QuickBooks Desktop 2019 Data Export Guide: PDF, CSV, IIF, and ODBC

Keep your QuickBooks Desktop 2019 data accessible long-term. Our guide covers exporting reports to PDF/CSV, IIF exports, and using ODBC for database access

QuickBooks Desktop 2019 reached the end of its Intuit service lifecycle on May 31, 2022. While live services and official support have sunset, your company file and all its historical data remain fully intact on your local machine. Ensuring that this data remains readable, portable, and exportable for decades to come is a core part of running a discontinued version successfully.

Whether you are migrating records to a new database, sharing financials with an accountant, or simply creating permanent offline archives, getting data out of QuickBooks 2019 relies on a few built-in tools. Here is how we recommend approaching the most reliable export methods available in this version.

Exporting Reports to PDF and CSV

The most common way to extract data from QuickBooks Desktop is through the standard report engine. This process is identical across QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Enterprise 2019, and functions exactly as it does in other recent Desktop versions.

To export a report to a spreadsheet:

1. Open the desired report and set your date range and filters.
2. Click the Export icon at the top of the report window (it looks like a sheet of paper with a green arrow).
3. Select Export to Excel Worksheet or Export to CSV.
4. Choose whether to send a new worksheet to an existing Excel file or create a new file entirely.

For permanent, unalterable archives, exporting to PDF is highly effective. From the same report window, click Print, and in the print dialog, select a PDF printer rather than a physical hardware printer. QuickBooks 2019 also includes a native Email and Save as PDF feature in the print dialog, allowing you to generate standard PDF documents directly from reports, invoices, and other forms without needing third-party PDF software.

IIF Exports for Raw Data

Intuit Interchange Format (IIF) files provide a way to export lists and transactions in a structured text format. Because IIF is a legacy format that predates many of QuickBooks' modern features, it is largely unchanged across versions.

To export data via IIF:

1. Go to File > Utilities > Export > Export IIF Files.
2. Select the lists you want to include (such as the Chart of Accounts, Customer List, or Vendor List).
3. Choose whether to export the lists or specific transaction types, then save the resulting .iif file to your local drive.

IIF files are particularly useful if you need to import your QuickBooks 2019 lists into another accounting system or manipulate the raw data in a spreadsheet application. Keep in mind that IIF is a flat-file format; it does not maintain all the complex relational links of your company file, making it better suited for list extraction than full database replication.

Accessing Data via ODBC

For users who need to query their QuickBooks data using database tools (like Microsoft Access, SQL Server, or custom scripts), Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is the standard method. QuickBooks Desktop uses the QODBC driver to allow external applications to read (and sometimes write) to the company file.

To use ODBC with QuickBooks 2019, the application must be running in the background, and the company file must be open in single-user mode. The external application connects to the QuickBooks database via the QODBC driver, which translates standard SQL queries into QuickBooks API calls.

Because QuickBooks 2019 is running offline and disconnected from Intuit's servers, the local QODBC connection remains fully functional. You can run custom SQL queries to extract specific data sets, generate custom reports that the built-in engine cannot handle, or pipe data directly into external business intelligence tools.

Protecting Your Extracted Data

When relying on exports and ODBC connections, the integrity of your source file is paramount. If your QuickBooks 2019 company file suffers data damage, your ODBC connection will fail, and your reports may export with missing or corrupted figures.

To ensure your data extraction methods always work, run the built-in Verify and Rebuild utilities regularly. If you encounter persistent structural damage that prevents clean exports, professional data recovery can restore the file to a stable state. For severe file corruption, you can explore our professional QuickBooks Desktop file repair and data recovery options to get your 2019 file back to a fully readable condition.