank section: you have to choose the” Change payment method” to check.

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