Importing Your Vendor List into QuickBooks: A Step-by-Step Guide

QuickBooks boasts robust features that simplify business accounting for owners, accountants, or bookkeepers alike. With its integrated vendor management capabilities, tracking vendors, payables, and pertinent details becomes a breeze. While you can manually create vendor records in QuickBooks, importing existing vendor data in bulk is significantly more efficient. This guide offers detailed steps to import vendor information from Excel and CSV files. You can use these steps for your QuickBooks version, whether it be QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Pro. For users with more intricate finance and accounting requirements, QuickBooks Online Advanced provides enhanced features. These features include intelligent reporting. It also offers the option to input invoice transactions via a CSV file.

Adding Vendors to QuickBooks Online

If you are utilizing the web-based QuickBooks Online application, adding and importing vendors is straightforward.

By maintaining all your vendor information in QuickBooks Online, you will streamline the process of entering bills and transactions. Instead of entering data manually, you can select a vendor from a dropdown list with many fields pre-populated. Tracking expenses through accounting reports is also simplified, offering key insights to managers and business owners.

QuickBooks Online Vendor Setup Checklist

Whether you opt to enter vendors manually or through importation, gathering your vendors’ essential information is crucial.

Collecting information into a CSV file or Excel spreadsheet is easy. If you are currently using another accounting software for managing suppliers, transferring details to QuickBooks can be done effortlessly.

The following information should be collected for all your vendors:

• Company Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• Contact Name
• Employer Identification Number
• Outstanding Balance Before Importing into QuickBooks
• Rate Paid to Vendor
• Rate Charged from Clients for Services

Manual Vendor Setup vs. Bulk Imports in QuickBooks Online

It may be more practical to enter vendors manually if you have only a few to add to QuickBooks Online. Here’s how:

1. Select Expenses > New Vendor.
2. In the Vendor Center, select New Vendor.
3. Complete the vendor information and click Save when finished.
4. Edit details at any time by selecting the vendor and then clicking on Edit.

For those with a larger number of vendors, bulk importing using an existing vendor list from Excel or other bookkeeping software is far easier.

QuickBooks also includes powerful payroll and time-and-attendance tools designed for small businesses. Check out our QuickBooks Time review for further details.

Import Vendors to QuickBooks Online Using a CSV or Excel File

Importing vendor data into QuickBooks Online via a CSV or Excel file involves several steps, including preparing your spreadsheet and conducting the import in QuickBooks Online.

Step 1: Prepare the Spreadsheet.

Each column in your spreadsheet corresponds to a field you wish to import into QuickBooks Online, while each row holds details about an individual vendor.

QuickBooks allows you to import the following fields; however, you do not need to provide data for every field:

• Company Name
• Contact Name
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Mobile Number
• Website
• Fax Number
• Street Address
• City
• ZIP Code
• State
• Country
• Tax Identification Number
• Opening Balance
• Date of Opening Balance

Your spreadsheet must have column labels in the first row, but these labels do not have to exactly match the field names in QuickBooks Online. The import process allows you to map each column to a specific field in the vendor list. Ensure to leave out columns for fields you do not wish to populate.

The vendor information spreadsheet must be located on the first workbook tab in Excel, as QuickBooks Online will only process the first tab.

In case QuickBooks isn’t suitable for your business, explore some feature-rich alternatives. Read our reviews of Xero or Zoho Books to find out more.

Step 2: Import the File into QuickBooks Online.

1. Open QuickBooks Online and select Expenses > Vendors.
2. In the Vendor Center, navigate to the New Vendors dropdown and choose Import Vendors.
3. In the labeled box Select a CSV or Excel file to upload, click Browse.
4. Locate your CSV or Excel file and select Open.

5. Click on Next to proceed.
6. On the Map Data page, align the fields from your imported file with QuickBooks Online’s fields. If your column headers coincide with QuickBooks Online’s fields, the software will auto-select them. These selections are merely suggestions; you can modify them as needed.
7. It’s acceptable to have additional headers in your imported sheet; matching all the software’s vendor columns is not mandatory. Choose No Match when necessary and click Next when you’re ready.

