Online banking: Tips and troubleshooting

Here are some tips to help you fix the most common problems with online banking in QuickBooks.

Setting up online banking

• What do I do if my financial institution is not listed?If you don’t see your financial institution name when setting up access to your online banking account:
  • If you have the “Select the financial institution” window open, click Cancel and reopen the window to refresh the list.
  • Be sure your financial institution supports online banking with Quickbooks.
  • Check for typos in the name you entered.
  • Be sure to look for the formal name of the bank. For example, the formal name of BofA is Bank of America.
  • Use the search field in the top right corner of the Online Banking Assistant.
  • Be sure you have the most recent version of QuickBooks. Choose QuickBooks > Check for QuickBooks Updates.
  • QuickBooks updates the list of financial institutions once a day. To get to most recent list, quit QuickBooks and open it again. You must be online for the list to be updated.
• What if I don’t know where my account is held? A financial institution may offer online services in different ways or at different costs in different areas. Usually, the options represent geographical areas. Select the option that best represents your location. If you are not sure, contact your financial institution.
• Customer service at my financial institution is telling me to enter information that isn’t in QuickBooks. The customer service representative at your financial institution may be giving you instruction on using Direct Connect when you using Web Connect or the other way around. With Direct Connect, QuickBooks needs more information to access your online banking account automatically. With Web Connect, you download a file manually from the financial institution’s website. Be sure the representative is clear about which service you want to use. Not all financial institutions support both services.

Using Direct Connect

I can’t get Direct Connect to work. If you’re having trouble setting up Direct Connect, use this checklist:

• Check your Internet connection. You must be connected to the Internet for Direct Connect to work.
• Be sure your financial institution supports Direct Connect. Check your financial institution’s website or call their support line.
• Be sure you are providing the correct username and password. When setting up Direct Connect, you must provide the username and password the financial institution provided you.
• Be sure you have the most recent version of QuickBooks. Choose QuickBooks > Check for QuickBooks Updates.

If you complete this list and you still can’t get Direct Connect to work, you can using Web Connect if your financial institution supports it.

Using Web Connect

• When I importing the .qbo file, the Continue tab is grayed out (not active) and I don’t see the account.This problem may occur for several reasons. To resolve it, go through this checklist:
  • Register QuickBooks if you haven’t already.
  • If you are importing a .qbo Web Connect file for the first time, be sure you have set up Web Connect before importing the .qbo file.
  • If the bank account is missing when you import the .qbo file:1. Choose Lists > Chart of Accounts.
    2. Select the account to unlink from imported online transactions and select Edit.
    3. Select the Online Settings tab.
    4. In the Download Transactions window, select “Not enabled” and click Save.
    5. In the Edit Account window, click OK.
    6. Create a new bank account with the same name as the existing bank account, except add the number “1” at the end of the name (for example, if the original bank account is “ABC,” create a new account named “ABC1”).
    7. Rename the original, existing account to the new name (for example, rename “ABC” to “ABC1”).
    8. Import the file.
• I’m no longer able to download bank transactions after converting from QuickBooks for Windows to QuickBooks for Mac. After you convert the file to QuickBooks for Mac, you must set up your online banking again within QuickBooks for Mac. You can use either Web Connect or Direct Connect.
• I’ve downloaded a .qbo file and QuickBooks tells me it can’t import the file. You’re .qbo file may be corrupted. Return to your financial institution’s website and download the .qbo file again, then choose File > Import from Web Connect to import the new file into QuickBooks.