How to Export a Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks?

Highlights (Key Facts & Solutions)

• Primary Goal: Provides step-by-step instructions to export the Chart of Accounts (COA) from both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop for migration, backup, and external analysis.
• Export Types and Purpose:
  • Excel/CSV: Used for analysis, viewing, and sharing with non-QuickBooks users (CPAs, banks).
  • IIF File: A proprietary QuickBooks format used specifically for importing the COA list into a different QuickBooks company file (via File > Utilities > Export > Lists).
• Exporting Balances: The basic COA list export does not include current account balances. To obtain balances, users must export a full financial report, such as the Balance Sheet or Profit and Loss statement, customized for a specific date range.
• Account Limits: Limits vary significantly:
• QuickBooks Online (QBO) Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus subscriptions are limited to 250 accounts.
• QBO Advanced, QuickBooks Desktop Pro/Premier (10,000 entries), and Desktop Enterprise (100,000 entries) have higher limits.
• Inactive Accounts: Inactive accounts are retained for historical integrity. Users should utilize the Customize Report features to filter out inactive accounts during export setup, ensuring a clean data transfer.
• Security Best Practices: Due to the sensitive nature of the financial structure, best practice dictates using password-protected ZIP files for external transfer and securely deleting local copies after the data migration is verified.
• Troubleshooting: The content includes solutions for issues like a grayed-out “Export to Excel” button in QuickBooks Desktop, often resolved by ensuring Microsoft Office is updated and properly integrated with the QuickBooks application.

Overview

Exporting a Chart of Accounts (COA) from QuickBooks is an important task for businesses that need to migrate data, back up financial information, or integrate with other accounting or business management systems.

Both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online offer direct methods to export your COA, either in Excel format or through third-party tools for added flexibility.

Knowing how to properly export your COA helps ensure that you maintain accurate records, facilitate smooth transitions during system upgrades, and easily share accounting data with stakeholders.

What is the Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks and its importance?

The Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks is an index of all the financial records or accounts of your company’s general ledger, organized to provide a clear insight into your current financial position. 

It allows you to break down all the transactions that your business made during a specific period into different subcategories such as assets, liabilities, equity, income, and expenses. This categorization enables businesses to track and manage their financial data efficiently, facilitating better financial decision-making and reporting.

Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Desktop / QuickBooks Online:

QuickBooks Desktop or Online versions can be seamlessly integrated with the chart of accounts, allowing businesses to streamline financial data management and generate accurate financial reports to support their strategic planning and operations.

Why is it Important to Export the Chart of Accounts?

Exporting the chart of accounts from QuickBooks is crucial for efficient financial management, organized record-keeping, and seamless data migration or transfer to other accounting software or platforms.

• Provides a clear picture of the financial health of the business
• Maintains a structured financial system by categorizing income, expenses, assets, and liabilities. 
• Useful for those business owners/investors who are unable to handle their day-to-day business operations.
• Allows to comply with financial reporting standards.
• Ensure smooth transition of their financial data between different accounting systems.
• Reduce the risk of errors and discrepancies during the migration process.
• Facilitates easier integration with third-party financial management tools for better enhanced financial reporting and analysis capabilities.

How to Export a Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Online?

Exporting the Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Online involves a straightforward process that allows users to download and save the financial data in a spreadsheet-compatible file using Excel or CSV format.

Steps to Export Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Online

Adhere to the steps listed below:

Step 1: Log into your QuickBooks account and then open the file that contains the Chart of Account you want to export.

Step 2:Now, select Accounting > Chart of Accounts.

Step 3:Click on Run Report.

Step 4:Press the Export icon in the upper right corner. 

Step 5:Choose the option Export to Excel or Export to PDF option. 

Step 6:After this, the exported file will automatically download on your computer.

Below are the steps to export your report or lists in QuickBooks Online:

Step 1:Navigate to Settings and then choose the Export data option.

Step 2:Select Export Data. 

Step 3:Set the desired Date Range using the drop-down menu in the Reports section. 

Step 4:Turn the switch on or off to add or remove items from the Reports and Lists tabs. 

Step 5:Click Export to Excel. Step 6: At last, you’ll be prompted with confirmation that the data has been exported.

