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Open an invoice and click PDF export. The file downloads to your computer.

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How to download

1

Open the invoice

Click its row in the Invoices list.
2

Click PDF export

The button is at the top of the invoice, next to Edit and Send invoice.
3

Wait a moment

The button reads Preparing… while the document is built.
4

The file downloads

Your browser saves it with a name derived from the invoice number.
The PDF is available at any status, including Draft and Void.

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The filename

The file is named after the invoice’s display number: Characters that are awkward in a filename, such as slashes, are replaced with hyphens.

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What the PDF contains

The PDF is the same document you see on screen. Nothing is recalculated for the export. Discount, Tax, Paid, Credit notes and Written off only appear when they are above zero, so a simple invoice stays simple. Dates follow your workspace date format. See /settings/date-and-time-format.

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The client gets the same PDF

When you send an invoice, the same document is attached to the client’s email. There is no second version and no different layout – the client’s copy and your download are built from the same source. See /invoicing/send-an-invoice.

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Plans

Downloading an invoice PDF needs the exports feature, which is on Pro. The check runs after your permission is confirmed, so someone who cannot see the invoice at all gets a permission message rather than an upgrade prompt. See /concepts/plans-and-features.

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Permissions

There is no separate PDF capability. If you can open the invoice, you can export it – subject to the plan. Cost figures are never in the document. An invoice carries client-facing money only, so the PDF is safe to share. See /invoicing/invoice-permissions.

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Example

Ruth Castillo at Bluebird Coffee asks for a copy of March’s invoice for her accountant.
1

Open it

Daniel opens INV-000042 in the Invoices list.
2

Export

He clicks PDF export. The button shows Preparing…, then Invoice-INV-000042.pdf downloads.
3

Check

The document shows Northwind Studio in From, Bluebird Coffee in Bill to, three lines, and a Balance due of $1,332.80 after the part payment.

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Common questions

Yes. The PDF works at any status. A draft prints with the Draft status label.
The layout is fixed. What you control is the From block and the description on each line.
Not from the invoice list. Export them one at a time, or use a report export for a summary. See /reports/export-a-report.
Never. An invoice carries client-facing figures only.
Because it is still a record. It exports with a large VOID watermark so it cannot be mistaken for a live invoice.
Yes. Export it again and the Paid and Balance due rows reflect the current ledger.

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Troubleshooting

Send an invoice

The client gets the same PDF.

Invoice sender details

The From block on the document.

Invoice numbering

Where the filename comes from.

Invoice statuses

The watermark and the overdue notice.

Plans and features

Why exports need Pro.

Record a payment

What changes the totals block.