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QIF to CSV: Recover Transactions From Old Quicken Files

QIF is the format older Quicken, Microsoft Money and many banks used for years. Convert a .qif file into a CSV or Excel spreadsheet, including the unusual date styles QIF is known for.

Drop a QIF file here

Exported from your bank, QuickBooks or Quicken (.qif, .txt).

Processed in your browser. Your files never leave your computer.

How it works

  1. 1

    Drop the .qif file

    From an old Quicken or Money export, an archived bank download or a legacy accounting system.

  2. 2

    Check the transactions

    Dates, payees, memos, amounts and check numbers are read from every record.

  3. 3

    Export

    Download CSV, Excel, or a CSV ready for QuickBooks Online, Xero or Wave.

Why QIF files still turn up

QIF predates OFX and was, for a long time, the way to move transactions between personal finance programs, banks and small business software. Most banks have since moved to OFX, QFX and QBO, but QIF archives are everywhere: years of history exported from Quicken before a switch, Microsoft Money files from before it was discontinued, and downloads from smaller banks and credit unions that never changed.

When a new client hands you those archives, converting them to CSV is often the quickest way to rebuild history, check prior-year balances or answer a question from a tax preparer.

How QIF records are read

Each transaction is a short block of lines. For example:

!Type:Bank
D 1/ 3'26
T1,200.00
PDEPOSIT
MInvoice 1009
^
  • !Type:Bank tells us it's a bank account. CCard, Cash, Oth A and Oth L are recognized too.
  • D is the date. Spaces, apostrophe years and two-digit years are all handled, and invalid dates such as February 30 are rejected rather than guessed.
  • T (or U) is the amount, with or without thousands separators.
  • P becomes the description and M the memo. A numeric N becomes the check number.
  • ^ closes the record. Records missing a valid date or amount are skipped and listed so you can check them.

Dates: month first or day first?

QIF doesn't record which date order it uses. US versions of Quicken and Money write month first, which is what this tool assumes. If your file came from software set to a non-US region, the preview will show the problem straight away, typically dates that jump between months. Contact us if you need day-first QIF support.

Getting the data into current software

  1. Convert each QIF file and review the transactions in the preview.
  2. For a spreadsheet, download Excel: dates and amounts are real cells and the summary sheet shows totals.
  3. For QuickBooks Online, choose the QuickBooks CSV and use Upload from file. For QuickBooks Desktop, the IIF format is another option for older history.
  4. For Xero or Wave, choose their CSV layout and use their statement import.

Frequently asked questions

What is a QIF file?

Quicken Interchange Format is a plain-text format where each line starts with a letter code: D for date, T for amount, P for payee, M for memo, N for check number, and ^ to end a transaction.

My dates look like 1/ 5'26. Will they convert correctly?

Yes. Quicken writes years after 2000 with an apostrophe, and pads single digits with spaces. Those are read as January 5, 2026. Standard dates like 01/05/2026 work too.

Are categories and splits included?

Category (L) and split lines are ignored, because each accounting system has its own chart of accounts. You get the bank-level transaction: date, payee, memo, amount and check number.

Does it read credit card QIF files?

Yes. Files marked !Type:CCard are treated as credit card accounts.

Can QuickBooks import QIF directly?

Current versions of QuickBooks don't import QIF bank files. Convert to the QuickBooks CSV layout here and upload it, or convert to QBO for a Web Connect import.

What about QIF files with several accounts?

Transactions from bank, cash, credit card and asset or liability sections are read. Account list headers are skipped. For multi-account files, check the payees to make sure you're looking at the right account.

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