8. Examine your data. Ensure that the number of imported records matches the number of rows in your spreadsheet, excluding the header row. If you detect any discrepancies, rectify them here or click Back to adjust your mappings. Deselect any records you wish to exclude from the import.
9. When satisfied, hit Import to complete the process.

10. After the import is complete, you will receive a notification detailing the vendors you have successfully imported. Your vendors are now accessible in the Vendor Center of QuickBooks Online.

For more information on the powerful features offered by this cloud-based tool, read our full review of QuickBooks Online accounting software.

How to Import Vendors into QuickBooks Pro

Importing your vendors into QuickBooks Pro, the desktop version of QuickBooks, is also quick and simple.

Similar to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Pro allows you to add vendor details manually or through a CSV spreadsheet for bulk imports.

Here’s how to import vendors from an Excel spreadsheet into QuickBooks Pro.

Step 1: Select Your Vendors.

1. Open QuickBooks Pro and select Vendors to access the Vendor Center.
2. Choose Excel > Import From Excel.
3. Under Select the type of data you want to add to QuickBooks, choose Vendors.
4. You will be directed to a screen featuring a formatted Excel sheet. If you’re using an Excel file formatted as the QuickBooks Pro Vendor Import Template, you may skip this step.
5. Click on Advanced Import to carry out your import.
6. A pop-up warning will appear stating that imports cannot be undone. Click Yes to proceed.

Step 2: Get Your Vendor Data.

Copy the data from your Excel vendor file into the QuickBooks template. Your Excel data appears on the right while the QuickBooks template is on the left. Hovering over each cell provides instructions on the required data type. Formatting examples appear above the column headers.

QuickBooks allows you to input the following vendor information:

• Company Name
• First Name
• Last Name
• Street Address
• City
• State
• ZIP Code
• Country
• Phone Number
• Alternate Number
• Fax Number
• Account Number
• Email Address

Step 3: Resolve Any Errors.

Once your file is prepared for import, you will have an opportunity to check and correct any errors. Should the program identify issues, you’ll see an error message in the top left corner along with a red warning triangle in the affected cell. QuickBooks will provide explanations for errors and instructions for resolution.

Step 4: Save Your Changes.

1. After ensuring everything is correct, select Add My Data Now to insert the vendor information into QuickBooks Pro.
2. An error message will appear, indicating that your changes have not yet been saved. Click Save & Add Data Now.
3. Save the file to your computer. The filename should automatically appear in the box. If it doesn’t, click on Browse to select the file.

Step 5: Import the File.

1. Click Add My Data Now. You will see a screen displaying all completed steps along with the number of records added to your vendor list.
2. Your vendor import process is now complete. Go to the Vendor Center to verify your vendor list.

How to Delete a Vendor in QuickBooks

At times, you may wish to delete a vendor. However, if the vendor’s details have been utilized in a transaction, deletion is not possible within QuickBooks. You can, however, make the vendor inactive to prevent it from appearing in the Vendor Center.

To mark a vendor as inactive:

1. Access the Vendor Center.
2. Locate the vendor you want to deactivate.
3. Select the dropdown menu and choose Make Inactive.
4. Confirm by selecting Yes.
5. If you are attempting to deactivate a vendor with an outstanding balance, QuickBooks will issue a warning. Choose No and record the outstanding balance before proceeding with the deactivation.

QuickBooks simplifies business accounting with features like integrated vendor management, allowing users to track vendors and payables efficiently. You can manually add vendors. Alternatively, import bulk data from Excel or CSV files. This applies to both QuickBooks Online and Pro. For complex needs, QuickBooks Online Advanced offers smart reporting and CSV invoicing. The import process involves preparing a spreadsheet with necessary vendor information, mapping fields during import, and reviewing data for accuracy. Users can also deactivate vendors if necessary, ensuring smoother management while maintaining crucial accounting insights. Overall, QuickBooks enhances efficiency in accounting tasks for business owners.