Import Excel into QuickBooks
Drop an Excel workbook of bank transactions and download a QBO file QuickBooks imports as a bank download. Also gives you an IIF for QuickBooks Desktop or a QuickBooks-ready CSV.
Drop your CSV / Excel file here
or click to browse
Bank only gives you a PDF statement? Convert the PDF to QBO with StatementConverterAI.
How to import an Excel sheet into QuickBooks
Drop the .xlsx file
The first worksheet is read in your browser. Account details above the table and balance rows without a date are skipped.
Check the columns
Confirm which columns hold the date, the description and the signed amount, then download the QBO file.
Import into QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online: Bank transactions > Upload from file. Desktop: File > Utilities > Import > Web Connect Files.
What QuickBooks accepts, and where Excel fits
| You want to import | QuickBooks takes | From your Excel sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Bank transactions, QuickBooks Online | CSV (3 or 4 columns), QBO, QFX, OFX | QBO here, or the QuickBooks-ready CSV |
| Bank transactions, QuickBooks Desktop | QBO (Web Connect) or IIF | QBO here, or IIF for journal-style imports |
| Customers, vendors, items, accounts | Excel, through QuickBooks' own list import | No conversion needed |
QuickBooks Online's CSV upload has limits a QBO file avoids: the CSV must be 350 KB or less, in English, with up to 1,000 lines, and either 3 columns (Date, Description, Amount) or 4 (Date, Description, Credit, Debit). A QBO file carries a transaction ID for every line, so importing the same month twice doesn't create duplicates. The step-by-step CSV route is in Import CSV into QuickBooks Online.
Getting the sheet ready
- One transaction per row, with a date, a description and an amount. Extra columns (balance, category, check number) are ignored.
- Amounts as numbers, negative for money out. Currency symbols, thousands separators and amounts in brackets like (23.40) are handled.
- Dates formatted as dates, or as text like 01/05/2026, 2026-01-05 or 5 Jan 2026. A sheet with day-first dates (15/01/2026) is detected as such.
- A title row or account details above the table are fine; the converter finds the header row.
Starting from a bank's CSV export instead? The CSV to QBO converter is the same tool. For Quicken, convert the same sheet to QFX.
Frequently asked questions
Can QuickBooks Online import an Excel file directly?
Not for bank transactions. The bank upload (Transactions > Bank transactions > Upload from file) accepts .csv, .txt, .qbo, .qfx and .ofx files, not .xlsx. Convert the workbook to QBO here, or download the QuickBooks-ready CSV, and upload that.
Which sheet of my workbook is converted?
The first worksheet. If your transactions sit on another tab, move that tab to the front in Excel (drag it left) and save before dropping the file.
My dates show as numbers like 45678. Will they import?
Yes. Excel stores dates as serial numbers; cells formatted as dates are read back as real dates (2025-01-21 for 45678), including workbooks that use the 1904 date system from older Mac Excel.
Debit and credit are in two columns. What do I pick?
The converter needs one signed amount column. In Excel add a column with =C2-B2 (credit minus debit), fill it down, save, and pick that column as Amount. Expenses then come out negative, deposits positive.
What about the old .xls format?
Open the file in Excel and use File > Save As > Excel Workbook (.xlsx) or CSV. The converter reads .xlsx and .csv; the 1997–2003 .xls binary format isn't supported.
Can I import customers, vendors or items from Excel?
That's a different import. QuickBooks Desktop takes lists from Excel under File > Utilities > Import > Excel Files, and QuickBooks Online under Settings > Import data. This page is for bank and credit card transactions.