Steps to Export Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Desktop

Being a business owner or accountant, you are recommended to export your Chart of Accounts to analyze your financial data, create financial reports, or transfer the data to another accounting system. 

Exporting the chart of accounts in QuickBooks Desktop allows you to view and extract the financial data in a spreadsheet-compatible format, making it easier to analyze and compare your financial data.

Here’s how:

1. Go to the Intuit official website and then hover over the Lists menu. 
2. Now, choose the Chart of Accounts.
3. Hit the Reports tab.
4. Select the Account Listing option. 
5. After this, customize your report and remove the unnecessary columns. 
6. Click Excel.
7. Then, select Create New Worksheet on the Excel menu. 
8. Choose In new workbook under Create new worksheet. 
9. Finally, press Export.

How to Export a Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Desktop?

Being a business owner or accountant, you are recommended to export your Chart of Accounts to analyze your financial data, create financial reports, or transfer the data to another accounting system. 

Exporting the chart of accounts in QuickBooks Desktop allows you to view and extract the financial data in a spreadsheet-compatible format, making it easier to analyze and compare your financial data.

Steps to Export Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Desktop

Step 1: Go to the Intuit official website and then hover over the Lists menu. 

Step 2: Now, choose the Chart of Accounts.

Step 3: Hit the Reports tab.

Step 4: Select the Account Listing option. 

Step 5: After this, customize your report and remove the unnecessary columns. 

Step 6: Click Excel.

Step 7: Then, select Create New Worksheet on the Excel menu. 

Step 8: Choose In new workbook under Create new worksheet. 

Step 9: Finally, press Export.

How to Export or Copy Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise ?

Below are the steps for exporting or copying the Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.

Let’s get started:

Step 1:Navigate to the File menu and then choose Utilities

Step 2:Select the Export option and then Lists to IIF Files.

Step 3:Click on the list you want to export (which is Chart of Accounts), then hit the OK tab.

Step 4:Browse the location where you’d like to save your file and then press Save. 

Now, once you have copied the Chart of Accounts from one company, you can work to bring it into another or import that list.

Tips for Exporting and Copying Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks

When exporting or copying the chart of accounts in QuickBooks Online or Desktop, users can leverage the following things which include:

1. You can use the “Customize Report” feature to extract specific exports and filter information based on customizable criteria, such as date ranges, transaction types, and custom fields.
2. If you’re unable to find the specific accounts within the chart of accounts, you have an option to use the “Find” feature to streamline the process of identifying and selecting accounts for export or copying purposes.
3. Make sure to save the exported file in a secure and accessible location to prevent data loss or unauthorized access, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of your financial records.
4. Double-check the exported file to ensure that the financial data has been correctly and completely transferred, avoiding potential errors or discrepancies in the extracted records.

Conclusion 

A Chart of Accounts is a comprehensive document that numbers and lists all the financial transactions conducted in an accounting period. Each account on the chart of accounts contains an identification code, description, and name, making it easier to locate specific accounts especially for the large-sized businesses. 

The Chart of Accounts is a very useful tool to access as it provides detailed financial information for individuals within companies and others, including investors and shareholders.

FAQ

What is the fundamental difference between exporting a COA to Excel versus exporting it as an IIF file in QuickBooks Desktop?

The difference lies in the purpose and usability of the final file format:

• Excel/CSV Export:
  • Purpose: The data is designed for viewing, analysis, printing, or sharing with non-QuickBooks users, such as your accountant, bank, or a third-party application using CSV imports.
  • Content: Contains accounts as seen on the report (names, types, numbers, and often balances).
  • Source: Generated via the Reports menu (e.g., Account Listing Report).
• IIF (Intuit Interchange Format) Export:
  • Purpose: This is a proprietary QuickBooks file format used specifically for data interchange/migration. It is the format required to import lists (like the COA) or transactions into a different QuickBooks Desktop company file.
  • Content: Contains the necessary structural codes and data fields for the QuickBooks software to read and rebuild the list internally.
  • Source: Generated via the File > Utilities > Export > Lists to IIF Files function.

Why are my account balances showing as zero or missing in the exported Chart of Accounts list?

