Import your chart of accounts to QuickBooks Online

Learn how to import your chart of accounts to QuickBooks Online from a spreadsheet.

When you set up your company, QuickBooks customizes your chart of accounts to organize your accounting. Instead of manually entering them, you can import spreadsheets of custom or existing accounts from another QuickBooks Online or Desktop file. Here's how.

For a better experience, open this article in QuickBooks Online. Launch side-by-side view

Tip: The best time to import accounts is when you’re still setting up your company in QuickBooks. If you don’t have a lot of accounts to add, you can create new accounts instead.

Step 1: Format your spreadsheet

You can import your chart of accounts using a spreadsheet in Excel, Google Sheets, or a CSV file. Here's how to format your spreadsheet so you can import it to QuickBooks.

1. Open your existing spreadsheet of accounts, create a new one, or export your chart of accounts from another QuickBooks company.
2. Make sure you have these columns in your spreadsheet:
   • Account Number
   • Account Name
   • Type
   • Detail Type
3. If you organize your accounts by number, add an Account Number column. Skip this step if you don't use account numbers.
4. If you have a subaccount, add it in the Account Name column in this format: Main account: subaccount. For example, Utilities: Gas. See the table for more examples of how to format subaccounts.
5. If everything’s correct, save your spreadsheet in Google Sheets, Excel, or CSV format.

Here's a sample of how your spreadsheet should look. You can also download our sample spreadsheet if you need more references.

For more info, see answers to common questions on importing data.

Step 2: Upload your spreadsheet

1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account.
2. Select Settings ⚙ then select Import Data.
3. Select Chart of Accounts.
4. To upload a file:
   • From your computer, select Browse and choose the file. Then select Open.
   • From Google Sheets, select Connect to sign in to your Google account. Choose the correct file, and then select Select.
5. Select Next.

Step 3: Map your spreadsheet fields to QuickBooks fields

Once you upload your spreadsheet, map your accounts so they import correctly.

1. Select the Your Field ▼ dropdown and match the names to the QuickBooks Online field for:
   • Detail Type
   • Account Name
   • Account Number
   • Type
2. Except for Account Name, you can select No Match for fields that don’t have matching columns in your spreadsheet. For example, if you don't use account numbers.
3. Select Next.

Step 4: Import your chart of accounts

You’re almost finished. Check everything one last time before you import your accounts.

1. If you haven't yet, be sure to add account types and detail types.
   Note:
   • Focus on getting the account types right first. Then, select the detail types that fit the transactions you want to track.
   • If you see a field highlighted in red, hover over the highlighted field to see what you need to fix. Double-check the spacing in the spreadsheet cells.
2. Uncheck any account you don't want to save.
3. If everything looks good, select Import.

Step 5: Enter opening balances for accounts

The opening balance is the starting point for the accounts you import into QuickBooks. To get started, you can enter your opening balances. Make sure to create a journal entry to enter opening balances after you import all accounts.

Step 6: Download your transactions to QuickBooks

Connect your bank or credit card accounts to QuickBooks, and we'll download and categorize your transactions. You can then review and approve them.