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Conto Documentation

How to Export Lists to IIF Files from QuickBooks Desktop

This guide shows you how to export multiple lists—including customers, vendors, employees, and chart of accounts—to IIF files from QuickBooks Desktop in a single operation. You might need this when migrating to a new company file, creating list backups, or transferring master data between QuickBooks installations.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • QuickBooks Desktop (Pro, Premier, or Enterprise)
  • Administrator login credentials
  • No other users logged into the company file (single-user mode required)

Steps

Section titled “Steps”

1. Switch to Single-User Mode

Section titled “1. Switch to Single-User Mode”

Go to File > Switch to Single-user Mode.

If other users are logged in, ask them to log out first. The export function is disabled in multi-user mode.

2. Open the Export Dialog

Section titled “2. Open the Export Dialog”

Navigate to File > Utilities > Export > Lists to IIF Files.

3. Select the Lists to Export

Section titled “3. Select the Lists to Export”

Check the boxes for each list you want to export:

List What It Contains
Chart of Accounts All accounts with types and numbers
Customer:Job Customer names, addresses, contacts, terms
Vendor Vendor names, addresses, 1099 settings
Employee Employee names and contact info (not payroll data)
Item Products and services
Class Transaction categories
Other Names Names not in customer/vendor/employee lists
Customer Type Customer category labels
Vendor Type Vendor category labels
Payment Terms Net 30, Due on Receipt, etc.
Payment Method Cash, Check, Credit Card, etc.
Ship Method FedEx, UPS, etc.
Customer Message Messages for invoices
Sales Rep Sales representative list
Sales Tax Code TAX, NON, etc.
Price Level Custom pricing tiers
To Do Reminder notes

To export customers, vendors, employees, and chart of accounts together, check these four:

  • Chart of Accounts
  • Customer:Job
  • Vendor
  • Employee

Click OK.

4. Save the File

Section titled “4. Save the File”
  1. Select a location (Desktop works well for easy access)
  2. Enter a filename (e.g., company-lists-2024-12.iif)
  3. Confirm the file type shows IIF Files (*.IIF)
  4. Click Save

Verification

Section titled “Verification”

Open the exported file in Excel or a text editor:

  • Right-click the file > Open with > Microsoft Excel
  • If prompted about the format, click Yes
  • Confirm each list type appears—vendor rows start with VEND, customer rows with CUST, accounts with ACCNT, and employees with EMP

Importing the IIF into Another Company File

Section titled “Importing the IIF into Another Company File”

1. Back Up the Target Company

Section titled “1. Back Up the Target Company”

Go to File > Create Backup > Local Backup before importing.

2. Switch to Single-User Mode

Section titled “2. Switch to Single-User Mode”

Go to File > Switch to Single-user Mode.

3. Import the File

Section titled “3. Import the File”
  1. Go to File > Utilities > Import > IIF Files
  2. Browse to your exported IIF file
  3. Click Open
  4. Wait for the confirmation message

4. Check for Duplicates

Section titled “4. Check for Duplicates”

If names already exist in the target file, import creates duplicates. Merge duplicates via each list’s edit menu.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Export option is grayed out

Section titled “Export option is grayed out”

Switch to single-user mode. Only administrators can export IIF files—log in as Admin.

Employee list not appearing in export dialog

Section titled “Employee list not appearing in export dialog”

The Employee list checkbox only appears if employees exist in QuickBooks’ Employee Center. If the business uses a third-party payroll provider (ADP, Paychex, Gusto, etc.), employees are managed entirely outside QuickBooks and won’t appear here. This is normal — the IIF will still contain vendors, customers, and accounts. To get employee counterparties into Conto, upload a Payroll Journal exported from the payroll provider.

“Payroll Item List” is missing

Section titled ““Payroll Item List” is missing”

QuickBooks no longer supports IIF export for payroll items. This limitation applies to Enterprise 2023 and later. Export payroll items via Reports > List > Payroll Item Listing to Excel instead.

Import creates duplicate entries

Section titled “Import creates duplicate entries”

IIF import doesn’t check for existing names. Clean up duplicates after import by merging entries in each list.

Excel shows garbled data

Section titled “Excel shows garbled data”

Use the Text Import Wizard:

  1. Open Excel
  2. Go to File > Open
  3. Change filter to All Files (.)
  4. Select the IIF file
  5. Choose Delimited > Tab in the wizard

Cannot import across country versions

Section titled “Cannot import across country versions”

IIF files from US QuickBooks won’t import into Canadian QuickBooks (and vice versa). This is a QuickBooks limitation.

Limitations

Section titled “Limitations”
  • No transaction data: IIF exports lists only—not invoices, bills, or payments
  • No balances: Customer and vendor balances are not included
  • No payroll data: Employee wages, tax info, and pay history are excluded
  • No attachments: Documents attached to list entries don’t export
  • Per-item price levels: Price levels set per-item don’t export correctly
Section titled “Related”