What is a QIF file?
QIF (Quicken Interchange Format) is an older plain-text format for transactions. Quicken created it, and you'll still find it in exports from Quicken, other personal finance programs and some banks.
Each transaction is a short block of lines. Each line starts with a letter: D for the date, T for the amount, P for the payee, M for a memo and N for a check number, and ^ ends the record. The first line says the account type, such as !Type:Bank or !Type:CCard.
Why convert QIF to QBO?
Because QuickBooks doesn't take QIF files. QuickBooks Online's Upload from file lists QBO, QFX, CSV, TXT and OFX files, and QIF isn't among them. QuickBooks Desktop's Web Connect reads only .qbo files, and a 2019 reply from the QuickBooks Team on Intuit's community forum says importing QIF files into QuickBooks Desktop is unavailable. Converting to QBO turns old Quicken history into a file QuickBooks can bring into a bank or credit card register.
Not using QuickBooks?
- Xero imports QIF directly. Its US and UK help pages list QIF, though Xero recommends OFX or QFX when you have them.
- Quicken for Windows: Quicken's own pages disagree. Its support article says QIF import isn't available for checking, savings or credit card accounts, while its help wiki says any account type works. Converting the QIF to QFX here avoids the question.
- Quicken for Mac uses QIF only when starting a new data file. It imports OFX and QFX files into existing accounts.
How to convert QIF to QBO
- Choose your .qif file above. If it holds several accounts, pick one from the list that appears.
- Check the dates in the preview. If day and month look swapped, set "Date order" to the right one.
- Check the account type: QIF files mark credit cards as
CCard, and the tool keeps that. - Click Download and import the .qbo in QuickBooks: Banking > Bank Feeds > Import Web Connect Files in Desktop, or Upload from file in QuickBooks Online.
QIF quirks the tool handles
Dates
Quicken writes dates in several ways: 1/5'26 (the apostrophe means 2000 or later), 1/ 5/26 with spaces, or 01/05/2026. The tool reads all of them. QIF files don't say whether they use month/day or day/month. The tool assumes month first unless a "day" over 12 proves otherwise, as in a UK file with 25/12/2025. You can force the order.
Amounts and splits
The amount comes from T, or from U when T is missing. Split transactions (lines starting with S, E and $) are imported as one transaction with the total amount. QuickBooks bank imports don't carry categories, so L category lines are left out.
Opening balance
Quicken exports usually start with an "Opening Balance" record. The tool treats it as the account's opening balance, not as a transaction, so it doesn't land in QuickBooks as a deposit.
No transaction IDs
QIF has no unique transaction IDs, but QBO files need them. The tool makes each ID from the transaction's date, position, amount and description. Converting the same file twice gives the same IDs, so QuickBooks can spot a second import of that file. It can't spot overlap with transactions that came in another way, so check your date range first.
What's not supported
Investment accounts (!Type:Invst) aren't supported. Category lists, classes and memorized transactions in the file are skipped.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser. The QIF file is read on your computer, and the QBO file is built there too.