How to switch from QuickBooks Online: 7 steps that keep your history
Pick a month-end cutover date, then export the General Ledger, the Account List and your attachments. Load them into the new tool, tie every month-end to QuickBooks' own reports, and cancel last. A cancelled paid plan stays read-only for one year.
Updated · 4 min read · By the Accountable team
- Export 2 filesGeneral Ledger and Account List
- Upload to AccountableIt checks every month-end
- Tied at $0.00 within 48 hours30 days to undo; cancel QuickBooks last
The move is free. Accountable reads only the files you upload, so nothing in QuickBooks changes. A cancelled paid QuickBooks plan stays read-only for one year.
The short version
- QuickBooks keeps a cancelled paid plan read-only for one year, and a cancelled free trial for 90 days.
- Settings › Export data downloads reports and lists to Excel in one zip, and attachments come out as a separate zip.
- The General Ledger report with debit and credit columns is the one file any new tool or CPA can read.
- Switch at a month-end and tie each month's balance sheet to the old one before you cancel.
- Moving your history into Accountable is free: upload the General Ledger and Account List, and every month-end is checked against QuickBooks' own numbers.
Pick a month-end cutover and how much history to bring
| Method | What you keep | Effort | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening balances only | Balances at the cutover date; old history stays in QuickBooks | Low: one trial balance | You need QuickBooks for past years, so you keep paying or rely on its read-only year |
| Full history | Every transaction since day one in the new tool | Higher: general ledger export and a tie-out | Low, if each month ties to the old reports |
Full history is the safer choice if you raise money, because diligence asks for prior years and you do not want two systems.
Export these five things from QuickBooks Online
Step 1: General Ledger: Reports › Standard reports, search General Ledger (under For my accountant), set Report period to All Dates, choose your method (Accrual or Cash), click Columns and tick Debit and Credit, run it, then Export/Print › Export to Excel. If Excel opens it in Protected View, click Enable Editing.
Step 2: Account List: Reports › Standard reports › Account List, then Export to Excel.
Step 3: The everything export: Settings ⚙ › Export data, pick a reason, set the date on the Reports tab, switch items on or off, then Export to Excel. Intuit delivers reports and lists in one zip.
Step 4: Attachments: they export as a separate zip from Intuit's Lists export.
Step 5: Customer and vendor lists, and payroll reports if you ran payroll in QuickBooks.
Intuit's own page does not name an All Dates period; any range that starts before your first transaction works.
Prove the new books against QuickBooks before you cancel
The proof is one comparison repeated for every month-end: each account's balance in the new tool must equal the same account in QuickBooks' balance sheet, and each month's income and expenses must equal its profit and loss. Anything that differs gets an explanation before you cancel.
March ties: $0.00 difference
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor expense | $300.00 | |
| Accounts payable | $300.00 | |
| Balanced | $300.00 | $300.00 |
On March 31, QuickBooks showed $6,420.00 payable and the new tool $6,120.00. With the bill added, payables match, as checking ($48,213.50) and retained earnings ($212,884.11) already did.
The cause is one bill dated March 30 that was not in the export, so the month does not tie until that bill is added.
The usual causes are an opening balance that was not entered, a transaction dated in a locked period, funds sitting in Undeposited Funds, and a deleted transaction that still affects a report.
Cancel last, and know what QuickBooks keeps
- After you cancel a paid plan you have read-only access to your data for one year, and you can export to Excel in that time.
- If you cancel during a free trial or the trial ends, your data is available for 90 days.
- If your card is declined, you get 14 days with full access to fix billing, then the account suspends and you must re-subscribe to get your data.
- Intuit recommends exporting or printing your data before you cancel. Cancel after your first full month closes in the new tool.
Give your CPA a free seat, or their files
Ask your CPA which file they want at year-end and whether they need to log in. Many CPAs work in QuickBooks. If yours does, keep the QuickBooks plan they need until they are ready, or send them the general ledger as CSV and the statements as Excel or PDF, which Accountable exports on every plan. Your CPA's seat in Accountable is free and sees the same books and change log.
What the move looks like in Accountable
Step 1: In Accountable, press ⌘K, choose Move books from Digits, QuickBooks or a spreadsheet, pick Move my books and choose QuickBooks.
Step 2: Press Upload a QuickBooks export and drop the General Ledger and Account List, plus your bank statements if you have them. Nothing in QuickBooks changes.
Step 3: Accountable rebuilds your chart of accounts, every General Ledger line, and your vendors and customers in a staging copy.
Step 4: It checks each month-end against the General Ledger's Balance column and your statements, and asks you only what it cannot resolve.
Step 5: You approve once. You can undo the whole move for 30 days.
Attachments and closed months do not come across in the export, so keep Intuit's attachments zip with your records. The QuickBooks help article shows each screen. The move is free and you do it yourself.
Questions founders ask
Can I export from QuickBooks Online after I cancel?
Yes. A cancelled paid plan is read-only for one year and you can export to Excel in that time. After a year QuickBooks deletes the data.
Will I lose my history if I switch?
Not if you export the General Ledger for all dates and tie each month to the old reports. Keep QuickBooks until your first month closes in the new tool.
When is the best time to switch from QuickBooks?
At a month-end, after that month's bank reconciliation is done. Many founders choose a year-end, but a mid-year month-end works with full history.
How long does it take to switch?
Plan for one month-end. The export takes minutes; the proof takes the time. Accountable sends its tie-out report within 48 hours.
Can I keep QuickBooks for my accountant?
Yes. Keep the plan your CPA needs, or give your CPA a free seat in Accountable and the general ledger export, which every plan includes.
Leave QuickBooks for free, with every month tied to the cent
Upload QuickBooks Online's General Ledger and Account List. Accountable rebuilds your full history, vendors and customers, proves each month-end against QuickBooks' own balances, and lets you undo the move for 30 days.
Move my books from QuickBooksSources, checked September 30, 2026: