How do I open an OFX file?

An OFX file is not a spreadsheet. Import it into Xero, QuickBooks Online, Wave or GnuCash; convert it to CSV with an OFX to CSV converter and open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets; or open it in Notepad or TextEdit to read the tags. Excel itself shows the tags, not a table.

How do I open a QIF file?

In Quicken for Windows use File, File Import, QIF File (the account must exist first). Quicken for Mac only uses QIF to start a new data file. Xero imports QIF. QuickBooks Online does not. To see the transactions in Excel, convert with a QIF to CSV converter, which also keeps Quicken categories.

Can I open an OFX or QIF file in Excel?

Not usefully. Excel will show OFX tags or QIF letter codes in one column, and saving from Excel can break the file. Convert to a Clean CSV first (OFX to CSV, OFX to Excel, or QIF to CSV), then open the .csv.

What is the difference between OFX and QFX?

QFX is Quicken's Web Connect version of OFX: the same transactions with Intuit bank tags, including a bank ID Quicken checks online. Plain OFX works in Xero and QuickBooks Online; Quicken prefers a QFX from a participating bank.

Is there a free OFX or QIF viewer?

Utilly does not ship a separate browser viewer. The practical viewer is converting to CSV and opening that in Excel or Sheets, or using the converter preview that lists every row. A text editor shows the raw OFX SGML/XML or QIF plain text.

Why won't Quicken or QuickBooks open my file?

Common causes: Quicken rejecting a home-made QFX (bank ID check), Quicken for Mac refusing QIF on an existing file, QuickBooks Desktop accepting only .qbo not OFX/QFX, wrong account type, or an investment OFX with no bank/card transactions. Convert to the format your program accepts.

How to Open an OFX or QIF File

An OFX, QFX or QIF file isn't a spreadsheet. Double-clicking it usually opens a wall of tags in a text editor, or nothing at all. The useful ways to "open" one are: import it into Quicken or QuickBooks (when the program accepts that format), convert it to CSV and open that in Excel or Google Sheets, or read the plain text to diagnose a failed import. This guide covers OFX/QFX and QIF together, because the search for either usually means the same job: get the transactions somewhere you can see them.

Short answer: there is no built-in Excel or browser viewer for these files. For a spreadsheet, convert OFX/QFX with OFX to CSV, QFX to CSV, OFX to Excel or QFX to Excel, or convert QIF with QIF to CSV or QIF to Excel (categories kept). To import into software: Quicken for Windows takes QIF and Quicken Web Connect QFX; QuickBooks Desktop wants .QBO (or IIF); QuickBooks Online and Xero take OFX/QFX/QBO. To inspect the raw file, open it in Notepad or TextEdit in plain-text mode — OFX is SGML or XML, QIF is plain text with one letter per field.

See a sample OFX or QIF as a spreadsheet

Open Utilly's fictional September 2026 checking file (31 transactions, net +1,022.16, ending balance 13,440.52) in the converter and download Clean CSV. Free for the sample; your own OFX/QFX/QIF is free up to 100 rows.

Download sample OFX Download sample QIF

On this page

What OFX, QFX and QIF files are
Open in Quicken or QuickBooks
Open in Excel or Google Sheets (via CSV)
Open in a text editor (honest view)
Common problems
Is there an OFX or QIF viewer?
Convert your own file

1. What OFX, QFX and QIF files are

Extension	What it is	What opens it well
.OFX	Open Financial Exchange: a bank or card statement as tags (OFX 1.x = SGML; OFX 2.x = XML). Account, period, one `<STMTTRN>` per transaction, ledger balance.	Xero, QuickBooks Online, Wave, GnuCash, Sage; converters to CSV/QBO/IIF/QIF
.QFX	Quicken Web Connect: OFX plus Intuit bank tags (including a bank ID Quicken checks online). Same transaction body as OFX.	Quicken (participating banks); also Xero/Wave/GnuCash. Not QuickBooks Desktop. More: how to open a .QFX file
.QBO	QuickBooks Web Connect: OFX plus Intuit tags for QuickBooks. Different from "QuickBooks Online" the product.	QuickBooks Desktop (supported versions) and QuickBooks Online; see how to open a .QBO file and the sample QBO file
.QIF	Quicken Interchange Format: plain text, one field per line (`D` date, `T` amount, `P` payee, `L` category, `^` ends a transaction). Older than OFX.	Quicken for Windows (File → File Import → QIF File); Xero; GnuCash; not QuickBooks Online. More: how to open a .QIF file

Program-by-program acceptance is on QBO vs IIF vs QIF. A fictional OFX explained tag by tag is on sample OFX file.

