"The file you selected could not be read" — how to fix it

This QuickBooks error when importing a QBO/Web Connect file is frustrating but almost always comes down to a handful of causes. Here's how to fix each.

1. Missing or wrong INTU.BID (most common)

QuickBooks uses the INTU.BID tag to recognize the bank. If it's absent or doesn't match a known institution, QuickBooks refuses the file. In LedgerBridge, pick your bank from the dropdown (it autofills the id) or paste a known-good value under Advanced → INTU.BID, then re-convert.

2. Wrong OFX version or malformed header

QBO must be OFX 1.0.2 (SGML), with the colon-delimited header block and no XML prolog. Hand-edited files often break this. LedgerBridge always emits the correct header.

3. Special characters or line breaks in descriptions

Ampersands (&), angle brackets, or stray newlines inside a payee/memo can corrupt the SGML. LedgerBridge escapes these automatically.

4. Future dates or a 90-day window

QuickBooks Desktop can ignore transactions dated in the future or, for some banks, older than 90 days. Check your date column maps correctly and the date format is right (US MM/DD vs UK/AU DD/MM).

5. Duplicate or empty transactions

Every transaction needs a unique id (FITID). LedgerBridge generates stable unique ids so re-imports don't duplicate and empty rows are skipped.

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Why does QuickBooks say "the file you selected could not be read"?

Usually the QBO is missing a valid INTU.BID, has the wrong OFX version/header, or contains characters that break the SGML structure. A correctly generated QBO with your bank's INTU.BID fixes it.

What is INTU.BID?

It is the Intuit-assigned bank id that QuickBooks/Quicken use to recognize which financial institution a QBO/QFX file came from. Without a matching value, the file is rejected.

Where do I find my bank's INTU.BID?

Pick your bank in the converter to autofill it. If your bank is not listed, you can often find the value on community lists, or paste one from a previously working QBO file under Advanced.