Items: Importing items in batches
Got spreadsheets full of inventory items, service items, or non-inventory part items? You can import them directly into QuickBooks, along with all the info you've got about them.
See how to import items from a spreadsheet
Before you import your items...
Hang on a sec--importing your item spreadsheets into QuickBooks isn't quite as simple as just copying the contents of your current spreadsheet, going into QuickBooks, and hitting Paste.
You'll be much, much happier if you take a few minutes to prep both your spreadsheet and your QuickBooks company file.
- Follow Steps 1-3 in the To import items procedure down below this section.
- Take a look at the columns on the QuickBooks spreadsheet. Compare them to your item spreadsheet.
- Make changes to your spreadsheet if you need to, to make it fit better with the QuickBooks columns.
- Back in QuickBooks, set up Income Accounts that make sense to your business. If you'll be tracking inventory in QuickBooks, set up COGS Accounts and Asset Accounts too. (We can help you decipher COGS and other account types if you're new to serious bookkeeping.)
To import items:
- Go to File > Import > Items. The Add Products, and Services window appears.
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- Service Items
- Non-Inventory Items
- Inventory Items
Tip : If you've chosen Inventory Items, there are lots more columns in the spreadsheet. Drag the window to the right to make it wider. If you're working on a laptop or narrow monitor, the whole spreadsheet may not fit on your screen--use the scroll bar under the columns to navigate.
Choose the kind of item you're going to copy into QuickBooks:
- Open your item spreadsheet. Copy the Item Name/Number column (or whatever you call it).
- Go back to QuickBooks. Double-click the first cell of the Item Name/Number column--a white field appears.
- Press Command + v to paste the column in.
- Repeat steps 4-6 for all the columns in the QuickBooks spreadsheet.
- Add an Income Account to every item now listed in the QuickBooks window if you didn't have this info in your original spreadsheet. It's a required field.
- (Inventory Items only) Add a COGS Account and an Asset Account for every item now listed in the QuickBooks window if you didn't have this info in your original spreadsheet. They are required fields.
- Make sure the Import box is checked for every item row.
- Click Import.
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Click OK when QuickBooks finishes importing your items.
You're done! All your items are now in QuickBooks. Go to Lists > Items to see the items you just imported.
Troubleshooting when the import fails
Did you get a message in the Import status window that says you have errors in some of your items? We can help you fix them:
- Close the Import status window by clicking OK.
- On the spreadsheet, look for the items that have red Xes on the far left side.
- Click on the item with the red X. A message pops up to the right of the item's row describing what went wrong.
- Fix the items with the red Xes and click Import again.
- Click OK when QuickBooks finishes importing your items.