Import books: what to know before you move

Steps

1. Do my old books change? No. Import books reads the files you export from your current software. It never signs in to that software and never writes to it. Keep your old subscription for as long as you need the past.
2. Does Qetaab get access to my QuickBooks or Xero account? No. There is no direct connection to any other software, and the QuickBooks Desktop connector is not available for download. You export reports and lists yourself and add the files; if Import books says a connection is not available, that is the whole answer.
3. Who owns the imported data? You do. The files stay on your computer, the books in Qetaab are yours, and you can take them out at any time from Settings & Close → Take your books with you.
4. Should I add files that carry sensitive details? Exports carry names, addresses and balances. Add only the reports the chosen mode asks for, and delete downloaded exports from shared computers afterwards. Files are read in your browser; only the resulting books are saved, to the server in the hosted app or to this browser in the local build.
5. Will importing twice duplicate my data? Review shows what will be created and what will be reused before anything happens; accounts and names that already exist are reused. A review that has been imported is not offered again — to import more, review again and read the counts. Do not import the same history file twice through the classic card: it does not check.
6. What if something is missing afterwards? Review lists what will not move before you import — attachments, payroll, bank feeds, recurring templates and more depend on the system. Afterwards, compare the Trial Balance with your old system as of the day before your switch date; a difference usually means a report was for the wrong dates or an account was left out. Export again and review again.
7. What happens to open invoices and unpaid bills? When you supply the aging reports, they arrive as real documents so aging and reminders work, and the opening balances are reduced to match so nothing is counted twice. Without them, the amounts sit in the opening entry and no documents are created.
8. What about other currencies? Books are kept in one home currency. A report in another currency is refused or listed under what will not move; convert nothing by hand.
9. What does reconciliation actually verify? It compares the totals in the reports you supplied — trial balance debits and credits, open receivables and payables — with what the import will post. A check with no report behind it shows as Not verified, never as a match. Balanced debits and credits alone do not prove the import matches your old books; only the comparison does.
10. Can I cancel? A review can be cancelled at any time — it only reads. An import cannot be cancelled once it starts; the results say exactly what was applied and whether it has been saved yet.

What you should see

You can decide what to bring and what to check before choosing Import, and nothing in your old software has changed.

If it goes wrong

If Import books says the guided import is not connected, the classic Bring in your books card under Settings & Close still reads QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero files. If a review shows Not verified, do not import until you have supplied the report it names or understand why it is missing.

Related guides

• Switching from QuickBooks Online
• Bring in your books from QuickBooks Desktop or Xero
• Export your books and understand backups
• Set up your company