What QuickBooks Online accepts
Intuit's help pages describe two CSV layouts for uploading bank transactions: three columns (Date, Description, Amount) or four columns (Date, Description, Credit, Debit). Most bank exports have extra columns, a different order, or a few lines of account details at the top, so QuickBooks rejects them or reads them wrongly.
This tool writes the three-column layout, which leaves the least room for mistakes: money out is negative and money in is positive, in a single Amount column. It also follows Intuit's formatting advice and tidies the things that most often make an upload fail:
- Every date uses the same format, with no day names such as "TUE" attached.
- Rows with a zero amount are left out, because QuickBooks rejects zeros.
- Amounts have no currency symbols or thousands separators.
- Each row has a description, taken from the memo when the bank left the description blank.
- The file is saved in the Windows CSV style that Intuit asks Mac users to use, so it uploads the same from any computer.
How to make the file
- Download your transactions from online banking as CSV or Excel.
- Drop the file into step 1. Lines above the column names are skipped automatically.
- In step 2, check that the date, description and amount columns are right. If your bank uses separate money out and money in columns, choose that option.
- In step 3, pick the date format and download the file.
Upload it to QuickBooks Online
- Open the bank transactions page in QuickBooks Online. Depending on your version it is under Transactions or called Banking.
- Choose to upload transactions from a file. In many versions this is under the arrow next to Link account.
- Select the CSV file and the account it belongs to. For a credit card, choose the credit card account, not a bank account.
- When QuickBooks asks you to match the columns, choose Date, Description and Amount, pick the option for a single amount column, and choose the same date format you picked here.
- Review the transactions in the For review tab before you add or match them.
QuickBooks renames menus from time to time. If a label differs on your screen, look for the option to upload transactions from a file.
Credit card files
Card exports often list purchases as positive numbers and payments as negative, the opposite of a bank account. Intuit warns about this too. Look at the preview: purchases should appear in red as negative amounts. If they do not, tick Reverse signs in step 2.
CSV or QBO?
A CSV is the quickest route into QuickBooks Online, but it only carries a date, a description and an amount. A Web Connect file also keeps check numbers and a unique ID for each transaction, which helps QuickBooks avoid duplicates. If that matters, or if you use QuickBooks Desktop, use the CSV to QBO converter instead.
Questions
Is my bank file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and rewritten inside this browser tab. Nothing is sent to a server.
Why are some rows missing from the output?
Rows with a zero amount are left out on purpose, and rows without a readable date or amount are skipped. The tool tells you how many and why, so you can check them against your statement.
Which date format should I choose?
Either works, as long as you tell QuickBooks the same format when you upload. US users usually pick month first.
Will the running balance come across?
No. QuickBooks Online only reads the date, description and amount columns from a CSV, so the balance is not included. The tool still shows the ending balance in step 3 so you can compare it with your statement.
Does it work with Excel files?
Yes. Drop in an .xlsx file and it is read the same way as a CSV. Older .xls files need saving as .xlsx or CSV first.
Check for yourself that nothing is uploaded
- Open this page, then turn off Wi-Fi or switch on airplane mode.
- Drop your file into the tool and convert it. It still works, because the conversion runs in your browser, not on a server.
- For a closer look, open your browser's developer tools and watch the Network tab while you choose a file. No request carries your file anywhere.
The tools work in current versions of Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox, on computers and phones.
Last reviewed November 11, 2026. Found a bank export this tool reads wrongly? Tell us about the layout and we will look at it.