Importing a QFX file from your bank

Chord has no bank connection by design. You download a QFX file from your bank and import it yourself. Any Canadian bank that can export QFX will work.

What a QFX file is

QFX is Quicken's flavour of OFX, the open format banks use for statement downloads. Each transaction in the file carries a unique ID (the FITID), which is what lets Chord recognise a line it has already seen. A plain CSV export from a bank has no such ID and no standard layout, which is why Chord asks for QFX and not CSV.

What you need

• A QFX export from your bank for the account you want to import.
• The matching account already in Chord (for example Chequing or Credit Card — both are in the starter chart).

Download the file

In your bank's website or app, find the account's export or download option and choose QFX (sometimes labelled Quicken or QFX). The exact menu differs by bank — look under statements, transactions, or account activity. Save the file somewhere obvious, like Downloads.

Import it

1. Press ⌘I, or choose File ▸ Import Statement….
2. Pick the account the file belongs to, then choose the QFX file. Chord remembers which file and account go together.
3. Chord parses the file and shows every line as a routing proposal. Rules pre-fill what they can; the rest wait for you.
4. Route the unplaced lines, then Confirm the batch.

Nothing touches the ledger until you confirm, and the whole batch posts atomically — all of it, or none of it.

Route the lines

• Rules pre-fill a target account where they match. See Rules and the review queue.
• Return or a double-click opens the routing composer for a row.
• Plain click, ⌘-click, and ⇧-click multi-select; ↑/↓ move, ⇧ extends.
• ⌘⌫ drops selected lines into a collapsible Dismissed list at the bottom; ⌘⌫ on that list brings them back.
• ⌘↩ confirms the batch; ⌘Z undoes the commit.

The composer is also where you create a new category inline, so an unexpected payee doesn't force you to leave the import.

Which dates should I download?

Overlap is fine. If you download January 1–31 and later February 1 – March 15, nothing is double-booked, and neither is a file that repeats a few days from the last one. Download in whatever ranges are convenient, one account per file.

Re-importing is safe

Each line carries the bank's FITID. Chord de-duplicates on it, so importing the same statement twice won't create duplicate transactions.

Transfers aren't spending

When a payment moves between two of your own accounts — a chequing-to-credit-card payment, say — Chord matches the two sides and nets them into one transfer instead of counting it as spending twice. Cross-currency transfers (CAD ↔ USD) post an FX adjustment so the books stay balanced.

Troubleshooting

• The file was rejected. Chord accepts QFX statement exports (and, for chart import, GnuCash's account CSV), not a CSV of transactions. Re-export from your bank and try again.
• A line routed to the wrong place. Nothing is booked until you confirm; fix it before you do. After committing, ⌘Z undoes the batch.
• Something is still unreviewed. Budget views flag it as not counted in the actuals — see Budgets.

FAQ

Does Chord connect to my bank? No. You download the file yourself; Chord never sees your bank login.

Which banks work? Any Canadian bank that can export QFX. Some call it "Quicken", "Web Connect" or "QFX"; a few only offer CSV, which Chord can't import.

Can I import credit-card statements? Yes. Import them against your Credit Card account, and card payments from chequing are matched as transfers.

Can I undo an import? Yes — ⌘Z right after committing, or restore a snapshot. See Backups and restore.

Related

• Importing, exporting, and backups
• Accounts, holdings, and balances

Still stuck?

Email [email protected] with your macOS version and what you were doing.