> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.digits.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.digits.com/business-getting-started/migrate-from-quickbooks.md).

# Migrate Data from QuickBooks Online

If you already use QuickBooks Online, you can bring your existing books into Digits instead of starting from scratch.

{% hint style="danger" %}
QuickBooks migration works best before you've added transactions in Digits. If you chose the wrong start date or missed some transactions in QuickBooks, no worries! You can use [**Start Over**](/business-connections/starting-over.md) to reset your books and try again. Your subscription and billing won't be affected.
{% endhint %}

#### Before you migrate

Digits imports transactions that have been **posted to the QuickBooks ledger**. Transactions still in the QuickBooks bank feed (**For Review**) won't be imported.

Before migrating:

<i class="fa-square-check">:square-check:</i> **Post the transactions you want to import.** Categorize and post any outstanding bank-feed transactions in QuickBooks. You can leave transactions unposted if you plan to manage them in Digits instead.

<i class="fa-square-check">:square-check:</i> **Reconcile the books.** Reconcile QuickBooks through the last completed accounting period to ensure the balances are accurate.

<i class="fa-square-check">:square-check:</i> **Choose the Digits start date.** We recommend the day after the last fully posted and reconciled period. This is when Digits takes over as the accounting system of record.

***

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Step 1: Start the import

*New to Digits?* When you create your business, Digits prompts you to set up your books. Choose **Import my Chart of Accounts**. For the full sign-up walkthrough, see [Set Up Your Business in Digits](/business-getting-started/set-up-your-business-in-digits.md)

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://2853103476-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FoOQefjLW2ufqQqvMpE4S%2Fuploads%2FFrX1CzInRGIMcVEKArA3%2FImport%20Chart%20of%20Accouts%20QBO.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=890f1974-e69b-4a79-b837-09b416b097dc" alt="" width="310"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

When Digits asks where your books are coming from, select **QuickBooks Online**.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://774908611-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FZJRjnc8NFWHCOqIwdbuI%2Fuploads%2Fs9R1Of8f2myHyM0t6ErK%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=e6555e35-a28d-4e69-aa49-f9f18c0d2ba7" alt="" width="310"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

{% hint style="info" %}
*Already chose Start Fresh?* Click **Import chart of accounts** in the **Coming from another accounting system?** banner on the dashboard. The banner is available until the first transaction is added. After that, use **Start Over** to reset the books. If you only need to add categories from the previous chart of accounts, you can upload them as a CSV at **Accounting → Categories → Import Categories** without starting over.
{% endhint %}

***

{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Step 2: Connect to QuickBooks

The **Set Up** panel opens with your four migration steps listed on the left.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://2853103476-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FoOQefjLW2ufqQqvMpE4S%2Fuploads%2F2L1d2EtKkh6LCDpNACVI%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=183058bc-942b-4063-951b-aa6e79d0e43c" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

1. Click **Connect QuickBooks Online**. You’ll be redirected to Intuit to authorize Digits. Digits only reads your QuickBooks data; it never changes it.
2. Sign in to QuickBooks in the window that opens. If Digits shows *QuickBooks is open in another window*, finish signing in there, then click **Return to Digits**.
3. Digits will confirm the business it connected to; then click **Begin Migration**. This opens the remaining steps. The historical import itself starts after you apply your start date.

{% hint style="info" icon="lightbulb-on" %}
**Connected to the wrong QuickBooks company?** Click **Choose another business from QuickBooks** under the Begin Migration button. Digits disconnects and reopens QuickBooks so you can pick a different one.

**Using QuickBooks Desktop?** Click **I use QuickBooks Desktop** instead. Digits can’t connect to Desktop directly, so you’ll upload your chart of accounts and trial balance manually. See [Migrate to Digits from Xero, Puzzle, or Another Platform](/business-getting-started/migrate-to-digits.md)
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
Digits supports USD only. If the QuickBooks company uses another home currency, you'll be asked to connect a different business.
{% endhint %}

***

{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Step 3: Review your chart of accounts

Digits pulls your categories from QuickBooks and shows a preview with the category count and the full account tree. Review it, then click **Import Chart of Accounts**.

