We’ve all got bosses in their 50s, making 5 times more than us, asking us to align data on Excel cells (or worse, unsend emails on Hotmail because they forgot an attachment!). Pure postmodern tragedy.
But hey, the ‘Wow, you’re my little genius!’ look right after, makes up for a week’s parent-figure validation-seeking therapy! Holt and Peralta, who? No one? Okay, I digress.
Despite the obvious advantage of Excel- giving analysts the perfect opportunity to gloat how hard we work while continuing to doomscroll for the rest of the day (that’s research!)- let’s face it, it’s got no rizz.
I mean, who even works on Excel anymore in the age of QuickBooks? Apart from its screaming boomer energy, the lack of real-time collaboration is perhaps the biggest con (among the long list of cons) of working with Excel.
So, get your emotional support millennial manager and lock in. This simple step-by-step guide on how to migrate data from Excel to QuickBooks is sure to convert your boomer boss for an upgrade.
Bonus: It also includes the cons of Excel, a brief introduction to QuickBooks accounting and a QuickBooks expert, and tips on building a remote team of QuickBooks accounting experts.
Top 3 Cons of Using Microsoft Excel for Accounting in 2025
1. Impaired Collaboration- Perhaps the biggest con of working with Excel in today’s landscape of advanced project management tools is its lack of real-time collaboration. It falls disappointingly short of managing changes and tracking who made specific changes and when, while working with teams.
2. Limited Accessibility- Excel has a complex user interface. Period. The innumerable Excel learning- from beginner to advance- courses online are a testament to that. It’s insufficient for complex data analysis and visualization. Not to mention the complexities and amount of its shortcuts, functions and formulas.
3. Language and Version Control- Finally, Excel’s lack of support for languages and programming integrations hinders its usability in diversities. Its lack of versatility with features like pivot tables renders accountants’ jobs more difficult than they should be.
What is QuickBooks Accounting?
QuickBooks is an accounting software, with cloud-based versions, mainly geared toward small and medium-sized businesses. Where small business owners with limited system capacity may find Excel slow and unresponsive when dealing with large datasets, file sizes and heavy resources, because of the lack of a ‘lite’ version, QuickBooks accounting offers the perfect solution.
QuickBooks accounting bridges the gap left by Excel and offers the following features on both on-premise/ stand-alone and web-based versions- accounts receivable, accounts payable, double-entry accounting, small business accounting, multi-currency in global versions, automatic bank feeds and downloads, standard business reporting, management reporting, payroll, incorporated credit card and bank-to-bank payments, inventory items, expense management, and fixed asset depreciation (QuickBooks Pro/Premier stand-alone).
How to Migrate from Excel to QuickBooks?
You can import large amounts of data into QuickBooks using Excel including customer and supplier contact information, bank transactions, product and service details, chart of accounts, invoices, and bills/expenses, among other.
First, you need to sign up to QuickBooks, if you have not already. If you have, you can just log in using your ID. For this, you need to go to the QuickBooks accounts page. Here are 4 steps that makes importing simple.
1. Setup QuickBooks Account- Go to Settings and select Account and Settings. Select Create an account. Enter a valid business email address and the basic company information such as legal name, fiscal year, EIN, business type, etc. The settings tab lets you input chart of accounts, add users and permission levels, and manage billing and subscription details effortlessly. Fill them up and choose the right subscription plan.
2. Sort and Align Data- Before importing a file, make sure you adhere to the best practices and the fields of information that you want to import and those which are optional. Now, make sure that you have a basic component- structure and formatting- of your charts- rows and columns- in your Excel spreadsheet and ensure that the columns in QuickBooks match the columns in Excel. There should be no blank cells in your spreadsheet before the headers.
3. Attach Excel Spreadsheet- Next, go to your QuickBooks, select File -> Utilities -> Import -> Excel files -> Advanced Import -> Set up Import -> Browse -> Upload Workbook -> Select Sheet/s from the Workbook depending on your requirements.
4. Map Bulk Import Data- Finally, in the bottom section titled ‘Data Mapping’ of the popup titled ‘Import a File’, click on ‘Add or Select a Mapping’. Click on ‘Add New’. New window pops up, titled ‘Mapping’. Fill in the Mapping name. Choose the Import type from the drop-down list of Customer, Vendor, Item, Account. Double check to match the data. Select Save-> Preview-> Import. Voila, you’re all set!
Alternatively, you can just hire a QuickBooks Expert- to do this for you and then manage your accounts. Read on to know how.
Why Do You Need a QuickBooks Expert?
A QuickBooks expert, like the name suggests, is basically a QuickBooks accounting pro. If you are a small business owner who plans to migrate their data from Excel to QuickBooks, you would need a pro.
This person would be trained in the technicalities of the software and certified on various programs and exams offered by Intuit (QuickBooks’ parent company).
Choose a licensed professional based on your specific requirements- entry-level for basic tasks or and advanced for high-level pros, QuickBooks Point of Sale (POS) certified for retail data management, and so on.
How to Build a QuickBooks Accounting Experts Remote Team?
Remote teams are here to stay. While multinationals had the financial edge in the second half of the previous century to leverage their operations to offshore sites and enhance cost-effective productivity, now small and medium businesses can too. Thanks to the internet.
Not just people, you can choose from a range of enterprise tools which have affordable versions for small businesses now. This versatility has already given birth to a copious number of skilled professionals in offshoring hotspots like India.
Remote Resource® QuickBooks experts are the best in business, along with high-level English language proficiency, that does not let culture gaps get in the way of daily business.
