> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/llms.txt).

# Choose a download format

Convert downloads in fixed, ready-made formats. Here is what each one contains and which to pick for QuickBooks, Xero, Sage or a spreadsheet.

## What a format is

A format decides what a downloaded file looks like: which columns it has, how amounts are written and how dates are written. It only arranges what ZeraBooks already read from the document. Choosing a format never reads the document again.

Convert has a fixed set of ready-made formats for each kind of document. For bank and card statements and for invoices, you choose one each time you download, in the **Download** dialog, whether you download one document or several together. Checks, investments and financial statements have one format, **All details**, so they skip the dialog: click **Download**, then **Excel** or **CSV**, and the file downloads at once. You can't make your own format; pick the one that matches where the file is going.

## Bank and credit card statements

| Format | Columns | Use it for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Standard** | Date, Description, Amount (money out as a minus) | A simple file for any software or spreadsheet. Chosen first. |
| **Money in and out** | Date, Description, Money In, Money Out, Balance | A spreadsheet with money in and money out in separate columns, both positive. |
| **QuickBooks-ready** | Date, Description, Amount (money out as a minus) | The columns QuickBooks Online's bank upload takes. |
| **Xero-ready** | Date, Amount, Payee, Description, Reference | The columns Xero's statement import takes. |
| **Sage-ready** | Date, Description, Money In, Money Out, Reference | Sage's bank import, in the order it requires. |
| **All details** | Every column: Date, Description, Amount, Money In, Money Out, Balance, Account, Account Last 4, Cardholder, Type, Check Number and Source File | Your own records, or when you need the account and cardholder on each row. |

## Other documents

| Kind of document | Format | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Checks | **All details** | Check Number, Date, Payee, Amount, Memo, Written By, Bank, Account Last 4, Source File |
| Invoices | **All details** | Two sheets: "Invoices" (one row per invoice) and "Line Items" (one row per line) |
| Invoices | **Bills import (one row per line)** | Vendor, Bill No., Bill Date, Due Date, and each line's Description, Quantity, Unit Price and Amount: the shape most bill imports take |
| Investments | **All details** | Three sheets: "Summary" (Account, Period Start, Period End, Beginning Value, Deposits, Withdrawals, Net Deposits/Withdrawals, Dividends & Interest, Fees, Securities Transferred, Change in Value, Ending Value, Source File), "Holdings" (Account, Symbol, Description, Quantity, Price, Market Value) and "Activity" (Date, Account, Type, Action, Description, Quantity, Price, Amount, Source File) |
| Financial Statements | **All details** | Every line of each statement: Statement, Section, Line, Amount and Total |

## Dates and amounts

Every ready-made format writes US dates (MM/DD/YYYY).

Amounts are written one of three ways, depending on the format:

| Style | Example | Formats |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One column, money out as a minus | Amount: 250.00 in, -45.00 out | **Standard**, **QuickBooks-ready**, **Xero-ready**, **All details** |
| Two columns, both positive | Money In 250.00 · Money Out 45.00 | **Money in and out**, **Sage-ready** |
| Always positive | Amount: 45.00 | Checks and invoices |

## See a format's columns

In the **Download** dialog, each format lists its columns under its name, so you can check them before you download.

## Formats with one choice

Checks, investments and financial statements download in **All details** from a small menu, with no dialog. Under each choice, the menu says what you'll get:

- **Excel**: "One spreadsheet", or for investments "One workbook, a tab per table".
- **CSV**: "One file", or for investments "A file per table, in one ZIP".

## Columns added for you

On bank and card statements, when one sheet holds several accounts (for example with **One file**), an **Account** column is added so every row says which account it belongs to. When a card statement has several cardholders and isn't split by cardholder, a **Cardholder** column is added. Formats that already include these columns, such as **All details**, don't get them twice.

## One file or several

For bank and card statements, the **Split** option decides how the file is divided: **Automatic**, **One file**, **One per account** or **One per cardholder**. In Excel, each part is its own tab; as CSV, the parts come together in a ZIP. See [Download your data](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/convert-export/download-your-data).

## Frequently Asked Questions

<details>
<summary>Which format should I use for QuickBooks Online?</summary>

**QuickBooks-ready**: Date, Description and Amount, exactly what QuickBooks Online's bank upload takes. Download it as CSV and upload it in QuickBooks.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Which format should I use for Xero or Sage?</summary>

**Xero-ready** for Xero and **Sage-ready** for Sage. Download the file and import it there. Both write US dates (MM/DD/YYYY).
</details>

<details>
<summary>Can I add, rename or reorder columns?</summary>

No. Convert uses fixed, ready-made formats only. If you need every value Convert reads, use **All details** and arrange it in your spreadsheet.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Why can't I choose a format for checks or investments?</summary>

They have one ready-made format, **All details**, with every column Convert reads. Click **Download**, then **Excel** or **CSV**.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Why is a column mostly empty?</summary>

The document doesn't show that value on every row. For example, most bank lines have no reference or check number. ZeraBooks never guesses a value. See [Blank cells and missing values](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/convert-export/blank-cells-and-missing-values).
</details>

<details>
<summary>Does changing the format change files I already downloaded?</summary>

No. A file is made when you download it. To get the data in another format, download it again and choose that format.
</details>

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