In that case try changing the view to multiple windows and then see if your column widths stick after setting them, closing the window, and then opening it again.

View > Open Window List (Checked)

View > Top Icon Bar (Checked)

View > One Window (Checked)

This is what I have set and it solved it. Navigate using the open window menu on the left and the top icon bar.

I did that (as suggested in other replies above). Didn't work. 

Hello otfreceiving,

I have reviewed the solution you’ve shared and it's correct and accurate. Thank you for sharing your inputs to help address the issue.

We love to see members supporting one another! Have a great day.

AlcaeusF go do something important! We shouldn't be talking about this issue anymore, it should of been fixed years ago. And to have quickbook employees congratulating end users on figuring out work arounds for programming flaws is Freaking ridiculous!

I have been having this issue for over 10 years.  QuickBooks has never been able to solve it - nor do they seem interested in solving it.  It doesn't matter how many times I adjust the columns, within four entries the columns are already moving.  I don't need a quantity column that is bigger than my description column!

Apparently, QuickBooks is NOT designed to have the columns stay in place.  Otherwise, this issue would not be consistently happening.

Unfortunately, this is untrue for me.  I very seldom (if ever) maximize my windows and my columns do NOT stay put - ever.

Unfortunately, submitting feedback appears to be a waste of time.  With over 10 years of feedback on this issue, along with several other issues, this is still a problem and the problems with the program keep increasing.  I am calling support at least twice a month due to these programming issues and all I get is either time consuming work-arounds - or the run around from techs and "escalated" techs.  75% of the time, I know more than the techs and they treat me as if I know nothing.  QuickBooks is lucky there are not many cost-effective options out there or they would steadily be losing their customers.

You must have a lot of patience - I never get on the phone with customer service, as it's been my experience that it's a huge waste of time.  I get most of my fixes (work arounds) from the user community or YouTube videos.

Agree that many of these issues have been reported for YEARS with nothing done.  And our company is not on the cheap version of the software - we use the Enterprise desktop version.

It's my firm belief that they're trying to migrate everyone over to the watered-down versions online rather than making any meaningful fixes into the desktop platform.  We tried QB online for a segment of our business and it was impossible to do what we needed, so we migrated it back to desktop.  Visually online looks nice, but nothing is in the same place as desktop or done the same way, so again, it's loads of frustration and time wasted with little reward. 

You must have a lot of patience @SherriLR - I never get on the phone with customer service, as it's been my experience that it's a huge waste of time.  I get most of my fixes (work arounds) from the user community or YouTube videos.

Agree that many of these issues have been reported for YEARS with nothing done.  And our company is not on the cheap version of the software - we use the Enterprise desktop version.

It's my firm belief that they're trying to migrate everyone over to the watered-down versions online rather than making any meaningful fixes into the desktop platform.  We tried QB online for a segment of our business and it was impossible to do what we needed, so we migrated it back to desktop.  Visually online looks nice, but nothing is in the same place as desktop or done the same way, so again, it's loads of frustration and time wasted with little reward. 

My patience is exhausted.  Intuit has made no functional updates or enhancements outside of online.  Desktop is an unwanted entity of the past, and Intuit can't wait for the day it stops and forces users to go to their online version.  Won't happen here.  I love cloud based programs, but not QBO --- I am currently seeking a program for a quick exit from QB!!!!

I never thought I'd see an answer for this problem. Thank you for your many years of tenacity on one of the most frustrating parts about QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.

I will miss not being able to use the "View Balances" side bar, but at least I won't waste so much time trying to resize my columns all the time!

It's not ideal, but I'm going to try this.  So frustrating to continually have to use work-arounds to use QB daily without wanting to bang your head against the wall.

This workaround still doesn't solve the tiny and unexpandable boxes with Purchaser / Ship To, Terms, Customer Message, or Memo fields on the Estimates and similar fixed fields on other forms though.  Those continue to be a major frustration since I often have to copy paste info from some of those fields to other places where I need it.