Getting Started with BizBooks Pro

Welcome! This guide will walk you through everything you need to get up and running in minutes.

Installation

System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
• RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
• Storage: 500MB for application, plus space for your data
• Database: PostgreSQL 15 or 16 (installed automatically)

Download & Install

1. Visit bizbooks.pro/download
2. Click Download for Windows
3. Run the downloaded installer (BizBooks-Pro-Installer.exe) -- a small window appears, fetches the latest setup file, and launches it automatically
4. Follow the setup wizard prompts
5. PostgreSQL will be installed automatically if not present

First Launch

When you first open BizBooks Pro, the Database Setup Wizard will guide you through:

1. Installation Type
   • New Installation - First time setup, creates fresh database
   • Connect to Existing - Join an existing BizBooks Pro database
2. Database Location (for new installations)
   • This Computer - Database runs locally (most common)
   • Network Server - Connect to database on another computer
   • Cloud Server - Connect to cloud-hosted database
3. Connection Test - Verifies everything is working
4. Completion - You're ready to go!

Creating Your First Company

After installation, you'll create your company profile:

Managing more than one business? BizBooks Pro keeps the Company Manager uncluttered after your first setup. Instead of showing the entire new-company form every time, it presents a tidy list of the companies you have on file, with a ➕ Create New Company option as the final list item. Select it only when you want to add another organization, and the complete setup form expands right there — no clutter, no scrolling past fields you rarely touch.

Step 1: Company Information

Click Create Company and enter:

• Company Name - Your business name
• Industry - Select your industry type
• Fiscal Year Start - When your accounting year begins
• Currency - Primary currency for your books

Step 2: Chart of Accounts

BizBooks Pro automatically creates a standard chart of accounts based on your industry. You can:

• Use defaults - Get started immediately
• Customize later - Add, edit, or delete accounts as needed

Step 3: Opening Balances (Optional)

If you're migrating from another system:

1. Go to Accounts → Chart of Accounts
2. Click on any account
3. Enter the opening balance as of your start date

Understanding the Interface

Navigation

The left sidebar contains all main sections:

Can't see the section you want?

The navigation only shows as many items as fit, and it's customisable, so the thing you're looking for may not be on screen. Click More ▾ to see everything else. The ⚙️ button inside that menu turns on customise mode, where you can pin the sections you use to the main navigation and drag them into the order you want (✓ Done when finished, or Reset to Defaults to put it back).

Finding a setting

There are two separate settings areas, and knowing which one you want saves a lot of hunting:

• ⚙️ Company Settings — per company. The company profile, preferences, user management, invoice branding and templates, payment gateway, sales tax codes, check printing, the audit log and the lock date.
• 🔐 System Admin — the whole installation, and only visible to the primary admin user.

Company Settings shows one section at a time. Rather than scrolling, use the Select a section… dropdown at the top of the page to jump straight to the one you need — it's grouped (Getting started, Company & people, Getting paid, Paying out, Books & compliance), and you can type to filter. 📋 Show All Sections displays everything at once if you'd rather browse.

Your First Transactions

Recording Income

Option 1: Simple Sale (No Invoice)

1. Go to Transactions → Journal Entry
2. Debit: Bank Account (increase)
3. Credit: Sales/Income Account (increase)
4. Save

Option 2: Create Invoice First

1. Go to Customers → Select customer → Create Invoice
2. Add line items
3. Save invoice
4. When paid: Receive Payment

Recording Expenses

Option 1: Quick Expense

1. Click Quick Expense on dashboard
2. Select expense category
3. Select payment account (checking, credit card)
4. Enter amount and description
5. Save

Option 2: Write Check

1. Go to Transactions → Write Check
2. Select bank account
3. Enter payee and amount
4. Select expense account
5. Save