1. Export the file from PayPal
- Sign in to PayPal on a computer and open Activity.
- Click the Download icon (or go to Reports > Activity download).
- Choose a date range of up to 12 months and the CSV format.
- Pick "Balance affecting" transactions if you are offered the choice.
- Download the file (large reports are emailed) and upload it here.
Why a raw PayPal export fails in Quicken (Windows and Mac)
The PayPal activity download is a CSV, not a bank statement file. To keep PayPal as its own account in QuickBooks, Quicken or Xero, each payment has to become a statement line in one currency, with the PayPal fee on its own line.
Quicken does not import a payment app CSV into a bank account register. A .qfx file gives it a Web Connect statement it can attach to an account, with a stable id for every transaction.
What is unusual about the PayPal file
- Columns can be added or removed in PayPal, so we read them by name.
- Date and number formats follow your PayPal country (for example 01/31/2025 and 1,234.56 in the US, 31/01/2025 and 1.234,56 in Europe).
- Fees are negative and Net is Gross plus Fee.
- A purchase in another currency appears as three rows (the payment and two "General Currency Conversion" rows); each currency is its own balance.
- Holds and their releases, and "Memo" rows, do not change your balance and are left out.
- The file may start with an invisible byte-order mark.
- Headers are translated if your PayPal is not in English; switch to English before downloading.
What Quicken (Windows and Mac) requires
- Same OFX 1.0.2 body as QBO, with an Intuit bank id (INTU.BID 3000).
- Quicken checks the file online, so you need an active Quicken subscription and an internet connection.
- US Quicken needs US dollars.
- Quicken support does not help with files made by converters; the format is standard Web Connect.
2. Before and after
Before: the PayPal activity CSV as downloaded
"Date","Time","TimeZone","Name","Type","Status","Currency","Gross","Fee","Net","From Email Address","To Email Address","Transaction ID","Shipping A... "03/30/2025","18:22:05","PDT","","General Withdrawal","Completed","USD","-1,000.00","0.00","-1,000.00","seller@example.com","","9WD00000TEST0010","... "03/28/2025","09:01:12","PDT","Sample Hosting Co","PreApproved Payment Bill User Payment","Completed","EUR","-20.00","0.00","-20.00","","","9WD0000... "03/28/2025","09:01:12","PDT","","General Currency Conversion","Completed","USD","-21.84","0.00","-21.84","","","9WD00000TEST0008","","","","","","... "03/28/2025","09:01:12","PDT","","General Currency Conversion","Completed","EUR","20.00","0.00","20.00","","","9WD00000TEST0007","","","","","","",... "03/20/2025","14:10:00","PDT","Casey Buyerperson","Payment Refund","Completed","USD","-50.00","1.20","-48.80","","casey@example.com","9WD00000TEST0... "03/18/2025","11:00:00","PDT","Sample Hardware Store","Account Hold for Open Authorization","Pending","USD","-1.58","0.00","-1.58","","","9WD00000T... "03/18/2025","11:05:00","PDT","Sample Hardware Store","Reversal of General Account Hold","Completed","USD","1.58","0.00","1.58","","","9WD00000TEST... "03/12/2025","8:15:30","PDT","Casey Buyerperson","Shopping Cart Item","Completed","USD","50.00","0.00","50.00","","","9WD00000TEST0003","","","Prin...
After: what Quicken (Windows and Mac) receives
... <STMTTRN> <TRNTYPE>CREDIT</TRNTYPE> <DTPOSTED>20250302120000</DTPOSTED> <TRNAMT>1250.00</TRNAMT> <FITID>22B0EAEC98E76955G</FITID> <NAME>Riley Clientname</NAME> <MEMO>Riley Clientname - MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months, then $6.99 / Month</MEMO> </STMTTRN> <STMTTRN> <TRNTYPE>DEBIT</TRNTYPE> <DTPOSTED>20250302120000</DTPOSTED> <TRNAMT>-46.73</TRNAMT> <FITID>22B0EAEC98E76955F</FITID> <NAME>Fee</NAME> <MEMO>Fee: Riley Clientname - MONTHLY - $1 for the first 2 Months, then $6.99 / Month</MEMO> </STMTTRN> ...
Synthetic sample data that follows the real export layout, not a real account. The "after" output was produced from it by the same converter this page runs.
3. Import the converted file into Quicken (Windows and Mac)
- Windows: File > File Import > Web Connect (.QFX) File, then choose this file.
- Mac: Quicken for Mac has File > Import > Bank or Brokerage File (OFX, QFX). How it treats converted QFX files is not confirmed, so check the imported transactions.
- Link it to an existing account or create a new one, then accept the transactions.
Questions
- Should I download "Balance affecting" or "All transactions"?
- Pick balance affecting if you are offered the choice. Either way, the converter leaves out holds, their releases and Memo rows, because they do not change your PayPal balance.
- Will Quicken create a new account for the file?
- When you import a .qfx file Quicken lets you add the transactions to an existing account or create a new one. Many people create one account per payment app (for example "Venmo") so the balance in Quicken can be checked against the app.
- How are PayPal fees handled?
- By default each payment is written as the gross amount plus a separate fee line, so the fee can go to a merchant fees expense account and the running balance still matches PayPal. Choose "Net amount only" in the options for one line per payment.
- What is the difference between QFX, QBO and OFX?
- All three are the same Open Financial Exchange statement format. QFX adds Intuit fields for Quicken, QBO adds them for QuickBooks, and plain OFX is what most other programs read. Pick the one that matches your software; the transactions inside are the same.
Other ways to convert PayPal
- Import a PayPal activity CSV into Xero
- PayPal CSV to QBO for QuickBooks
- Convert a PayPal activity CSV to QuickBooks Online
- PayPal CSV to OFX