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Explainer

What is an OFX file?

Updated June 28, 2026 · 5 min read

OFX stands for Open Financial Exchange — an open standard for moving financial transactions between banks and software. When you download transactions to import into Quicken, GnuCash, or accounting tools, an OFX file is often what you get.

What's inside an OFX file

An OFX file is a structured text file (SGML in older versions, XML in newer ones) that describes account details and a list of transactions — each with a date, amount, type, and description. It's meant for software to read, not people, which is why it looks like tagged markup if you open it in a text editor.

Because the structure is standardized, any program that understands OFX can import the same file — that's the whole point of an open format.

What opens an OFX file

Personal-finance and accounting software: Quicken, GnuCash, Microsoft Money successors, and many bookkeeping tools import OFX directly. You typically use the app's File → Import (or bank-feed import) rather than double-clicking the file.

If your software wants a different format — QuickBooks prefers QBO, a spreadsheet wants CSV — convert the OFX first rather than trying to force the import.

OFX vs QFX vs QBO

QFX is Quicken's branded version of OFX — the same base format plus a Quicken-specific marker. QBO is QuickBooks' branded version, which also carries an INTU.BID bank identifier QuickBooks uses to recognize the account.

Practically: OFX is the generic open format, QFX targets Quicken, and QBO targets QuickBooks. Converting between them is usually a matter of adjusting those identifiers, not rebuilding the data.

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How do I open an OFX file?

Import it into finance software that supports OFX (Quicken, GnuCash, and many accounting tools) via the app's File → Import. To read it as a table, convert the OFX to CSV or Excel.

What's the difference between OFX and QFX?

QFX is Quicken's branded flavor of OFX — the same underlying format with a Quicken-specific marker. A plain OFX file is the generic, open version that more programs accept.

Can I convert OFX to QuickBooks (QBO)?

Yes. QBO is OFX with an INTU.BID bank identifier added so QuickBooks recognizes the account. An OFX → QBO converter sets that identifier and outputs a file you can upload under Banking → Upload from file.

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OFX → CSV converterOFX → QBO converterOFX vs QFX vs QBO explained