How does search and sort work?

Business owners can use search to quickly find specific information or open specific areas of the app, as well as filter lists with advanced search to help narrow down results even further. When using search to filter lists, business owners also have the option to sort most lists by selecting a specific column header to sort in ascending or descending order.
 
You can also use keyboard shortcuts to navigate to specific sections of your account quickly.
 
 

Search

You can search for most things in FreshBooks, including sections of FreshBooks that you’d like to navigate to quickly with the below steps:
  1. In your FreshBooks account, select the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner, or select CMD + K for Macs / CTRL + K for Windows
    Search icon in top right corner of account.
  2. Enter a specific symbol, phrase and/or keyword
  3. Then select Enter on your keyboard, or select the highlighted result, this will open the specific section or content you’ve selected.
 

Available to Search

The below are available for searching:

Symbols

  • / for sections
  • # for invoices by client or invoice number
  • @ for client names
  • $ for estimates by client or estimate number
  • % for expenses by client
  • ^ for project names
 

Sections and Keywords

Account
  • Dashboard section
  • Clients section
    • Client names
  • Estimates section
    • Estimate and Proposal numbers
  • Invoices section
    • Invoice numbers
  • Payments section
  • Expenses section
    • Expense merchant names
    • Expense categories
  • Projects section
    • Project names
  • Time Tracking section
  • Accounting section
  • Reports section
    • Accounts Aging report
    • Accounts Payable Aging report
    • Balance Sheet report
    • Bank Reconciliation Summary report
    • Credit Balance report
    • Expense report
    • General Ledger report
    • Invoice Details report
    • Item Sales report
    • Payments Collected report
    • Profit and Loss report
    • Profitability Details report
    • Profitability Summary report
    • Retainer Summary report
    • Revenue by Client report
    • Sales Tax Summary report
    • Team Utilization report
    • Time Entry Details report
    • Trial Balance report
Settings
  • Account Profile section
  • Add-Ons section
  • Apps section
  • Billing and Upgrade section
  • Bank Connections section
  • Items and Services section
 

Search in Sections

If you need to search within a specific list, you can use the below information. Some sections of your FreshBooks account will also include an advanced search with additional filters for further refinement of your results.

Clients

Search By:
  • Address (street, city, province/state, country, postal/zip code)
  • Currency
  • Email
  • Internal notes
  • Company name
  • Phone number
  • Primary contact’s name (first and last)
  • Secondary contact’s name (first and last)
 
Or select the Advanced Search button next to the search bar to view extra options to filter your search with:
Clients advanced search with extra fields to filter your results by.
  • Company Name - Search by a specific company name
  • Contact Name - Search by a specific contact name (primary or secondary contact)
  • Email - Search by a specific email
  • Keyword Search - Enter the keyword or number you want to search
  • All Fields - Choose where to search for the keyword or number - in All Fields, Phone Number, Address, Internal Note, Total Outstanding, Credit Number or Credit Amount
  • Reset all - Use this if you need to reset the advanced search back to the default blank fields
 
Sort By: Credit, Company (or by First and Last Name if no Company Name is listed), Primary Contact or by Total Outstanding.
 

Sent Emails

Search By: 
  • Date sent
  • Email body
  • Email type
  • Email subject
  • Company name
  • Recipient (first and last name)
  • Sender (first and last name of owner or team member)

Or select the Advanced Search button next to the search bar to view extra options to filter your search with:
Sent emails advanced search with extra fields to filter your results by.
  • Sender - Choose between All Team Members, or add as many specific team members as needed
  • Recipient - Choose specific recipients to search by
  • Date Range - Choose from Last 90 Days, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, Last 60 Days or Custom
  • Email Type - Choose between All Emails or only specific emails - Checkout Link Payment, Client Invite, Credit, Declined Checkout Link Payment, Declined Invoice Payment, Direct Debit, Estimate, Estimate Comment, Invoice, Invoice Comment, Late Payment, Online Payment, Proposal, Proposal Comment, Recurring Invoice, Recurring Online Payment, Refund, Report, or Retainer Invoice
  • Email Subject - Enter the keywords you want to search in email subjects only
  • Email Body - Enter the keywords you want to search in the email body only
  • Reset all - Use this if you need to reset the advanced Search back to the default blank fields
 

Invoices

Search By:
  • Amount
  • Address (street, city, province/state, country, postal/zip code)
  • Currency
  • Date
  • Description
  • Invoice number
  • Notes
  • Company name
  • Primary contact’s name (first and last)
  • Reference number
  • Terms
  • Year
 
Or select the Advanced Search button next to the search bar to view extra options to filter your search with:

Invoice advanced search with extra fields to filter your results by.
  • Clients - Choose between All Clients, or add as many specific clients as needed
  • Invoice Status - Choose from All, Outstanding, Overdue, Paid, Auto-Paid, Partially Paid, Sent, Viewed and Draft, or a mix of any
  • Date Range - Choose between All Time, This Year, Last 7 / 30 / 60 / 90 Days, Last Year or Custom, as well as choose whether to filter by the Issued Date or Due Date on the invoices
  • Keyword Search - Enter the keywords or number you want to search
  • All Fields - Choose where to search for the keyword or number, from All Fields to Item Name, Invoice Number, Invoice Amount, Reference Number or Notes
  • Currency - Choose All Currencies or a specific currency to filter by
  • Reset all - Use this if you need to reset the advanced Search back to the default blank fields
 
Sort By: Amount, Client (not sortable if using advanced search), Description (not sortable if using advanced search), Due Date, Invoice Number, Issued Date, or by Status. 
 

Recurring Templates

Search By:
  • Amount
  • Address (street, city, province/state, country, postal/zip code)
  • Currency
  • Description
  • Frequency (every month, week, year)
  • Notes
  • Company name
  • Terms
 
Sort By: Amount, Client, Duration, Frequency, Last Issued or by Status. 
 

Received (To Me)

Search By: 
  • Amount
  • Address (street, city, province/state, country, postal/zip code)
  • Currency
  • Date
  • Description
  • Invoice number
  • Notes
  • Company name
  • Primary contact’s name (first and last)
  • Reference number
  • Terms
  • Year
 
Or select the Advanced Search button next to the search bar to view extra options to filter your search with:
Received invoices advanced search with extra fields to filter your results by.
  • Sender - Enter the Sender's first name, last name, or email
  • Invoice Status - Choose from All, Disputed, Outstanding, Overdue, Paid, Auto-Paid, Partially Paid, Sent, and Viewed, or a mix of any
  • Date Range - Choose between All Time, This Year, Last 7 / 30 / 60 / 90 Days, Last Year or Custom, as well as choose whether to filter by the Issued Date or Due Date on the invoices
  • Keyword Search - Enter the keywords or number you want to search
  • All Fields - Choose where to search for the keyword or number, from All Fields to Item Description, Item Name, Invoice Number, Invoice Amount, Reference Number or Notes
  • Currency - Choose All Currencies or a specific currency to filter by
  • Reset all - Use this if you need to reset the advanced Search back to the default blank fields
 
Sort By: Amount, Due Date, Invoice Number, Issued Date or by Status.
 

Retainers

Search By:
  • Address (street, city, province/state, country, postal/zip code)
  • Fee
  • Notes
  • Company name
  • Primary contact’s name (first and last)
  • Terms
 

Payments

Under Invoice Payments, select the Advanced Search button next to the search bar to view extra options to filter your search with:
Invoice payments advanced search with extra fields to filter your results by.
  • Clients - Choose between All Clients, or add as many specific clients as needed
  • Payment Type - Choose between All Payment Types or add as many specific types as needed
  • Currency - Choose All Currencies or a specific currency to filter by
  • Keyword Search - Enter the keywords or number you want to search
  • All Fields - Choose where to search for the keyword or number, from All Fields to Amount, Internal Notes, Invoice Number, or Credit Amount
  • Date Range - Choose between All Time, This Year, Last 7 / 30 / 60 / 90 Days, Last Year or Custom
  • Reset all - Use this if you need to reset the advanced Search back to the default blank fields
 
Sort By: Amount, Payment Date or Type.
 

Expenses

Search By:
  • Amount
  • Category (including subcategory)
  • Client (first and last name, company name, email)
  • Currency
  • Description
  • Merchant
  • Source (bank account)
  • Status (billed, unbilled)
  • Tax amount
  • Tax name
 
Or select the Advanced Search button to view extra options to filter your search with:

Expense advanced search with extra fields to filter your results by.
  • Category - Choose between All Categories, Uncategorized, or add as many specific categories/subcategories as needed
  • Merchant - Select All Merchants, No Merchant, or a specific merchant as needed
  • Date Range - Choose between All Time, This Year, Last 7 / 30 / 60 / 90 Days, Last Year or Custom
  • Status - Choose between All Statuses, Billable, or Non-Billable
  • Keyword Search - Enter the keywords or number you want to search
  • All Fields - Choose where to search for the keyword or number - in All Fields, Expense Amount, or Description
  • Bank Account - Choose from All Bank Accounts, or the specific account you’d like to search in
  • Currency - Choose All Currencies or a specific currency to filter by
  • Reset all - Use this if you need to reset the advanced Search back to the default blank fields
 
Sort By: Amount, Category (not sortable if using advanced search), Client (not sortable if using advanced search), Date, Status, or by Merchant (not sortable if using advanced search).
 

Bills

Search By:
  • Amount
  • Category (including subcategory)
  • Description
  • Vendor (first and last name, company, email)
  • Status (overdue, paid, unpaid)
Sort By: Amount, Bill No., Category, Description, Due Date, Issue Date, Status, Tax, or by Vendor.
 

Recurring Expenses

Search By:
  • Amount
  • Category (including subcategory)
  • Client (first and last name, company name, email)
  • Description
  • Merchant
  • Status (active, inactive)
 
Sort By: Amount, Category, Client, Duration, Frequency, Merchant, or by Status.
 

Vendors

Search By:
  • Account number
  • Address (street, city, province/state, country, postal/zip code)
  • Vendor (first and last name, company, email)
  • Total outstanding
Sort By: Account Number, Email Address, First and Last Name, Total Outstanding, or by Vendor
 

Estimates and Proposals

Search By:
  • Amount
  • Address (street, city, province/state, country, postal/zip code)
  • Client (first and last name, company name, email)
  • Currency
  • Description
  • Estimate/proposal number
  • Notes
  • Company name
  • Reference number
  • Terms
 
Or select the Advanced Search button next to the search bar to view extra options to filter your search with:

Estimates advanced search with extra fields to filter your results by.


  • Clients - Choose between All Clients, or add as many specific clients as needed
  • Status - Choose from All, Accepted, Draft, Viewed, or a mix of any
  • Currency - Choose All Currencies or a specific currency to filter by
  • Date Range - Choose between All Time, This Year, Last 7 / 30 / 60 / 90 Days, Last Year, or Custom
  • Estimate Amount - Choose a Minimum and Maximum amount to search a range of estimates/proposals with
  • Keyword Search - Enter the keywords or number you want to search
  • All Fields - Choose where to search for the keyword or number, from All Fields to Amount, Item Description, Item Name, Notes, Estimate/Proposal Number, or Reference Number
  • Reset all - Use this if you need to reset the advanced Search back to the default blank fields
 
Sort By: Amount, Client, Date, Description, Estimate Number, or by Status.
 

Time Tracking

Search By:
  • Client (first and last name, company name)
  • Project
  • Notes
  • Team member
  • Service
  • Status (billed, unbilled)
 
Sort By: Date, Note, Project, Service, Status, or by Time.
 

Projects

Search By:
  • Client (first and last name, company name)
  • Project
  • Team member
 
Sort By: Client, End Date, Last Invoice, Project Name, Unbilled Amount or by Unbilled Hours. 
 

Accounting

Bank Reconciliation

Search By:
  • Amount
  • Date
  • Description
  • Entry type (for FreshBooks entries only)
 

Settings - Items and Services

Search By:
  • Description
  • Name
  • Rate
 
Sort By: Always Add to Projects (only for services), Billable (only for services), Current Stock (only for items), Description, Name, Income Account or by Rate.