Convert QIF to QFX.
What works, and what does not.
There is no dependable way to turn a .qif into a .qfx that Quicken will import, and this site does not offer one. A QFX file is OFX with an INTU.BID that Quicken checks against its directory of licensed banks, so a converter cannot produce a file Quicken trusts. What follows is what does work: Quicken’s own QIF import where it still exists, the bank’s QFX download, or converting the QIF to CSV, Excel or a .qbo for other software.
How to convert QIF to QFX
- Know what you are asking for. A QFX file is an OFX file with an INTU.BID in its sign-on block, a number from the directory of banks licensed for Quicken’s Web Connect. Quicken checks that number online at import time and refuses a file it does not recognise, so a .qfx written by a converter is usually refused whatever its contents.
- If the destination is Quicken, try Quicken’s own QIF import first. Quicken for Windows removed QIF import for bank, card and investment accounts in 2005 but kept it for cash, asset and liability accounts; Quicken for Mac reads a QIF only into a new account, from which transactions can be dragged across.
- If Quicken refuses the QIF, go back to the source. Most banks that offer QIF also offer a Quicken or QFX download for the same period, and that file carries the INTU.BID Quicken wants. Download it directly rather than converting.
- If the destination is anything other than Quicken, a .qfx is not needed. The free QIF to CSV tool reads the .qif in your browser and writes CSV, Excel, a QuickBooks .qbo or a Xero CSV; QuickBooks, Xero, Sage and GnuCash all take one of those. This site reads QIF and OFX and writes .qbo, Excel, CSV and Xero CSV; it does not write .qfx.
What is in a QIF file
QIF, Quicken Interchange Format, is a plain-text format from the early Quicken releases. A section header such as Type:Bank says what follows; each transaction is a few lines, each starting with a code letter (D date, T amount, P payee, M memo, N number, L category), and a caret on its own line closes the record. There is no account number, no transaction id, no currency, no balance and no declared date order, so 03/04/2026 can be 4 March or 3 April depending on who wrote the file.
What a QFX file holds
A QFX file is an OFX file with INTU.BID, and sometimes INTU.USERID, added to the sign-on block for Quicken. INTU.BID is a number from the directory of institutions licensed for Quicken’s Web Connect, and Quicken checks it online at import time, refusing a plain .ofx and any .qfx whose number it does not recognise. The transaction list inside is ordinary OFX, which is why other software reads .qfx and .ofx alike.
QIF to QFX questions
Can I just rename a .qif to .qfx?
No. The two formats have nothing in common inside: QIF is one field per line closed by a caret, QFX is tagged OFX with a sign-on block and a transaction list. Quicken reads the content, not the extension, and reports the file as unreadable.
Why does no converter produce a .qfx Quicken accepts?
Quicken checks the INTU.BID in the sign-on block against its online directory of licensed institutions. A converter can write the tag, but only a value belonging to a bank in that directory passes, and using another bank’s number files your transactions under that bank. The control is commercial rather than technical, which is why the bank’s own download is the dependable route.
Does Quicken still read QIF at all?
In places. Quicken for Windows accepts QIF for cash, asset and liability accounts, and for invoice accounts in the Home and Business edition; its own help pages do not fully agree about bank accounts. Quicken for Mac imports a QIF into a new account only. In both, QIF import does no duplicate matching, so import each period once.
What if I need the QIF in QuickBooks or Xero rather than Quicken?
Neither wants a .qfx from you. QuickBooks imports a .qbo through Web Connect or a CSV through QuickBooks Online; Xero imports QIF, OFX and CSV directly. The QIF to CSV tool writes the .qbo and the Xero CSV in your browser without an upload.
Related
Other format conversions
- Convert CSV to QBO Free (QuickBooks Web Connect)
- Convert QFX to CSV Free, in Your Browser
- Convert OFX to CSV Free, in Your Browser
- Convert QBO to CSV Free: Open a .qbo as a Spreadsheet
- Convert QIF to CSV Free (Quicken Files to Excel)
- Convert QFX to Excel Free, in Your Browser
- Convert OFX to Excel Free, in Your Browser
- Convert OFX to QFX: Free Routes That Quicken Accepts