{% hint style="info" icon="sitemap" %}
You can edit the chart of accounts later. Rename, reorganize, or deactivate categories anytime in **Accounting → Categories**.
{% endhint %}

***

{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Step 4: Set your Digits start date

Your start date is the day Digits takes over as your accounting system of record. Everything before it comes from QuickBooks; everything after it lives in Digits. See [Your Digits Start Date](/business-getting-started/business-quickbooks-cutover-date.md) for how it affects your books and connections.

{% hint style="danger" %}
**The Digits start date can't be changed after you set it.** New connections use it as their start date automatically. You can adjust an individual connection's start date later, but not the Digits start date itself. If you picked the wrong date, use **Start Over** to reset the books.
{% endhint %}

Digits builds the options from what it found in QuickBooks:

* **The day after your last close** — shown when Digits detects a close date in QuickBooks. This is the recommended option unless the close date is more than two months old.
* **The first day of your fiscal or calendar year** — if you’ve closed the books through the prior year. Digits uses your fiscal year if QuickBooks reports one that doesn’t start in January; otherwise it uses January 1.
* **The first of the current month** — shown instead of the close-date option when QuickBooks has no close date. Choose this if you’ve closed the books through last month.
* **Custom date** — any date your books were last accurate.

Select an option and click **Apply Start Date**.

***

{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Step 5: Migration summary

Digits imports your full QuickBooks history up to your start date, including transactions, journal entries, bills and invoices, products and services, and classes and locations. Click **Go to Dashboard** or **Explore Connections** to start adding banks and apps right away.

{% hint style="info" %}
The import runs in the background. You can follow its progress in the activity panel on your dashboard, and Digits notifies you when it finishes or needs attention, even if you leave setup. Once it finishes, Digits archives the QuickBooks connection and no longer syncs. From your start date forward, Digits is your system of record.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Step 6: After the migration

While the import runs, your dashboard shows what’s importing and fills in as data becomes ready. You don’t have to wait for it to finish:

1. Connect your banks and apps so new activity starts flowing in. If you just finished setup, click **Explore Connections**. Otherwise, from your dashboard, click **Add Connection** in the **Total Cash** section, or select **Connections** in the left sidebar.
2. Once the import finishes, go to **Accounting → Categories** to confirm your chart of accounts looks right.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://2853103476-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FoOQefjLW2ufqQqvMpE4S%2Fuploads%2FZU7jhpkzkclVum0f6fQ1%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c788e649-275d-40c5-8c99-f4169253d716" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

3. Invite your team or accountant from **Organization Settings**, if you’d like.

From there:

* Your QuickBooks categories and balances are now live in Digits.
* :sparkles: Digits starts auto-categorizing new transactions based on your historical data.
  {% endstep %}
  {% endstepper %}

