Many business owners ask the same question frequently that “Can I undo a merged account in QuickBooks Online?” Unfortunately, the answer is no. Once you merge accounts, QuickBooks doesn’t offer an undo button or any option to unmerge them. It’s a permanent action you can’t reverse, which is why careful planning matters before you hit merge.
But don’t worry. If you’ve already merged accounts by mistake, there are ways to fix it. You can use a backup file to restore your data or manually rebuild the account split.
Let’s check out your options.
Why QuickBooks Doesn’t Allow Unmerging?
QuickBooks designed the merge function to be final and irreversible. When you merge two accounts, all transactions from one account move into another. The deleted account gets wiped from your chart of accounts completely. This permanent design protects your data integrity and prevents accidental changes later on.
The software treats a merge like combining two bank deposits into one. Once combined, separating them would require manually reversing every single transaction. That’s why QuickBooks chose to make it permanent rather than adding an undo feature.
What Actually Happens When You Merge Two Accounts on QuickBooks?
When you merge accounts in QuickBooks, the transactions don’t disappear. They just move to the surviving account. Your financial reports still show all the activity, but under one account name instead of two. This keeps your numbers accurate even though the account structure changes.
The key thing to understand: the merge only affects the chart of accounts structure, not your transaction history or balances.
How to Fix a Merged Account Mistake in QuickBooks?
If you merged accounts by accident, you have two solid options. First, restore your file from a backup before the merge happened. Most people keep daily backups, so this is often the quickest fix. Second, manually create a new account and move the transactions back using your transaction history as a guide.
The backup method takes minutes. The manual method takes longer but works if you don’t have a recent backup available.
Steps to Restore From Backup
Go to your QuickBooks settings and find the backup section. Choose the backup file from before you merged the accounts. Restore it to your current file. QuickBooks will roll back all changes, including the merge. Your accounts return to their original state exactly as they were.
This works best when you catch the mistake quickly, within hours or days of the merge.
Manually Splitting Merged Accounts
If backups aren’t available, you can split merged accounts manually in Quickbooks. First, create two new accounts with the names you want. Then, review the transaction history in the merged account. Move each transaction to the correct account based on when and why it was recorded.
This method is slower but gives you complete control over which transactions go where.
Which Accounts Cannot be Merged in QuickBooks Online?
Income and expense accounts, as well as accounts connected to online banking, cannot be merged in QuickBooks Online. This restriction protects the integrity of your transactions and prevents data conflicts. Balance sheet accounts, like bank and credit card accounts, can usually be merged if they’re not currently linked to online banking or set as special default accounts.
QuickBooks cannot merge accounts that:
- Are set up for online banking feeds
- Handle income or expense transactions
- Are core system accounts (Undeposited Funds, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable)
- Use different currencies (if multi-currency is enabled)
Always check your chart of accounts for connections or restrictions before merging. If in doubt, consult QuickBooks help or your accountant for details about specific accounts. That way, your books stay accurate and you avoid merge errors.
Conclusion
Always review your Quickbooks accounts carefully before merging. Export your data to Excel first. Double-check that the accounts share the same type (both expenses or both income accounts). Inform your accountant if you’re merging significant accounts.
The safest approach is to make a backup before any merge, then confirm the merge is correct by checking a few reports afterward. Once you’re sure it worked, you can delete the backup file.
