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What is a QIF file?

By the FileInto team · Updated November 12, 2026

Quick answer

A QIF (Quicken Interchange Format) file is an older plain-text format for financial transactions, one field per line. Quicken still imports it in some cases, and many other finance apps read it, but it has no transaction IDs, so re-importing can create duplicates.

The same transaction in QIF and in QFXIn a QIF file a transaction is a few lines starting with a code letter: D for date, T for amount, P for payee, and a caret to end it. It has no transaction ID, so re-importing can duplicate it. In a QFX file the same transaction has a FITID, so Quicken skips it the second time..QIF!Type:BankD10/03/2026T-5.75PCORNER COFFEEMCARD 4321^.QFX<STMTTRN><DTPOSTED>20261003<TRNAMT>-5.75<NAME>CORNER COFFEE<FITID>SB…0301</STMTTRN>No IDImporting the same daystwice adds them twiceHas an IDQuicken skips whatit already has
The same transaction as QIF and as QFX. QFX carries the bank’s transaction ID; QIF has none, so overlapping imports can duplicate.

What a QIF file is for

QIF stands for Quicken Interchange Format. It’s one of the oldest ways to move transactions between finance apps, and many apps beyond Quicken still read and write it, including GnuCash and Moneydance.

Banks have mostly replaced it with QFX and OFX files, which add a transaction ID to every line. QIF never had one.

What’s inside a QIF file

A QIF file is plain text. A header line names the account type, then each transaction is a few lines, each starting with a code letter, and a ^ ends it:

!Type:Bank
D10/03/2026
T-5.75
PCORNER COFFEE CO
MCARD 4321
^
  • !Type:Bank says what kind of account it is. A credit card file says !Type:CCard.
  • D is the date, T the amount (negative is money out), P the payee and M the memo.
  • N holds a check number when there is one.

Where Quicken still imports QIF

It depends on your Quicken version, and Quicken’s own help pages differ.

  • Quicken for Windows: choose File, then File Import, then QIF File. One Quicken support page limits QIF to cash, asset and liability accounts, while Quicken’s newer help says any account type can now be imported. Try it in your version.
  • Quicken for Mac: QIF is only offered when you start a new data file from another app’s export. Adding a QIF file to an existing Mac data file isn’t supported.
  • Web Connect: QIF files can’t be used with Web Connect. That’s QFX only.

QIF or QFX: which to use

QIF QFX
Transaction IDs No Yes, so re-imports skip duplicates
Imports into an existing Quicken bank account Depends on version Yes
Read by apps other than Quicken Many Mostly Quicken

Use QFX for Quicken when you can, and QIF when another app asks for it. FileInto’s CSV to QIF converter makes a QIF file from a bank CSV, and the CSV to QFX converter makes a QFX file. Both run in your browser.

Tip: Because QIF has no IDs, export date ranges that don’t overlap, so the same transaction isn’t imported twice.

Sources

  1. How do I import data into Quicken for Windows? (Quicken)
  2. Why can't I import data from a QIF file into a bank account? (Quicken)
  3. Converting your data to Quicken for Mac (Quicken)

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