What is inside a QIF file
A QIF file is plain text. Intuit’s QIF specification describes it as an ASCII text file with a header line that names the kind of data, followed by records.
The header line names the account type:
| Header | Meaning |
|---|---|
!Type:Bank | Bank account transactions |
!Type:CCard | Credit card transactions |
!Type:Cash | Cash account transactions |
!Type:Oth A | Asset account transactions |
!Type:Oth L | Liability account transactions |
!Type:Invst | Investment account transactions |
Each transaction is a group of lines. Every line starts with one letter that says what it holds, and a line with
just ^ ends the transaction:
| Letter | Field |
|---|---|
D | Date |
T | Amount (negative for payments) |
C | Cleared status |
N | Check or reference number |
P | Payee |
M | Memo |
A | Address (up to several lines) |
L | Category, or a transfer account in [brackets] |
S, E, $ | Split category, split memo and split amount |
^ | End of the transaction |
Here is a short example of a bank transaction:
!Type:Bank
D01/05/2026
T-42.18
PCorner Grocery
MWeekly shopping
LGroceries
^Dates in QIF files
QIF files from Quicken often write dates in odd ways: 6/ 1/94 with spaces, or 1/ 5'26 with an apostrophe before
a two-digit year. The file never says whether 03/04/2026 means March 4 or April 3. The viewer reads all of these
forms, checks every date in the file, and asks you only when the file could be read both ways.
What QIF can’t do
- No transaction IDs. Apps can’t use IDs to tell whether a transaction was already imported, so import each file only once.
- No currency. Amounts are just numbers.
- Limited support in current Quicken. Quicken calls QIF a legacy format. For checking, savings and credit card accounts, a QFX file or Quicken’s own CSV import is usually the better route.
How to convert a QIF file
- Drop the QIF file into the viewer above.
- Confirm the date format if you are asked.
- Check the transactions.
- Choose CSV, Excel, QFX, QBO or OFX and download.
Sections in a QIF file
Intuit’s QIF description lists these header lines, each starting a section:
| Header | Section |
|---|---|
!Type:Bank, !Type:Cash, !Type:CCard | Bank, cash and credit card transactions |
!Type:Oth A, !Type:Oth L | Asset and liability account transactions |
!Type:Invst | Investment transactions |
!Account | An account list, or the account the next transactions belong to |
!Type:Cat, !Type:Class, !Type:Memorized | Category, class and memorized-transaction lists |
The viewer reads the bank, cash, credit card, asset and liability sections and the account names. Lists are skipped because they aren’t transactions, and investment sections are skipped with a note.
QIF in Quicken today
Quicken for Windows imports QIF with File › File Import › QIF File, into an account that already exists, although Quicken’s own help pages disagree on which account types can take QIF. Quicken for Mac reads QIF only when you start a new data file. For adding bank or card transactions to an existing account, convert the QIF file to QFX, or to Quicken’s own CSV layout on Windows, with the QIF to QFX converter.
Is a QIF file safe to open?
A QIF file is plain text, so opening it in a text editor or the viewer above can’t run anything. It may hold account names, payees and categories, so keep it private. The viewer reads it in your browser and never uploads it.