When you export the Chart of Accounts directly as a list (from the Chart of Accounts menu or a basic Account List report), you are only exporting the structural definition of the accounts, which includes the name, type, and number. It does not pull the live, real-time balances.

To export the current or historical balances:

• You must run a full financial report, such as a Balance Sheet or Profit and Loss (P&L) statement.
• The Balance Sheet will show the ending balance for all balance sheet accounts (assets, liabilities, equity) as of a specific date.
• Customize and export the financial report to Excel to capture the account balances.

I see many accounts with no activity or zero balances in my export. How do I filter these inactive accounts?

QuickBooks retains inactive accounts to maintain the integrity of historical transactions. If you are migrating your COA and only want active accounts, follow these report customization steps:

• QuickBooks Desktop (Report):
  • Run the Account Listing report.
  • Click Customize Report > Display tab > Advanced button.
  • Under “Display Rows,” change the default from “Active” to “All” (to see everything), then filter out accounts that meet your criteria using the main report window options.
• QuickBooks Online (Report):
  • Go to Reports and run the Account List.
  • Click Customize > Filter section.
  • Look for an option to control the display of zero-amount rows or to show non-zero activity, which may be located under the General or Rows/Columns sections depending on the report type. Many financial reports allow you to uncheck the “Except zero amount” box in the Number Format settings.

What is the maximum number of accounts allowed in the Chart of Accounts for the current QuickBooks versions?

The account limit varies significantly between QuickBooks Online (QBO) subscriptions and QuickBooks Desktop (QBD) editions.

• QuickBooks Online Limits:
  • Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus subscriptions have a maximum limit of 250 accounts.
  • QuickBooks Online Advanced offers unlimited accounts.
• QuickBooks Desktop Limits:
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro/Premier typically allows a maximum of 10,000 list entries (which includes accounts).
  • QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise has a higher capacity, generally supporting up to 100,000 list items.

If you are exporting for migration, you must verify the limit of your destination file and consolidate accounts if necessary before importing.

What are the common causes and fixes if the ‘Export to Excel’ button is grayed out in QuickBooks Desktop?

A grayed-out “Export to Excel” button indicates an integration problem between QuickBooks Desktop and Microsoft Office. This issue is rarely solved by restarting the application.

• Common Causes:
  • Microsoft Excel is not installed or not activated on the same computer.
  • The installed version of Excel is incompatible with the QuickBooks Desktop version.
  • The QuickBooks or Microsoft Office installation files are damaged.
  • Windows User Account Control (UAC) settings are interfering with the export.
• Fixes and Troubleshooting Steps:
  • Ensure both QuickBooks Desktop and Microsoft Office are updated to the latest releases.
  • Temporarily disable and re-enable Windows User Account Control (UAC) settings.
  • Run the QuickBooks Tool Hub and use the Quick Fix my Program utility.
  • If the issue persists, run the repair utility for your Microsoft Office installation.

I’ve exported my COA for migration. Does importing this list include the account’s opening balance?

No. When you import a Chart of Accounts list into a new QuickBooks company file, you are only importing the structural definition of the accounts (name, number, type, detail type).

• Import Process: The software uses the list to build the empty framework.
• Balances: Account balances, including opening balances, are considered transactional data. You must manually enter the correct opening balance for each asset, liability, and equity account directly into the respective account’s register after the list has been imported. This ensures accuracy and proper setup.

What are the best security practices for handling the sensitive exported COA file?

The Chart of Accounts contains the confidential structure of your business finances. It must be treated as a sensitive document.

• Secure File Transfer: Avoid emailing the exported Excel or IIF file as a standard attachment. If you must send it, use a secure method such as:
  • Uploading to a password-protected portal.
  • Compressing the file into a password-protected ZIP file, and communicating the password via a separate, trusted channel (like a phone call).
• System Access: Ensure the computer used for export is secured with a strong password and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorized access to the local file.
• Deletion: Once the file has been successfully imported into the destination system and verified by your accountant, delete the local copy of the export file from your downloads folder and computer hard drive to minimize exposure.

Disclaimer: The information outlined above for “How to Export a Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks?” is applicable to all supported versions, including QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, Accountant, and Enterprise. It is designed to work with operating systems such as Windows 7, 10, and 11, as well as macOS.