IIF to CSV Converter

What is an IIF file?

IIF (Intuit Interchange Format) is the tab-delimited text format QuickBooks Desktop uses to import and export both transactions and list data — a chart of accounts, a customer list, or a register of checks and deposits. It's older than QuickBooks Online and specific to the Desktop product line, but it's still how a lot of Desktop data gets moved between files or into other systems. For the full anatomy of the format, read What is an IIF file? in the Learn section.

Why convert IIF to CSV?

An IIF file only really opens usefully back inside QuickBooks Desktop — if you don't have it installed, or you just need the data in a spreadsheet for analysis, reporting, or importing into another system, you need a converter. See How to convert QuickBooks IIF to CSV for the step-by-step walkthrough.

What's inside an IIF file, briefly

• !TYPE headers: A line starting with "!" (like !TRNS or !ACCNT) declares the column names for every data row of that type that follows.
• TRNS: One transaction: its type (CHECK, DEPOSIT, INVOICE, BILL...), date, account, amount, name, and memo.
• SPL: A split line for the transaction just opened — which account the other side of the entry hits, and how much.
• ENDTRNS: Closes the transaction and its splits — the next TRNS starts a new one.
• Other lists: ACCNT, CUST, VEND, INVITEM, CLASS, and more — non-transaction reference data, each with its own header and columns.

The converter walks all of this for you: it groups each TRNS with its SPL lines up to ENDTRNS, handles transactions with no splits or multiple splits, and flattens everything into one row per split. If a file has no transactions at all — just a list export — it automatically exports using that list's own declared columns instead.

How to convert IIF to CSV

1. Drop your .iif file above (or paste its contents). Parsing happens on your device — the file is never uploaded.
2. Check the summary: export type, row count, and any other list types present.
3. Preview the flattened table — one row per split, or per list record.
4. Export as CSV for Excel, XLSX, or JSON.

Troubleshooting IIF files

Why does one transaction turn into multiple rows in the export?

A QuickBooks transaction (a TRNS record) can have any number of split lines (SPL records) — a bill paid from three expense accounts, for instance. Since a spreadsheet row can't represent a one-to-many relationship, this converter emits one row per split, repeating the transaction's date, type, and reference number on each. A transaction with no splits still gets exactly one row.

My IIF file has no transactions — why is the export different?

Not every IIF export is a transaction register. QuickBooks can also export pure list data — a chart of accounts, a customer list, an item list — with no TRNS records at all. When that happens, this converter automatically exports using that list's own columns (whatever QuickBooks declared in its !ACCNT, !CUST, or similar header) instead of the transaction layout, since there's no transaction data to flatten.

What's the difference between IIF and QBW files?

A .qbw file is QuickBooks Desktop's actual proprietary database — you can only open it with QuickBooks itself. A .iif file is a plain-text export/import format QuickBooks Desktop can write out or read back in, meant for moving specific lists or transactions between files or into other tools. This converter works on IIF exports, not the QBW database file itself.

Is this IIF converter really free?

Yes — every file parses and previews free with no signup and no upload. Free exports include the first 100 rows; a one-time $19 license unlocks unlimited exports on every LegacyFile tool.