How To Import Vendors Into QuickBooks Pro

The great thing about accounting software is that you can have all of your company information in one place — even information about your vendors. If you’ve already read our How To Import Customers Into QuickBooks Pro post, importing your vendors will be a piece of cake.

If you haven’t read it yet, don’t worry. We’ve broken this process down into seven easy-to-follow steps.

Import Your Vendors

To import your vendors, begin by going to Vendors>Vendor Center>Excel>Import from Excel.

Note: QuickBooks Pro recommends creating a backup company file before importing your vendors.

Step 1: Select Vendors

You’ll be taken to a screen that asks if you’re importing “Customers,” “Vendors,” or “Products I sell.”

Click “Vendors.”

You should then be taken to a screen that looks like this:

Note: If your Excel file is already formatted like QuickBooks Pro’s Vendor Import template, skip this step and click the “Advanced Import” section on the right-hand side of the screen to complete your import.

If this is your first import (or if you haven’t disabled this message), you’ll see a popup box warning that you can’t undo imported information. Don’t worry. Simply click “yes” to continue importing your vendors.

Step 2: Copy and Paste Your Vendor Data

Next, you’ll need to copy the data from your existing Excel file (ours is on the right) and paste it into the QuickBooks Excel template file (on the left).

If you hover over a cell, QuickBooks Pro will give you instructions on what type of information should be included there. You’ll also find an example of how to format each cell above the column headings.

You can save the following vendor information in QuickBooks:

• Company Name
• Mr./Mrs.
• First Name
• M.I.
• Last Name
• Display As
• Street 1
• Street 2
• City
• State
• Zip
• Phone
• Fax
• Alternative Phone
• E-mail
• Account Number

Step 3: Resolve Any Issues

Before you complete the import process, make sure there are no errors in your file. If there is an issue, QuickBooks Pro will put a message in the error box on the top left-hand side of the file and will put a red warning triangle in the corner of the problematic cell.

Even if there is an error, QuickBooks will tell you what’s wrong and how to fix it.

Step 4: Click “Add my Data Now”

Once all of your data is entered correctly, click the “Add My Data Now” Button.

Step 5: Save Changes

Since we haven’t saved the changes we made to our QuickBooks Excel template, we’ll need to save them now. Click “Save & Add My Data Now.” (If you click “I’ll Add My Data Later” you will lose your progress.)

Then you’ll need to save the file on your computer.

Step 6: Select the Appropriate File

After you save the document, the saved document should automatically appear in the box below. If not, click “Browse” and select the appropriate file.

Step 7: Import Your File

Click the blue “Add My Data Now” button on the bottom of the screen.

You should then be taken to a screen that looks like this:

Now your vendors have been successfully imported! You can view your vendor list or go back to the Vendor Center to see the proof for yourself.

If you have any troubleshooting issues, check out the QuickBooks Community or call QuickBooks directly. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our QuickBooks Desktop Pro 101 Series to learn how to add vendors, import customers, import items, and more.

Overwhelmed by QuickBooks Pro? Maybe it’s time to switch to QuickBooks Online. QBO is easy to use, cloud-based, and affordable. Best of all, you can easily import your QuickBooks Desktop data into QuickBooks Online. Check out our full review on QuickBooks Online for more details.

Outgrown QuickBooks Pro? Switch to QuickBooks Premier. It’s the same QuickBooks Desktop software you love but with more users and advanced, industry-specific features, which we cover in our QuickBooks Premier review.