How to use ProperSoft PDF2QBO converter and convert PDF files to QBO (Web Connect) format

This video shows how to use a PDF2QBO converter. IMPORTANT: PDF2QBO is now replaced with the Transactions app, which converts from more formats and converts to more formats.

If you don't have it downloaded yet, you can download from https://www.propersoft.net/. Go to Products, then go to PDF2QBO and then click 'Download' and select, whether you want - Windows or Mac Download. Once downloaded and installed, start the PDF2QBO converter.

It will show you the welcome screen with some important details, that you should be aware of.  

The next step - the converter asks you to select a PDF file to convert. We will use a sample PDF file.  

And this is how a PDF file looks like.  

It has some Deposits.  

It has some Checks, it has some other Withdrawals.  

So, when you load a PDF file, first - examine how transactions are parsed: the Dates are correct, the Amounts are correct, the Descriptions expected. 

Check numbers present on this Tab.  

If you want to parse specific pages, you can set 'Pages' from and to, if you have a large PDF file, you want to convert it in parts, let's say, specific months or specific year, then you can specify pages from and to. You can specify the 'PDF Password'. You can specify in which format dates are coming - 'Input Dates' - usually, it is not required, but in some cases, it is required. If you have a scanned or image-based PDF file or protected, you can use this 'OCR' option and you have to select 'Resolution'.  

Some statements are parsed better with lower resolution, some statements are parsed better with high resolution. You will see, that if you have several statements to convert, once you have it figure out for the first statement, another statement should follow a similar pattern. So, if you change anything at this Tab, then you have to click the 'Apply' button to restart the Parser.  

When you review transactions, make sure the dates are correct, the year is correct, the expenses and negative, and payments to the account are positive. If you have a statement, like coming from December to January, and the Parser should be able to figure out year change, and adjust year for those days, December dates, and January dates, to have a different year. If it does not, you can quickly adjust it: select the first transaction for the previous year, then the last transaction for the previous year and then right-click and do 'Year -' to adjust the year quickly.  

You can edit anything you want on the parse transactions. You can edit it here. 

Or use the 'Renamings' to rename names from one name to another. So, you can rename, let's say, 'Home Depot 1', 2', 3' to 'Home Depot', and things, like that.  

If you don't want to type here, you can right-click and say 'Add payee(s) to payee mapping'.  

If you see, that all transactions have the own year, you can adjust the year here - 'Set year'. If you see, that all transactions are Deposits instead of Withdrawal, so you can adjust it here - 'Change +/-'.  

If you want to adjust the specific group of transactions to be Withdrawal instead of Deposit, then you can select them, and right-click, and do ''Change +/-'.  

You can deselect any transaction, you don't want to be included in a PDF file.  

If the PDF file has a post date, you can use it - 'Use Post date', if you like. This is about the transaction content.  

The next step is about the QBO file, so the PDF2QBO converter provides the option to convert to QBO, and to CSV. Why would you want to convert to CSV? Let's say, if you want to work with transactions outside the converter. The main format is a QBO file, so we will focus on that in this tutorial.  

Each QBO file requires the Account ID, which is number digits only. So, when you convert statements for one account - use the same Account ID, once you're ready to go to another account, make sure to change the Account ID. Another setting is Account Type. Make sure to set the Account Type to match what you have in QuickBooks.  

The Currency must be US dollars for QuickBooks US Edition. You can set Bank ID, Branch ID for QuickBooks, but it's not required. You have to set INTU.BID, as a bank label for the allowed bank. If you click the 'Lookup' button, you will see a list of banks.  

So, some banks are not allowed, you can see some numbers, some banks are allowed for all account types. So, make sure, if you convert for the Credit card, make sure, that a Credit card is allowed for the bank you select.  

You can search by number, you can search 'Wells Fargo'.  

You can search by name.  

You can search by another name. As you see, so there are several 'Capital one', you can select '54696' for a Credit card, you can select '15496' for a Checking account. This is no more than a bank account label, you can have a completely different bank name, bank label inside QuickBooks. It does not matter, you will choose the account you want to import your data during the first QBO import in QuickBooks. 

There are some other settings, like 'Balance', you can - if you like, you can set it. 'Deterministic references', 'Allow non-numeric checks', 'Allow empty name' - these are for advanced cases, and if you just want to convert your transactions, you don't have to pay attention to any of this.  

And the last thing is 'Open after save', so what it means? That the Parser will ask the QuickBooks or the application on your computer, which is said to be an application for the QBO files to open created QBO file. Some users prefer this streamlined workflow when you open a PDF file, you click 'Convert', click a QBO file is created, and passed right away to QuickBooks, so, the QuickBooks start importing it right away. In our case, we will not do that, and you will see for yourself, which process, or which option is better for you, when you see QuickBooks starting right away, or you want to save it. Let's say, if you have QuickBooks Online, then the converter cannot start QuickBooks Online for you, so it will just save the file, and then you go to QuickBooks Online, and then, you click 'Upload statement' and select created QBO file. The most important part - you have to click the 'Convert' button to create a QBO file.  

You have to confirm the file name, you have to confirm the file location, and then you have to click 'Save' to have your QBO file created.  

And now you're ready to switch to QuickBooks to import your QBO file. We will have different tutorials, that focus just on QBO file import. Because there are some important details, like different scenarios, how would you import a QBO file to an existing account or the new account, and this is better suitable for a separate tutorial. Please, look for a separate tutorial at the description of this video.