---
title: "Edit a line item manually"
description: "Double-click a line item to enter inline edit mode. Edit description (with autofill), quantity (with live math), unit, and price. ✓ commits, ✗ cancels."
group: "estimates"
lane: "how-to"
status: "published"
publishedAt: 2026-05-15
sidebarOrder: 60
tags: ["line-items", "ui", "how-to"]
relatedSlugs:
  - "estimates/edit-line-item-via-chat"
  - "estimates/add-custom-line-item"
  - "estimates/delete-line-item"
sidebarLabel: "Edit (manual)"
---

When you want to tweak a single line item and you can see the row, the fastest path is direct editing in the right pane.

## Enter edit mode

**Double-click** anywhere on the line item row. The row swaps to inline edit mode with editable fields.

## What's editable

- **Description** — the line-item name. Wave's autofill catalog suggests pre-formatted items as you type — pick one to keep your descriptions consistent across estimates, or type a custom string to override.
- **QTY** — accepts plain numbers and math expressions. Type `8*3` and you'll see a live preview `= 24.0` underneath. Useful for "wall count × wall length" math without leaving the row.
- **Unit** — EA, SF, LF, HR, DAY, etc. Wave defaults to whatever the catalog item uses.
- **Price** — unit price in dollars. Negative values are allowed (used for discounts and credits — see [Add a custom line item](/docs/estimates/add-custom-line-item)).

## Commit or cancel

- **✓** commits the changes. The line item updates, totals reprice instantly.
- **✗** cancels. The line item returns to its previous state.

## Autofill quirk

The autofill suggestions are usually helpful but they don't always populate the form when clicked. If a click on a suggestion doesn't fill the description, type the full description manually. We've seen this in field reports — it's tracked in [Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting/general-issues).

## When to use this vs. chat

- **Use manual edit** for one-off tweaks where you can see the row, especially anything that involves math.
- **Use chat** when you're issuing several edits at once or you'd rather describe the change ("bump the dehu count to 2 in the hall bathroom").

Both paths produce the same result. See [Edit a line item via chat](/docs/estimates/edit-line-item-via-chat) for the chat version.

## Related

- [Edit a line item via chat](/docs/estimates/edit-line-item-via-chat) — natural-language equivalent
- [Add a custom line item](/docs/estimates/add-custom-line-item) — for items that aren't in the catalog
- [Modify a line item](/docs/estimates/modify-line-item) — apply After Hours, Cat 3, No Bagging, and other surcharges
- [Delete a line item](/docs/estimates/delete-line-item) — remove instead of edit