# Quicken OFX: Will Quicken Import an OFX File? - Author: SimpleBankConvert (https://simplebankconvert.com) - Published: 2026-10-17 - Category: Quicken and other software - Canonical: https://simplebankconvert.com/blog/quicken-ofx > Will Quicken import an OFX file? How Quicken treats OFX versus QFX, why some OFX files are refused and the small change that usually fixes it. Quicken for Windows does not officially import plain OFX files. Its Web Connect import reads QFX, the Quicken flavour of OFX that banks offer as "Download to Quicken". Quicken for Mac's import menu does name OFX. Because QFX is OFX plus a few Intuit lines, an OFX file can often be made acceptable by adding them and renaming it .qfx. ## Does Quicken accept a plain OFX file? No, not on Windows, according to Quicken itself. [Quicken's guide to importing data into Quicken for Windows](https://www.quicken.com/support/how-do-i-import-data-quicken-windows) lists OFX among the file types it cannot import, next to Excel, PDF and QuickBooks files. The same page says bank downloads come in as Web Connect files, which you recognise by the .QFX extension. That answer surprises people, because OFX is the open standard that QFX is built on. The menu path for the supported route is File, then File Import, then Web Connect File. That import is built around QFX files, so an OFX file sent down the same path is outside what Quicken promises to handle. Quicken for Mac is less strict on paper: [Quicken's Mac Web Connect troubleshooting page](https://www.quicken.com/support/mac/web-connect-troubleshooting/) gives its import as File, Import, Bank or Brokerage File (OFX, QFX). Two kinds of reader land here. Some downloaded "OFX" or "Microsoft Money" from their bank because no Quicken option was offered. Others have an OFX file that a converter or another program produced. Both have the same file underneath, and both have the same fix, covered below. The everyday route for a real Quicken download, with the duplicate checks Quicken runs, is in [importing a QFX file into Quicken without duplicates](/blog/import-qfx-file-into-quicken). ## OFX versus QFX: the lines a Quicken download adds OFX versus QFX is a small difference. Both files use the Open Financial Exchange layout: a header, a sign-on block that names the bank, an account block, one tagged block per transaction and a closing balance. A QFX download adds Intuit's own lines to the sign-on block, the main one being an `INTU.BID` bank identifier. OFX began in 1997 as a joint specification from Microsoft, Intuit and CheckFree, according to [the FDX OFX Work Group, which now maintains the standard](https://financialdataexchange.org/about-fdx/ofx-work-group/). Early versions used SGML syntax, and later ones moved to XML. Quicken's QFX grew out of that shared base, which is why the transaction lines inside the two files look almost the same. Here is an example sign-on block from a QFX file. The values are made up: ``` 0INFO 20260331120000 ENG Example Community Bank4410 4410 ``` A plain OFX file from the same bank would usually match line for line, minus the `INTU.BID` line. Everything below the sign-on block, from the account number to each `STMTTRN` transaction, is standard OFX in both. ## Why would Quicken refuse an OFX bank download? Quicken refuses an OFX bank download for one of three reasons: the extension is .ofx rather than .qfx, the file lacks the Intuit bank ID that Quicken looks for, or the file has a damaged or unusual header. The first two are fixable in a few minutes. The third usually means getting a fresh download from the bank. The extension matters because Quicken's Web Connect import looks for .qfx files. Renaming alone may be enough for some banks. When it is not, the likely gap is that Quicken cannot tell which bank sent the file. A damaged header is a different problem. Files edited in a word processor, saved with the wrong encoding, or cut short during the download can fail before Quicken reads a single transaction. Open the file in a plain text editor and check that it starts with either `OFXHEADER:100` or an XML declaration, and that it ends with a closing `` tag. If either is missing, download it again rather than repairing it. ## The small edit that lets Quicken read an OFX file The small edit is to give the OFX file what a QFX download has. Add an `INTU.BID` line inside the sign-on block, using the bank ID from a genuine QFX download from the same bank, then save the file with a .qfx extension. Test it in a copy of your Quicken data first. ### A table of OFX situations The table below sorts common situations. They are examples of what readers run into, not an official list. | What you have | What to try first | | --- | --- | | OFX download from a bank Quicken supports | Rename to .qfx and import through Web Connect | | Renamed file rejected with a bank or institution message | Add the `INTU.BID` line copied from a real QFX from that bank | | OFX made by a converter for another program | Check the header, then add the Intuit line and rename | | File with no closing `` tag | Download it again from the bank | | Bank offers both OFX and "Quicken" downloads | Take the Quicken download and skip the edit | ### Testing the edit safely Make a backup of your Quicken file before you import anything edited by hand. Then import into a test account, look at the dates, amounts and payees, and compare the account balance with the statement. If everything matches, delete the test account and import into the real one. The reverse edit, removing Intuit lines so an OFX reader accepts a QFX file, is covered in [which Intuit lines an OFX reader might refuse](/blog/qfx-to-ofx-converter#which-intuit-lines-in-a-qfx-file-might-an-ofx-reader-refuse). ## When an OFX file is the wrong route into Quicken An OFX file is the wrong route into Quicken when you are moving whole data files rather than bank transactions, when the file was built for QuickBooks, or when the bank simply offers a proper Quicken download. In each case another file does the job with less guesswork and no hand edits. Moving data between Quicken copies is one example. A QDF file is a whole Quicken data file, not a bank download, and turning it into a bank file is a separate task explained in [the guide to converting QDF to QFX](/blog/convert-qdf-to-qfx). Trying to squeeze that history through an OFX file loses categories and splits. Files meant for QuickBooks are another. A payroll provider's export, for example, is usually built for an accounting ledger, with wages and taxes split out. If that is your situation, [importing payroll transactions into QuickBooks Online](/blog/import-payroll-transactions-into-quickbooks-online) explains how those lines are recorded, and it is a better fit than forcing them into Quicken as bank transactions. Finally, if your only record is a PDF statement, there is no OFX file yet. [SimpleBankConvert](/) is being built to turn PDF statements into files for QuickBooks and Xero, so for Quicken you would still need a QFX made another way.