Changing a product’s category is straightforward. You just edit the product directly. There are a couple of ways to get there, both covered below. After the walkthrough, you’ll find answers to the most common questions about categories, reporting impact, and bulk changes.
What happens to your reports when you change a category: Garde reports show data based on a product’s current category — not what it was at the time of purchase. So if you recategorize sherry from “Wine” to “Food,” all historical purchases will now appear under “Food” in most reports. The one exception is Budget reporting, which preserves historical category assignments alongside the current one. Closed invoices won’t change, and anything already exported to your accounting system (QBO or QBD) stays as-is there.
First — Select the product and open it for editing
There are two ways to get there:
Option 1: From the Products page
Go to Products > View All Products on the left side of the screen.
Use the search bar to find your product, select it, and click Edit Product.
Option 2: From New Vendor Item Review
From Products > New Vendor Item Review, click the product name (hyperlinked in blue).
Second — Make the changes
If you have access to multiple units, you’ll see an option right below the product name to set the category the same for all locations or different by location. The current setting is indicated by blue shading.
In this example, Limes are set as “Produce” across all locations.
To change the category, click the drop-down and pick the new one.
Split allocation across multiple categories
Want to split a product’s cost across two or more categories? Click the “Add a category” plus sign, select the second category, and adjust the percentages. They need to add up to 100.
(Note: the category assignment is set per product, not per invoice or vendor. Once defined, it applies across all vendors and invoices within a location.)
After you select the category, click Save and you’re done.
Different categories by location
If a product should live in a different category depending on the location, select “Different by Location”.
You’ll see the current “Default Category” and which locations are using it. Click “Add a category assignment” to set up a location-specific override.
Choose the category and then choose the location.
Now you can see how the default and location-based categories differ. In this example, Wasabi Natick classifies Limes as “Liquor,” while the other two locations keep it as “Produce.”
- To split this category across multiple categories for a specific location, click the “plus” sign below the Category header (next to “Liquor” in the example above). The tooltip will say “Add a category split.” Combined percentages must equal 100.
- To add a category rule for a different location, click “Add a category assignment” again.
When you’re finished, click Save.
For more on editing products, see Finding and Editing Your Products in Garde.
Keep an eye on new product categories through the Products > New Vendor Item Review page.
Can I restrict the categories for a specific vendor?
Yes. If you want to lock your linen vendor to only allow “Linen,” or lock Office Depot to “Office Supplies,” you can set that up with Category Restrictions. Details here: Vendor Settings - Accounting Configuration.
Can I add a new category?
If you don’t see the category you need, you can create one. Check out General Ledger Accounts, Categories, and Category Types. And if you need a new Custom Category Type beyond the standard FWBL options, see Adding Custom COGS Category Type.
Can I change categories for multiple products at the same time?
Yes — here’s how: How To Change Product Categories in Bulk (Video).
I buy the same product but want it categorized two different ways. Is that possible?
You can’t change a product’s category on a per-invoice basis — Garde codes items per product, not per invoice. But you can set a product to split proportionally across multiple categories. For example, every time you buy limes, 10% goes to “Bar Consumables” and 90% goes to “Produce.” Setting an average split is the way to handle this.
What happens to my reports if I change a product’s category?
Garde reports show data based on a product’s current category. The only exception is Budget reporting, which reflects both historical and current category assignments. All other reports will treat the product as if it has always been in the new category.
Closed invoices won’t be updated, and anything already exported to your accounting system stays the same on that side.
How can I find a specific product?
You can get to a product a few different ways:
Products page — Go to Products > View All Products, search for the product, click the row, then click “Edit Product.”
Vendor Items page — Go to Vendors > Vendor Items and search by vendor name or item name. Click the row to see the vendor item details, including its associated product, and click “Edit Product.”
Vendors page — Go to Vendors > Vendors, select a vendor, and look at the Vendor Items tab. Click any item to see its details and associated product, then click “Edit Product.”
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