How to switch from QuickBooks Online: 7 steps that keep your history

To switch from QuickBooks Online, choose a month-end cutover date, export the General Ledger for all dates with debit and credit columns, 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, so your data is safe, but export first.

Updated September 30, 2026 · 4 min read · By the Accountable team

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 is free on Accountable, and Pro can keep a one-way QuickBooks copy for your CPA.

Pick a cutover date at a month-end, and decide how much history to bring

Two ways to move, and what each costs you
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.

One month, checked

QuickBooks balance sheet, March 31: Checking $48,213.50, Accounts payable $6,420.00, Retained earnings $212,884.11.

New tool, March 31: Checking $48,213.50, Accounts payable $6,120.00, Retained earnings $212,884.11.

Difference: Accounts payable is $300.00 low. 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.

Tell your CPA before you move, and keep a path back to QuickBooks

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, Accountable Pro and Holding can copy your books one way into a QuickBooks Online file your CPA already uses, and nothing comes back. 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: Sign in to QuickBooks Online through Accountable and allow access. The agent reads your books through QuickBooks' API, and nothing in QuickBooks changes.
Step 2: Connect your banks and cards read-only so each balance can be checked against its statement.
Step 3: The agent rebuilds your chart of accounts, customers, vendors, history and attachments in a staging copy.
Step 4: It ties each month-end to QuickBooks' reports and to your statements, and asks you only what it cannot resolve.
Step 5: You approve once. You can undo the whole move for 30 days.

If you prefer to upload the files from the export steps above, use the QuickBooks help article. Both ways are free.

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 use a one-way QuickBooks copy of your new books on Accountable Pro or Holding.

Leave QuickBooks for free, with every month tied to the cent

Connect QuickBooks Online and your banks. Accountable brings your full history, vendors and attachments, proves each month-end against QuickBooks' own reports, and lets you undo the move for 30 days.

Move my books from QuickBooks

Sources, checked September 30, 2026: