# Download Bank Transactions for Xero: Pick the Format

- Author: SimpleBankConvert (https://www.simplebankconvert.com)
- Published: 2026-07-24
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Category: Downloads from your bank
- Canonical: https://www.simplebankconvert.com/blog/download-bank-transactions-for-xero

> How to download bank transactions for Xero: choose CSV or OFX at your bank, avoid the QuickBooks-only formats and check the file before upload.
To download bank transactions for Xero, sign in to online banking, open the account's activity, choose download, and pick OFX if it is offered, or CSV if not. Set a date range that starts after the last line already in Xero. Open the file to check dates and signs, then import it into the matching Xero bank account.

## Download bank transactions for Xero in five steps

Downloading bank transactions for Xero is a short round trip: export from the bank, check the file, import into Xero. Xero describes the same route in its article [about manually importing bank transactions](https://central.xero.com/s/article/About-manually-importing-bank-statements-US): export transactions for a date range from online banking, then import them as statement lines into the bank account in Xero.

1. **Find the last date in Xero.** Open the bank account in Xero and note the date of its most recent statement line.
2. **Export from the bank.** In online banking on a computer, open the account's activity, choose the download option, pick the format and set the date range to begin the day after that last date.
3. **Save with a clear name.** For example, `checking-2026-09.ofx`, so you know the account and month at a glance.
4. **Check the file.** The checklist later in this post takes a couple of minutes.
5. **Import into Xero.** In the bank account in Xero, use the option to import a statement, choose the file, and review the lines before you reconcile them.

Xero notes that you need the administrator role, or the standard role with bank account access, to import a bank statement. If the import option is missing for you, that is the first thing to check.

Do each bank account separately. A checking account, a savings account and a business card each get their own file and their own account in Xero.

## Which bank download formats does Xero accept?

Xero accepts more bank download formats than most accounting programs. Its help article lists OFX, QFX or QuickBooks, QIF, PDF and CSV. So the OFX, Quicken and QuickBooks Web Connect options on a bank's form will all be read, along with a plain spreadsheet export.

| Option on your bank's list (labels vary) | File ending | Works in Xero? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OFX or Microsoft Money | .ofx | Yes, recommended |
| Quicken | .qfx | Yes |
| QuickBooks Web Connect | .qbo | Yes |
| Quicken (older) | .qif | Yes |
| Spreadsheet or CSV | .csv | Yes, with column mapping |
| Excel | .xls or .xlsx | Save as CSV first |
| QuickBooks IIF | .iif | No |

PDF also appears on Xero's list, but a PDF is a statement document rather than a data download, and this post is about the files a bank exports. If your bank gives you nothing but PDFs, the last section covers it.

## Choosing between OFX and CSV for a Xero import

Choose OFX for a Xero import whenever the bank offers it. Xero says it recommends OFX where possible, because an OFX file can be imported without making any changes to the bank's export. A CSV is the dependable second choice, and the better one when you need to edit lines before they go in.

What OFX gives you:

- No editing. The file goes in as the bank made it.
- No column mapping. Dates, amounts and descriptions sit in fields Xero already knows.
- Signs fixed by the bank. Money in and money out are marked in the file itself.

When a CSV is the better pick:

- The account mixes business and personal spending, and you want to delete some lines first.
- You want to total the month in a spreadsheet and compare it with the statement before importing.
- The bank offers no OFX, QFX or QuickBooks file for this account type.

A CSV export usually needs some tidying: one date format, one signed amount column, and no extra columns such as a running balance. If your bank is an online-only business bank, its export screens may look different from a branch bank's. The guide to [exporting Mercury transactions](/blog/export-mercury-transactions-to-quickbooks) shows one example, written for QuickBooks but with the same CSV export at the start.

## QuickBooks-only bank download options Xero can't read

The bank download option to skip for Xero is IIF, a format only QuickBooks Desktop reads through its own list import. Xero's list of accepted formats doesn't include it. The QuickBooks Web Connect file is different: despite its name, Xero accepts it, so you don't need to avoid every option with "QuickBooks" in the label.

Some banks label their options loosely, so check the file ending rather than the button:

- **.qbo** is the Web Connect file. Xero reads it.
- **.iif** is the Intuit Interchange Format. Xero doesn't read it.
- **.xls or .xlsx** is an Excel workbook. Open it and save as CSV first.

If you pick the wrong option, nothing is lost. Go back to the bank and download the same dates again with a better format. A bank download doesn't use anything up on the bank's side.

## Checking a bank download before the Xero upload

A bank download should be checked before the Xero upload, because a wrong file is easier to fix before it becomes statement lines. Open a copy in a spreadsheet or a text editor, look over its dates and amounts, and close it without saving changes if it is an OFX, QFX or QBO file.

### Pre-upload checklist

1. **The account matches.** The file is for the account you plan to import into, not a sibling account with similar digits.
2. **The first date is right.** It is the day after the last statement line already in Xero, not earlier.
3. **The last date is fully posted.** It is not today, when pending lines may still change.
4. **The signs run the right way.** A purchase you remember shows as negative, a deposit as positive. Card files are the usual exception, so check them every time.
5. **The total looks right.** For a CSV, add the amount column. Opening balance plus that total should equal the closing balance for the same days.
6. **No extra rows.** A CSV may carry a title line, a total line or blank rows at the bottom. Delete them.

### When the check fails

Each failed check has a quick fix, and none of them needs the bank's help:

- **Wrong account:** download again from the right account. Don't rename the file and hope.
- **Dates overlap Xero:** download again with a later start date. For a CSV, you can also delete the overlapping rows.
- **Signs backwards:** in a CSV, multiply the amount column by minus one. In an OFX file the bank sets the signs, so a backwards file usually means it came from a different account than you thought.
- **Total doesn't match:** compare the line count with the bank's activity page for the same days. A missing line is usually a pending item that posted after you downloaded.

For CSV layout details, [Xero's CSV template column by column](/blog/xero-bank-statement-import-csv#xeros-csv-template-column-by-column) lists the columns the statement import expects.

## What if your bank only offers a Quicken file for Xero?

A bank that only offers a Quicken file still gives you something Xero can use. Xero's list of accepted formats includes QFX, so a Quicken download can usually go straight into a Xero import. Try it as it is before you convert anything.

If the QFX file is rejected, a conversion to OFX is the next step. QFX is built on the OFX format with a few Quicken-specific details added, so the change is small. [Converting QFX to OFX](/blog/qfx-to-ofx-converter) explains what changes in the file and how to do it safely.

For QuickBooks users facing the same choice, the answer is different, because QuickBooks Desktop won't take QFX at all. [What to do when your bank only offers a Quicken download](/blog/bank-only-offers-quicken-download) covers that side and when a CSV is easier.

## Filling gaps in a Xero bank feed with a downloaded file

A bank download is the usual way to fill a gap in a Xero bank feed. Xero notes that you might need to import manually when a feed is connected but transactions dated before it started are missing. The key is setting the download's dates to cover exactly the gap, so no line arrives twice.

### An example gap

The dates are examples. A business moves to Xero on July 1, 2026, and connects a feed on August 20. The feed brings in activity from August 15 onward. Xero needs July 1 to August 14.

| Period (example) | Source |
| --- | --- |
| July 1 to August 14 | Downloaded OFX file, imported by hand |
| August 15 onward | Bank feed |

Set the bank download to July 1 through August 14 exactly. One day of overlap means one day of duplicates.

Xero gives the same advice from the other direction. When a feed is connected to an account that already has imported lines, it asks for a start date and defaults to the date of the last transaction imported. After the feed starts, Xero says to check for missing or duplicate transactions, and to import or delete lines as needed.

If the gap is older than your bank's download reaches, the monthly PDF statements are the source, and Xero's import lists PDF among its formats. If you would rather check the lines in a spreadsheet first, SimpleBankConvert is being built to turn a digital PDF statement into a CSV laid out for Xero's statement import. It isn't open for accounts yet; you can [ask for early access](/get-started).