Exporting to CSV, Excel, QBO, OFX and JSON
BankWriter saves your approved lines in seven file types: CSV, XLSX, QBO, OFX, QFX, JSON and Markdown. Which one you want depends on where the lines go next — a spreadsheet, accounting software, or your own tooling. This page covers each route, plus where your files land.
Which export format should you use?
Pick the format in the save dialog, after you click Approve on the review screen. Settings holds a Default format, so your usual choice is already selected each time.
| Format | Use it for |
|---|---|
| CSV | Excel, Google Sheets, bookkeeping imports — anything. The summary report sits beside the data columns, so copy-pasting the lines stays clean. |
| XLSX | A formatted Excel workbook. Negatives show in red, in parentheses. |
| QBO | QuickBooks. A QBO file is a Web Connect file, the bank-import format QuickBooks accepts. |
| OFX / QFX | Xero, Sage, Quicken and most other accounting software. OFX (Open Financial Exchange) is the shared standard those programs read. QFX is the Quicken flavour of the same file. |
| JSON | Scripts and automations. Machine-readable by design: raw numbers, ISO dates, and a summary block carrying the statement totals so your own tooling can re-check them. |
| Markdown | A clean text table you can paste anywhere — an email, a note, a working paper. The summary follows underneath as headed sections. |
CSV, XLSX, JSON and Markdown keep every column you can see on the review screen. QBO, OFX and QFX carry the fields accounting software expects — date, description, amount, and the account details you enter when you save. Keep a full-record copy whenever you want the complete picture.
How do I import into QuickBooks?
Export a QBO file, then upload it from inside QuickBooks.
- Choose QBO in the save dialog. BankWriter asks for the account details the import should target: Account number, Routing / Bank ID and Currency.
- In QuickBooks Online, go to Banking → File upload. In QuickBooks Desktop, use Import → Web Connect. Select the file you saved.
- Match the file to the right account when QuickBooks prompts you, then confirm the import.
The account details you type are written into the file, and they tell QuickBooks which account the lines belong to. Use the same values every month for a given account, so each upload lands in the same place.
Everything else reads OFX or QFX. Export one of those, then use your software's own import route.
How do I import into Xero?
Xero reads OFX. Open the bank account you want the lines to land in, look for its manual import or statement-upload option, and choose your OFX file. Xero then lists the imported lines ready for reconciling.
How do I import into Sage?
Sage also reads OFX. Select the bank account first, then its import-a-statement option, and pick the file. You get a chance to check the lines before they post.
How do I import into Quicken?
Quicken reads QFX. Export QFX rather than OFX, use Quicken's file-import route, and choose the account the lines belong to. Your first import may ask you to link the file to an existing account.
Menu wording moves between versions, regions and plans, so treat these routes as a shape rather than an exact path. Look for "import", "upload" or "statement" on the bank-account screen. Your software's own help pages carry the current wording.
Why are account numbers masked?
Account numbers are masked by default — ••••1234 — in the review screen's Account Number column and in your CSV and XLSX files. Masking is the default because exports travel. They get emailed to clients, dropped into shared folders and attached to working papers, and a masked number still identifies the account to anyone who already knows it.
To change that, open Settings and set Account numbers to Full digits. BankWriter then prints the number in full wherever the statement itself printed it in full.
The Account number and Routing / Bank ID you type in the save dialog for QBO, OFX and QFX are separate. They are written into the file exactly as you entered them, and the masking setting does not touch them.
Where are my files saved?
Each file saves next to its source PDF unless you say otherwise. Settings has a Default output folder if you would rather collect everything in one place, with Browse to choose it and Reset to go back to saving beside the PDF.
When you convert several statements at once, the Export options dialog shows the folder and file name before anything is written. Use Change for the folder, edit the File name box, and choose individual files, one combined file, or both.
BankWriter never overwrites an existing file. If the name is already taken, it saves alongside with a number added — march-statement (2).csv. Exporting the same statement twice leaves you with both copies, so you can compare them and delete the one you do not want.
Check the format before you save a batch. Every file in the batch uses the format and account details showing in the Export options dialog, so a wrong currency or account number applies to all of them.
Where to go next
- The review screen — edit cells, inspect a line against the original PDF, and approve.
- Batch processing — convert several statements in one run and export them together.
Stuck mid-statement?
Email support@bankwriter.com or open a ticket from your account — we aim to reply within 5 business days, usually much sooner. Never send a client’s statement.