2. Open in Quicken or QuickBooks

Quicken for Windows — QIF: create the account first, then File → File Import → QIF File. Current Quicken help says checking, savings and credit card accounts work; older help limited QIF to cash, asset and liability.
Quicken for Windows — QFX: File → File Import → Web Connect File (wording varies by version). Quicken validates the bank ID with its online service, so a home-made or renamed .ofx often fails. Prefer a QFX from your bank, or convert to QIF and import that.
Quicken for Mac: imports OFX/QFX as a bank or brokerage file. QIF is only for starting a new data file from another program — you can't use QIF to add transactions to an existing Mac Quicken file.
QuickBooks Online: Bank transactions → Link account → Upload from file. Accepts OFX, QFX, QBO and CSV. Not QIF — convert it with QIF to QBO or QIF to OFX.
QuickBooks Desktop: Banking → Bank Feeds → Import Web Connect Files for .qbo only. QFX and plain OFX are refused — convert with OFX to QBO or QFX to QBO. After May 31, 2026, Desktop 2023 lost Web Connect; use IIF instead (OFX to IIF / QFX to IIF or QIF to IIF / QIF to QBO).
Xero: Accounting → Bank accounts → Import a Statement. Takes OFX, QFX, QBO, QIF and CSV.

3. Open in Excel or Google Sheets (via CSV)

Excel and Sheets will open a .ofx or .qif if you force them to, but you get the raw tags or letter codes in one column — not a usable table — and saving from Excel can corrupt the file. The reliable path:

Convert the file to a Clean CSV: OFX / QFX to CSV, QFX to CSV (Quicken-framed), OFX / QFX to Excel or QFX to Excel (same CSV with Excel-first steps), or QIF to CSV / QIF to Excel (adds a Category column from Quicken's L / split lines). For a QuickBooks Desktop .IIF, use IIF to CSV / IIF to Excel (SPL account as Category).
Open the .csv in Excel (Data → From Text/CSV keeps dates year-first) or in Google Sheets (File → Import → Upload, separator Comma).
Columns are Date, Description, Amount (money out negative) and Balance when the source file carried one. QIF also gets Category.

Free up to 100 transactions per file; the preview shows every row before you download.

4. Open in a text editor (honest view)

OFX and QIF are text. Opening them in Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit in plain-text mode (Mac) is the right way to see what's inside when an import fails:

OFX 1.x starts with header lines such as OFXHEADER:100, DATA:OFXSGML, VERSION:102, a blank line, then tags like <STMTTRN>…<TRNAMT>-6420.18. Values often have no closing tag.
OFX 2.x starts with <?xml and uses proper XML closing tags.
QIF starts with !Type:Bank (or Cash, CCard, etc.), then blocks of D/T/P/L lines ended by ^.

Don't open them in Word or Excel for editing. Word wraps and "smart quotes" break parsers; Excel rewrites cells and destroys the structure. Use a plain text editor, keep FITIDs unique in OFX, and prefer a converter when you need another format.

5. Common problems

Problem	What's going on	What to do
Excel shows tags or D/T/P/^ lines	You opened the .ofx/.qif itself	Convert to CSV first, then open the .csv
Quicken rejects a QFX / "unable to verify"	QFX is Intuit-locked: bank ID must match a participating bank	Use your bank's QFX, or convert OFX/QFX to QIF / QFX to QIF and import QIF on Windows
Quicken for Mac won't take my QIF	Mac Quicken only uses QIF to create a new file, not to update an existing one	Import OFX/QFX from the bank, or convert and use CSV/OFX paths outside Quicken
QuickBooks Desktop won't open OFX or QFX	Web Connect reads only .qbo	OFX to QBO / QFX to QBO, or OFX to IIF / QFX to IIF if Web Connect isn't available
Wrong account type / signs flipped	Bank file imported into a credit card account (or the reverse)	Import bank OFX into a bank account and card OFX into a card account; check signs in a CSV preview first
"No transactions" / empty import	Investment (brokerage) OFX, or a QIF that exported only lists	Bank and card statement downloads only for converters here; re-export QIF with Transactions ticked
Renaming .ofx to .qfx or .qbo	Extension isn't what the program checks	Convert so the sign-on section gets the right Intuit tags

6. Is there an OFX or QIF viewer?

People search for an "OFX viewer" or "QIF viewer" when they want to see the transactions without installing Quicken. A dedicated browser viewer isn't what Utilly ships: the practical viewer is a Clean CSV in Excel or Sheets, or the converter preview that lists every row before download. Opening the file in a text editor shows the structure; converting shows the money. For a known-good file to practice on, use the sample OFX or the sample buttons above.

7. Convert your own file

Have the download already? Pick the output you need. Have only PDF statements? Convert the PDF first, then export OFX/QIF/CSV from the result.

Turn OFX, QFX or QIF into something you can open

Free up to 100 rows with a full preview. PDF statements get a free balance-checked preview (no sign-up). Files are read in memory and not stored.

OFX to CSV OFX to Excel QIF to CSV OFX to QBO QIF to QBO OFX to IIF

Sources, checked November 5, 2026: Quicken help on QIF and Web Connect import; Intuit help on QuickBooks Online file upload and Desktop Web Connect; Xero Central on importing bank statements; Financial Data Exchange OFX Work Group (OFX 1.x SGML vs 2.x XML). Sample files are fictional.

FAQ

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How to open an OFX, QFX or QIF file (Excel, Quicken, text)