Help & common import errors

These answers cover how this converter works. They can't guarantee that every QuickBooks version and bank setup accepts a converted file. That is why there is a free 5-transaction test file.

Why QuickBooks Desktop won't take my bank's CSV

QuickBooks Desktop imports bank transactions through Bank Feeds using Web Connect files (.QBO). It does not import a plain CSV into a bank register. If your bank only offers CSV, or has stopped offering QuickBooks downloads, convert the CSV to .QBO, then use File › Utilities › Import › Web Connect Files.

Before you import anything

1. Back up your company file. Imports can't be undone.
2. Download the free test file (5 transactions) and import it into a backup or sample company first.
3. Check that the dates, amounts and money-in/money-out signs look right in the preview.

What is INTU.BID and how do I find mine?

INTU.BID is a number QuickBooks uses to identify the financial institution a Web Connect file came from. It is not your routing number. QuickBooks may reject a file whose INTU.BID it does not recognise.

• Best: if you have any old .QBO or .QFX file downloaded from the same bank, choose it under "Fill these from an older QBO/QFX file". The value is read in your browser. You can also open the old file in a text editor and look for <INTU.BID>.
• Otherwise, ask your bank which INTU.BID it used for QuickBooks Web Connect.

This tool does not choose an INTU.BID for you. Any value you enter is your choice; test it with the free file first.

Error OL-222 or "file could not be read"

• Check that your QuickBooks Desktop version is still supported by Intuit. Discontinued versions can stop importing Web Connect files.
• Make sure you chose the .QBO output (not .QFX or .OFX) for QuickBooks Desktop.
• Try a different INTU.BID: the value from an older download from your own bank is the most reliable.
• Sign-in or bank-verification problems inside QuickBooks are outside this file's control. Intuit's Web Connect troubleshooting guide covers them.

"Choose the date format"

If every date in your file could be read as either month/day or day/month (for example 03/04/2026), the tool stops and asks. It never guesses. Pick the format your bank uses.

Amounts have the wrong sign

Many credit-card exports show charges as positive numbers. Tick Flip signs. In the preview, purchases should be negative and payments positive. If your file has a running balance, the balance check tells you whether the signs reconcile.

Will I get duplicates if I import overlapping dates?

Each transaction gets an ID. If your bank's CSV has a transaction-ID column, that is used. Otherwise the ID is generated from the date, amount, payee and position among identical rows, so the same CSV always produces the same IDs, and QuickBooks normally skips IDs it has already imported. This cannot be guaranteed when the bank changes a description between downloads, or when an overlapping download contains only some of several identical transactions. Review the register after importing.

Skipped rows and row errors

Summary lines, blank lines and pending transactions are skipped and listed so you can confirm them. Any row that looks like a transaction but can't be read blocks the download until it is fixed. A transaction is never silently dropped.

Is my bank file uploaded?

No. Conversion runs in your browser tab. The only thing sent over the network is your licence key, when you check it with the payment provider. See Privacy.

Refunds

See Terms & refunds.