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How to open a QBO, QFX or OFX file

By the FileInto team · Updated November 12, 2026

Quick answer

QBO, QFX and OFX files are plain text in the OFX format, so any text editor opens them, but Excel shows them as a jumble of tags. To read the transactions as a table, convert the file to CSV and open that in Excel or Google Sheets.

A bank download as text, and as a tableOpened directly, a QBO, QFX or OFX file shows one tag per line. Converted to CSV, the same transactions open in Excel or Google Sheets as rows with date, description and amount columns.statement.qbo<STMTTRN><TRNTYPE>DEBIT<DTPOSTED>20261003120000<TRNAMT>-5.75<NAME>CORNER COFFEE CO</STMTTRN>Convert to CSVstatement.csv in ExcelDateDescriptionAmount2026-10-02ACME PAYROLL2150.002026-10-03CORNER COFFEE CO-5.752026-10-04CITY WATER-48.202026-10-06GROCERY MARKET-86.17
Opened directly, a bank download is one tag per line. As a CSV, the same transactions open in Excel as rows.

Why double-clicking doesn’t work

A .qbo, .qfx or .ofx file is a bank download made for one job: being imported into an accounting app. Your computer usually links the extension to QuickBooks or Quicken, or to nothing at all. Double-clicking it either starts an import or shows “choose an app to open this file”.

Inside, all three are the same kind of file: an OFX statement written as plain text, with one tag per value. That’s easy for QuickBooks to read and hard for people.

Look inside with a text editor

A text editor shows the file exactly as it is, which is the fastest way to check what’s in it.

  1. Right-click the file and choose Open With.
  2. Pick TextEdit on a Mac or Notepad on Windows.
  3. Scroll to the first <STMTTRN>: each one is a transaction.

Here is one transaction from a QFX file:

<STMTTRN>
<TRNTYPE>DEBIT
<DTPOSTED>20261003120000
<TRNAMT>-5.75
<FITID>SB2026100301
<NAME>CORNER COFFEE CO
<MEMO>CARD 4321
</STMTTRN>
  • DTPOSTED is the date, written year, month, day: 20261003 is October 3, 2026.
  • TRNAMT is the amount. Negative is money out.
  • NAME and MEMO are the payee and the extra details.
  • FITID is the bank’s own ID for the transaction. QuickBooks and Quicken use it to skip transactions you’ve already imported.

Warning: Look, but don’t save changes from a text editor. One broken tag and QuickBooks or Quicken will refuse the whole file.

See the transactions in Excel or Google Sheets

Excel and Google Sheets can open the file, but they treat each tag as a line of text, so you get one long column instead of a table. To get a real table, turn the file into a CSV first.

Convert the file to CSV

Drop the file into FileInto’s QBO to CSV converter. It reads QBO, QFX and OFX files, from old and new banks alike, and shows every transaction before you download. The file stays on your device.

Open the CSV

Double-click the .csv file to open it in Excel, or in Google Sheets choose File, then Import, then Upload. Each transaction is one row: Date, Description, Amount, Memo and Check number.

Save it as a workbook if you keep working

In Excel, choose File, then Save As, and pick Excel Workbook (.xlsx). A CSV keeps only the values, so formatting and formulas you add are lost if you save as CSV again.

When you need the file in another app

Sometimes the app is the problem, not the file. QuickBooks Desktop only takes .qbo files, so a .qfx or .ofx download won’t go in. FileInto’s QFX to QBO converter rewrites it as a QBO file and keeps the bank’s transaction IDs. For what each format is for, see what is a QBO file.

Sources

  1. File types and extensions used by QuickBooks Desktop (Intuit)

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