Hi, BLDB.
It is possible that you marked the vendor profiles as eligible for 1099 in QuickBooks Desktop. This is why they were moved to contractors when you migrated your data to QuickBooks Online (QBO). See screenshot below:

Please note that your vendors will show up in both the Vendors and Contractors lists in QBO. To convert them to regular vendors, simply uncheck the 1099 tracking option in their profiles. This action will also remove their names from the Contractors page.
Here's how:
- Go to Expenses > Vendors.
- Select the vendor name to open their details
- Click Edit.
- Uncheck Track payments for 1099 in the vendor information.
- Click Save to apply the changes.

This needs to be done individually for each of your vendors.
Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any additional questions about paying contractors in QuickBooks. Have a good one.