***

#### What Migrates to Digits from QBO and What Doesn't?

<table><thead><tr><th width="197.3160400390625">Data</th><th>✅ Migrates</th><th>🚫 Does not migrate</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Chart of Accounts (COA)</strong></td><td>Includes active and inactive accounts. Maps to the Categories in Digits.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Transactions</strong></td><td>Your historical activity.</td><td><strong>Reconciliation status</strong> (whether a transaction was previously marked reconciled in QBO).</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Journal Entries (JEs)</strong></td><td>Included in your transaction history.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Classes and Locations</strong></td><td>You’ll map these during setup so you can use them in Digits.</td><td></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Reconciliation history</strong></td><td></td><td>Past statement periods and reconciliation reports.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Invoices &#x26; bills</strong></td><td>Brought over for their accounting impact. A/R, A/P, and revenue are booked into your ledger.</td><td>Not as standalone invoice or bill documents. The original documents, attachments, and payment status do not migrate.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Other document records</strong></td><td></td><td>Document records and attachments.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>A/R and A/P</strong></td><td>Your account balances.</td><td>Aging reports and open item aging (A/R and A/P aging history).</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Customers</strong></td><td>Name, website, phone, email, billing address, and shipping address.</td><td>Payment terms, opening/current balance, notes/memos, attachments, tax-exempt status/resale number, preferred payment &#x26; delivery method, sub-customers/jobs (parent-child relationships), custom fields, currency.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Vendors</strong></td><td>Name, website, phone, and email.</td><td>Address, tax ID/1099 setup, payment terms, account number, opening/current balance, notes/memos, attachments, tax settings, custom fields, currency.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Products</strong></td><td>Includes inactive. Imported and surfaced during invoice creation. Products with a unit price of $0 or greater appear in the Product selection dropdown. Products with a unit price less than $0 appear as Discount options when creating an invoice.</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

{% hint style="info" %}
**Good to know:** Your QuickBooks invoices and bills migrate as ledger transactions, so your historical accounting data—including A/R and A/P balances—is preserved. The original documents, attachments, payment status, and aging history don't migrate, so recreate any open invoices or bills you still need to track in Digits.
{% endhint %}

***

### Running a Parallel Close

If you’d like to test **Digits** while still closing your books in **QuickBooks**, you can run a **parallel close** for your first month.

This lets you compare results between both systems before fully switching to Digits.

See [Try Digits Without Leaving Your Current Setup (Parallel Close)](/business-getting-started/parallel-close.md)

***

### Frequently Asked Questions

<details>

<summary>Does Digits overwrite QuickBooks data?</summary>

No. Digits reads data from QuickBooks (up to the start date) but never pushes updates back.

</details>

<details>

<summary>What if I choose the wrong start date?</summary>

Your start date can’t be changed once it’s set. Use [**Start Over**](/business-connections/starting-over.md) to reset onboarding and run the migration again with the correct date.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Do Departments and Locations (Classes) import from QuickBooks?</summary>

Yes. When you migrate from QBO, you can import both Locations and Line Classes — but you'll need to map them during the import setup, since QBO and Digits use different terminology.

QBO uses a generic structure for these fields, while Digits defines them more specifically as Departments and Locations. During setup, you'll select which QBO field maps to which Digits dimension.

Common mapping:

* QBO Location (or custom name like "Business") → Digits **Departments**
* QBO Line Class → Digits **Locations**

</details>

<details>

<summary>Do products import from QuickBooks?</summary>

Yes, products are imported from QBO — but they only apply if you're using Digits Invoicing to create and manage invoices. If you're not using Invoicing, imported products won't affect your setup.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Why aren't my transactions tagged with Departments or Locations after migration?</summary>

Transaction tags won't appear until you've mapped your Departments and Locations. Here's how to do it:

1. In the left navigation, go to **Accounting → Departments** (or **Locations**).
2. Click **Import Departments** (or **Import Locations**) and follow the steps to map your QBO fields to the correct Digits dimension.

Once saved, Digits retroactively applies the tags to all matching historical transactions.

See: [Departments](/business-agentic-general-ledger/departments.md)| [Locations](/business-agentic-general-ledger/locations.md)

</details>

<details>

<summary>Are QuickBooks transactions editable after migration?</summary>

Yes. All data imported up to your **start date** is editable in Digits. Any changes made in QuickBooks after that date will not sync.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Why am I seeing “The app you’ve selected isn’t available for use in your country”?</summary>

This occurs when your **QuickBooks Online** account was created outside the U.S. Digits’ QuickBooks integration currently supports **U.S.-based accounts only.**\
If you have a U.S.-based QuickBooks account, connect that one instead.\
For non-U.S. accounts, you can still use Digits by importing transactions via CSV.

