How to export your data from QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online lets you export your reports and lists as Excel files bundled in one .zip via Settings > Export data, plus separate exports for non-posting items (estimates, purchase orders, attachments, recurring templates) as Excel or zip files; there is no single native CSV/JSON full-account export, and Advanced plan users can also build custom reports with Custom Report Builder before exporting.
✓ Verified against QuickBooks's official documentation, September 2026
Step by step
- 1Go to Settings (gear icon) and in the TOOLS column select Export data.
- 2Select the reason for exporting, then select Continue.
- 3On the Reports tab, set the date range from the Pre-selected date ranges dropdown.
- 4Add or remove items from the Reports and Lists tabs by turning the switch on or off, then select Export to Excel and OK — this downloads a .zip of Excel files.
- 5For non-posting data not covered above, export separately: Estimates and Purchase Orders from All apps > Sales & Get Paid / Expenses & Bills (filter by type/date, then Export to Excel).
- 6Export Attachments from Settings > Attachments by selecting the files, then Batch actions > Export (downloads as a .zip).
- 7Export the Chart of Accounts and Recurring Template List from Reports > Standard reports (find the report, then Export/Print > Export to Excel).
- 8If you plan to cancel your subscription, export everything you need before or immediately after cancellation, since export access is time-limited.
What the export includes
- ✓Reports and lists that impact account balances (invoices, receipts, bills) as Excel files in a zip
- ✓Non-posting transactions such as estimates and purchase orders
- ✓Customer statements (downloaded individually as PDF via Print/Download)
- ✓Attachments (as a zip file)
- ✓Recurring Template List and Chart of Accounts
- ✓Products and Services list
What it doesn't include
- ✗No single native CSV or JSON export of the full company file
- ✗No one-click full account backup — data must be pulled report-by-report and list-by-list
- ✗Custom Report Builder for fully tailored report exports is only available on QuickBooks Online Advanced
- ✗Third-party app configurations/integrations are not part of these exports
Before you start
- ⚠After you cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription you get read-only access to your data for one year, and you can export to Excel or to QuickBooks Desktop up to a year after cancellation.
- ⚠If you cancel during a free trial or the trial expires, your data is only available for 90 days and must be exported within that window.
- ⚠If your credit card is declined you have 14 days to update billing before the account is suspended; after suspension you must re-subscribe to regain data access.
- ⚠Attachments and reports/lists each need to be exported separately in their own zip/Excel batches — there's no single combined export.
- ⚠Intuit explicitly recommends exporting or printing your data before you cancel.
Where to take your data
Free and cheaper tools that can take a QuickBooks export. See all QuickBooks alternatives →
Use the exported Chart of Accounts, customer/vendor lists, and transaction reports (Excel) to manually re-create accounts and bulk-import transactions via Wave's CSV bank statement/transaction import; Wave does not have a native QuickBooks Excel importer, so data typically needs reformatting to Wave's expected CSV columns first.
Zoho Books
Convert the exported QuickBooks Excel lists (chart of accounts, customers, vendors, items) and transaction reports into CSV, then use Zoho Books' Import feature (Settings > Data Import) to map columns and bring in accounts, contacts, and transactions.
FreshBooks
Save the exported customer, invoice, and expense Excel files as CSV and use FreshBooks' CSV import tools for clients, items, and expenses; invoices/estimates generally need to be re-entered or bulk-imported via FreshBooks' supported CSV templates.
Exporting from QuickBooks: common questions
Can I export all my QuickBooks Online data in one file?+
No. QuickBooks exports reports and lists as a zip of Excel files from Settings > Export data, but attachments, estimates, purchase orders, and recurring templates each require separate export steps — there is no single combined export.
Does QuickBooks support CSV or JSON export?+
The documented export flows produce Excel (.xlsx) files, bundled in a .zip for reports/lists and attachments. There's no documented native CSV or JSON full-export option.
How long can I access my data after canceling QuickBooks Online?+
You get read-only access for one year after cancellation and can export to Excel or to QuickBooks Desktop during that time; trial accounts only get 90 days.
What happens if my QuickBooks payment fails — will I lose my data?+
You have 14 days to update billing after a declined card before the account is suspended; after suspension you must re-subscribe to get your data back, so it's not permanently deleted immediately.
Can non-Advanced plan users customize what they export?+
Basic export (reports/lists toggle on the Export data screen) is available on any plan, but building fully custom reports before export requires QuickBooks Online Advanced's Custom Report Builder.
Do I need to export before canceling my subscription?+
QuickBooks recommends exporting or printing your data before you cancel, since access afterward is read-only and time-limited (one year for paid plans, 90 days for trials).
Sources
This guide was written from QuickBooks's own documentation and checked against it in September 2026. If a step has changed, the official page wins.
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