Excel to IIF converter
Convert an Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx) to a QuickBooks Desktop IIF file in your browser: every transaction, with its date, payee, memo and amount. Your file never leaves your computer. 2 free a day, no sign-up.
No file to hand?
Tally needs both ledger names exactly as they are in your company.
New company? Download the ledger setup file too and import it first (Import, then Masters).QuickBooks Desktop needs both account names exactly as they are in your chart of accounts.
QuickBooks makes any account it doesn’t know into a new bank account, so check the spelling.- Runs in your browser
- 2 free a day, no sign-up
- Excel in, IIF out
01 / Why convert
QuickBooks Desktop imports bank transactions from IIF. This writes each spreadsheet row as a check or deposit between the two accounts you name.
02 / What carries over
From Excel to IIF, field by field.
What the Excel file can hold, and where it goes in the IIF file.
| In the Excel file | In the IIF file |
|---|---|
| Date | Kept |
| Amount (money in and out) | Kept |
| Payee or description | At the start of the memo |
| Memo (extra text) | Kept |
| Check or reference number | Checks only |
| Running balance | IIF has no place for it |
| Account number | Not in a Excel file |
| Currency | IIF has no place for it |
| Category | The other account you type |
| Credit card (not a bank account) | Not in a Excel file |
03 / Importing it
Importing the IIF file.
QuickBooks Desktop
- Back up your company file first: IIF changes the books directly.
- File, then Utilities, then Import, then IIF Files, and pick the file. If QuickBooks offers to review it first, let it.
- Import each file once: IIF has no duplicate check.
04 / The Excel file
Getting an Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx).
A spreadsheet. Banks and apps lay out their transaction exports in their own way: different columns, headings, date styles and sign conventions.
- Online banking: Transactions (or Account activity), then Download or Export, then Excel.
- Many Indian banks’ “.xls” downloads are really a web page or text file with an Excel name. Those work here too.
- An old binary .xls (Excel 97-2003) has to be saved as .xlsx first: open it, then File, Save As, Excel Workbook.
Have a bank statement PDF instead? The bank statement converter reads it in your browser too.
05 / Good to know
The details that matter.
- Columns are matched by their headings, or by what is in them when there are none. They are shown before you download, and a wrong guess is one click to change.
- When the file has a balance column, every row is checked against it, and an “Opening balance” row becomes the opening balance.
- If money out is written as positive amounts (American Express does this), tick the swap box.
- The sheet with the transactions is found by itself; pick another sheet if the file has several.
- Dates like 03/04/2026 can mean March or April. The order is worked out from the file (a day over 12 decides it), and you can switch it when nothing does.
- QuickBooks creates any account it doesn’t know as a new bank account, so the two account names must match your chart of accounts exactly. Payee names go at the start of the memo, so QuickBooks’ name lists stay tidy.
06 / Questions
Straight answers.
Is this Excel to IIF converter free?
Yes, for 2 files a day with no account. A free account (just your email, no password) gives you 2 more, and paid plans have no daily limit. It runs in your browser, and nothing is stored.
Is my Excel file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and the IIF file is written by code running in this browser tab. Neither is sent to a server. You can check: open your browser’s developer tools, go to the Network tab, and convert a file.
Will importing twice create duplicates in QuickBooks Desktop?
Yes: IIF has no duplicate check, so import each file once. Back up your company file first.
My Excel file has different column names. Will it work?
Yes. Columns are matched by their headings in English and several other languages, or by their contents when there are no headings. You see the match before downloading and can change any column. Single amount columns, separate money in/out columns, and Dr/Cr markers all work.
Does it work for credit cards?
Yes. You can also set the account type to Credit card in the panel, and the IIF file is written as a card account (charges and refunds).
07 / More converters
Other files, same idea.
All of them run in your browser. For PDFs, start at the bank statement converter; every converter is on the converters page.