QuickBooks Export: How to Export All Your QuickBooks Data
This guide covers how to quickbooks export for a whole company. Reports, lists, attachments and the pieces the export tool leaves out.
In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings, then Export data under Tools. Pick a reason, choose your date range, and select which reports and lists to include. QuickBooks bundles them as Excel files in one zip. Attachments, estimates, purchase orders and the chart of accounts export separately. QuickBooks Desktop users can also save a full company backup file.
Before your QuickBooks export
You'll need admin access. Choose the widest date range available so you capture full history.
Step by step
01Open Export data
Select the Settings gear, then Export data in the Tools column. Choose a reason and continue.
02Set the date range
On the Reports tab, choose the widest preset range so every year is included.
03Pick reports and lists
Leave every report and list switched on, including transaction reports covering invoices, receipts and bills.
04Export the zip
QuickBooks bundles the files as Excel workbooks in one zip file.
05Grab what the tool leaves out
Export attachments from Settings, then Attachments, using batch actions. Export the chart of accounts from the Account List report, and estimates and purchase orders from their transaction lists.
How to find the size of your QuickBooks data
Run a transaction report across all dates to count transactions. Note how many years of books are in QuickBooks and whether entries carry memos and attachments.
What a full QuickBooks export is worth
Accounting history shows how money actually moves through a business: invoices, bills, approvals and reconciliations, with the notes behind them. Years of detailed books are worth more than totals.
Buyers price on depth: years of history with real detail in it.
Common problems
- Attachments missing. They export separately from Settings, then Attachments.
- Only one year exported. Re-run with the widest date range.
- Need the full general ledger. Run a General Ledger or Journal report for all dates and export it to Excel.
Common questions
How do I export everything from QuickBooks Online?
Use Settings, then Export data, with all reports and lists and the widest date range, then export attachments and the chart of accounts separately.
What format does QuickBooks export to?
Excel workbooks bundled in a zip file.
Should I export QuickBooks before canceling?
Yes. Once a subscription lapses, access becomes read-only for a limited time and then ends. Export full history first.