What is a QIF file and how to open it

QIF stands for Quicken Interchange Format, a plain-text file Quicken introduced to move transactions, categories and splits between programs. Quicken for Windows, Banktivity, YNAB and other finance programs still import QIF, and Quicken exports it, so it is often the way data gets out of Quicken.

What is inside a QIF file

A QIF file is text you can open in any text editor. A header line names the account type, and each transaction is a block of lines that each start with a one-letter code, ending with ^:

!Type:Bank
D09/03/2026
T-42.50
PCITY WATER
MOnline payment
LUtilities:Water
^
D09/05/2026
T1,250.00
PACME PAYROLL
LSalary
^

• D date, T amount, P payee, M memo, N check number, C cleared status.
• L category (with : for a subcategory), or [Account name] for a transfer.
• S, E and $ lines describe split transactions: category, memo and amount of each part.
• The header is !Type:Bank, !Type:CCard, !Type:Cash, !Type:Oth A, !Type:Oth L or !Type:Invst. A file with !Account blocks carries several accounts.

QIF is not an ISO or ANSI standard; Quicken defined it and other programs followed, each with its own variations.

Why QIF is still used

• Simple: plain text, written by software or by hand.
• Complete: categories, tags, splits, transfers, reconciliation status and investment transactions, which OFX, QFX and QBO cannot carry.
• Structured: every value is labeled, unlike a CSV file whose columns differ from bank to bank.

Apps that import QIF

• Quicken for Windows, through File > File Import > QIF File. Quicken stopped officially importing QIF into bank accounts in 2005 but imports files prepared in Quicken's own variant, and Quicken Classic works with QIF again. Quicken exports QIF too.
• Banktivity (iBank) for Mac, with multiple accounts.
• YNAB, with multi-account QIF files for bank and credit card transactions.
• NetSuite, Simple Home Budget, MYOB and LessAccounting.

Quicken for Mac exports QMTF rather than QIF. QMTF is close to QIF, and ProperConvert reads it the same way.

Supported account types

• Bank (checking, savings, credit line)
• Credit card
• Investment

How to convert a QIF file to CSV/Excel

A QIF file opens in a text editor or in Excel, but as one value per line, not as a table. To get a table:

1. Download and install ProperConvert and open the QIF file. Each transaction shows on one line for review.
2. If the dates are ambiguous, set the date order (for example month/day/year); the separator does not matter. If the file has no year, set the year the transactions belong to.
3. Choose the CSV target: a general CSV or Excel file, or a layout for QuickBooks Online, Xero or CSV Mint, and the date format.
4. Click Convert, confirm the file name and save. The file can open in Excel right after.

Make a QIF file importable

A QIF file from a bank or another program often uses a variant the importing program does not expect, and the import fails or puts transactions in the wrong place. To fix it, open the file in ProperConvert, check that dates, years and deposit/withdrawal signs are right, choose the QIF target for the program (Quicken version, Banktivity, YNAB and others), set the account name and type and the date format, and convert to a new QIF file. Back up the accounting file before importing.

QIF questions

What is the difference between QIF, QFX and QXF?

QIF and QFX are plain text; QXF is Quicken's encrypted file for moving a whole data file. QIF carries categories, splits, tags and addresses; QFX carries a bank ID and transaction IDs but no categories. QIF is the simplest and the most widely supported. See what is a QFX file.

Why does my QIF import create duplicates?

QIF has no transaction IDs, so a program cannot tell that a transaction is already there. Import each period once, or use QFX where the program supports it.

Why are the dates wrong after a QIF import?

QIF does not say whether 03/09 is March 9 or 3 September, and old files write the year as '26. Set the date order when converting.