How To Import Customer List From QuickBooks Online To Zoho Books

Businesses may choose to switch from QuickBooks to Zoho Books for several reasons, including more affordable pricing, especially for small to mid-sized businesses, and better integration within the Zoho ecosystem, which includes CRM, inventory, and project management tools. Zoho Books offers a clean, user-friendly interface, strong automation features like recurring billing and workflow rules, and localized tax handling. Additionally, Zoho’s customer support is often praised for being responsive and accessible, and its generous free plan for very small businesses makes it a cost-effective alternative for startups or freelancers.

In this article,  we will show you how to export the customer list from QuickBooks Online to Zoho Books.  You’ll follow these steps:

1. Export customer list from QuickBooks Online.
2. Format the exported file to match Zoho Books requirements.
3. Import the formatted customer list into Zoho Books.

Step 1: Export Customer List from QuickBooks Online

1.1 Log into QuickBooks Online

• Visit: https://quickbooks.intuit.com
• Use your credentials to sign in.

1.2 Navigate to Customer List

• In the left-hand menu, click Sales → Customers.

1.3 Export the List

• On the Customers page, click the gear icon above the customer table.
• Select all relevant columns you want to include (e.g., Name, Company, Email, Phone).
• Click the Export to Excel (or CSV) button (usually top-right corner).

This will download a .xlsx or .csv file.

Step 2: Format the File for Zoho Books

2.1 Check Zoho Books Import Format

• Go to Zoho Books: https://www.zoho.com/books
• Log in and navigate to:
  • Sales → Customers → Gear Icon→ Import Customers
  • Click Download Sample File to see the expected format.

2.2 Open Exported QuickBooks File

• Open the exported file in Excel or Google Sheets.

2.3 Clean & Match Fields

Match and organize columns to match Zoho’s import format. Common fields include:

Zoho Field	QuickBooks Equivalent
Customer Name	Display Name or Full Name
Company Name	Company
Email	Email
Phone	Phone
Mobile	Mobile
Billing Address Line 1	Address Line 1
Billing City	City
Billing State	State
Billing Zip Code	Zip/Postal Code
Billing Country	Country

Tips:

• Remove unnecessary columns.
• Ensure no empty rows.
• Combine address lines if needed.

2.4 Save the File

• Save the cleaned file in .CSV format (UTF-8 encoded if possible).

Step 3: Import Customer List into Zoho Books

3.1 Log in to Zoho Books

• Go to: https://books.zoho.com

3.2 Navigate to Customers

• Click Sales in the left menu.
• Then click Customers.

3.3 Start Import Process

• Click the Gear icon near the top-right of the Customers page.
• Select Import Customers.

3.4 Upload File

• Click Choose File and upload your formatted .CSV.

3.5 Map Fields

• Zoho will prompt you to map columns from your file to Zoho’s fields.
• Match each Zoho field to the appropriate column from your file.

3.6 Confirm & Import

• Click Next or Continue.
• Review the preview.
• Click Import.

You’ll see a success message when complete. If there are errors, Zoho will give you a downloadable error report to fix and re-upload.

Step 4: Verify Imported Customers

• Go to Sales → Customers.
• Review customer data to ensure that everything was imported correctly.
• Ensure each customer has the right contact person(s) assigned.
• Add secondary contacts if necessary.
• If these customers have outstanding balances from your previous system:
  • Go to Customers > Select Customer > More > Opening Balance
  • Enter the balance due (receivables)
• Set custom payment terms if the default doesn’t apply to certain customers:
  • E.g., Net 15, Net 30
• Test with sample invoice
  • Create a test invoice for one of the imported customers:
    • Ensure tax, currency, and payment terms are correct