We know international support is important, and expanding availability is on our roadmap. If you have questions, contact <help@digits.com>.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Why Migrate from QuickBooks to Digits?</summary>

QuickBooks is a solid starting point for many small businesses—but as your business grows, it can start to feel clunky and manual.

You might notice things like:

* Spending time maintaining **rules** just to keep transactions categorized
* **Manual reconciliations** are slowing down the month-end
* Reports that only feel “real” after you **export to Excel**
* Juggling different tools and views to understand your cash and performance

✨ **Digits is built to take that weight off your plate.**

Instead of rules and spreadsheets, Digits gives you:

* **Automated Categorization** – Transactions classify themselves using AI and get smarter as you confirm them.
* **Continuous Reconciliation** – Bank and card reconciliations run in the background, flagging issues early.
* **Live Reports** – Your P\&L, balance sheet, and dashboards update automatically—no exports needed.
* **One Place to Work Together** – You and your accountant can comment, review, and fix things directly in Digits.

In short: businesses move from QuickBooks to Digits to spend **less time wrestling with their accounting** and more time running the business, with cleaner, real-time numbers they can trust.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Is it safe to run Digits alongside QuickBooks Online?</summary>

Yes. Digits' QuickBooks migration is a **one-time data pull** — it copies your data without modifying or syncing back to your QBO file. Your QuickBooks data remains fully intact.

You can continue using QBO as your primary system while testing Digits in parallel, comparing reports, and verifying accuracy before fully committing. Once you're confident everything aligns, you can transition to Digits and cancel your QBO subscription. See [Try Digits Without Leaving Your Current Setup (Parallel Close)](/business-getting-started/parallel-close.md)

</details>

<details>

<summary>How do I migrate from QuickBooks Desktop?</summary>

See [Migrate to Digits from Xero, Puzzle, or Another Platform](/business-getting-started/migrate-to-digits.md)

</details>

<details>

<summary>Do inactive chart of accounts categories import from QuickBooks?</summary>

Yes. Digits imports your entire chart of accounts, including inactive accounts, and brings them over marked as inactive ("Deactivated"). This keeps your historical transactions correctly tied to the categories they were originally posted to. Imported inactive categories still appear in your Categories (shown as Deactivated), so nothing is lost—they're just visually set aside from your active categories.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Viewing migrated Accounts Receivable balances after a QuickBooks migration</summary>

When you migrate from QuickBooks Online, Digits brings over your full history—customer information, customer balances, and transaction-level detail. However, AR balances carried over at your start date won't appear in the AR Aging report. That report is built from invoices created in Digits, and migrated receivables come over as ledger balances rather than individual invoice documents.\
\
You can still see the same information from the Accounts Receivable category. Here's how:

1. Open the Accounts Receivable category detail page. You can get there by finding Accounts Receivable in the Ledger, or by using Ask Digits/search and typing "accounts receivable."
2. Use the date picker to set the time frame you want. To see balances as of your start date, select the full range up to that date (e.g., all of 2024–2025 for a January 1, 2026 start date).
3. Open the Unpaid Customers view to see the total owed by each customer for that time frame.
4. Click into any customer to see the underlying transactions that make up their balance.

</details>

<details>

<summary>What happens if I click Exit Setup?</summary>

Your progress is discarded, and QuickBooks is disconnected. The setup prompt appears on your dashboard again, so you can restart the migration or choose Start Fresh. Nothing is billed or lost.

</details>

***

{% columns %}
{% column width="66.66666666666666%" valign="middle" %}
Got a question or feedback? Our team is all ears—come say hello!
{% endcolumn %}

{% column width="33.33333333333334%" valign="middle" %}

<p align="center"><a href="https://portal.usepylon.com/digits/forms/get-in-touch-with-digits-support" class="button primary" data-icon="envelope-open-text">Contact Digits Support</a></p>
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

***


---

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