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QuickBooks for Mac shows "QuickBooks was not able to complete your request. Please contact your financial institution. (OL-222)"

In short: Intuit says the OL-222 message after importing a .qbo file in QuickBooks for Mac "means the .qbo file format is wrong or the list of Financial Institutions in QuickBooks needs an update." Intuit's fix replaces that list (fidir.txt). If the list is current and the file still fails, or your bank only gives you a CSV, the converter builds a new .qbo file from the CSV.

Fix the file

Bank CSV to QuickBooks (.qbo Web Connect)

A CSV with a date column and an amount (or debit and credit) column

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What you see

You import a .qbo file from your bank into QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and see "QuickBooks was not able to complete your request. Please contact your financial institution. (OL-222)"

Why it happens

Intuit's OL-222 page says: "If you see the following message after you try to import a .qbo file from your bank, it means the .qbo file format is wrong or the list of Financial Institutions in QuickBooks needs an update."

The list is a file named fidir.txt inside QuickBooks. Intuit's page gives a download for QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

A file can also be in the wrong format because it was never a .qbo file: a CSV renamed to .qbo, or a file from an export tool that left out the Intuit fields.

How to fix it

  1. Follow Intuit's steps first: back up the company file, update QuickBooks, check that your file is a .qbo file, then download the new Financial Institution list for your version.
  2. Intuit's page then has you move the old fidir.txt to the Trash from the Downloads folder under Application Support and from the Resources folder inside the QuickBooks app, put the new fidir.txt in the Resources folder, and import the .qbo file again.
  3. If the error stays, or you only have a CSV from your bank or payment app, drop the CSV into the converter above, choose the account type, and download the .qbo file.
  4. Import it in QuickBooks for Mac as a Web Connect file and check the transactions before you accept them.

What this does not fix

  • A new file does not fix an out-of-date list; replace the list first.
  • Files from this converter carry Intuit bank id 3000. Intuit's list for QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 2020 shows that id as active for Web Connect; the 2023 list marks it active without a Web Connect tag. Intuit does not document how QuickBooks for Mac checks the id, so the converter cannot promise QuickBooks accepts it. No converted file has been tested in QuickBooks for Mac.
  • Intuit's OL-222 page covers QuickBooks Desktop for Mac 2020 to 2023. For other versions and for QuickBooks Desktop for Windows, see Intuit's Web Connect troubleshooting page.

Before and after

Before: the bank CSV as downloaded

Account Name:,Sample Business Checking
Account Number:,XXXX0000
Statement Period:,01/03/2025 - 31/03/2025

Date,Description,Debit,Credit,Balance
03/03/2025,OPENING DEPOSIT,,"2,500.00","2,500.00"
14/03/2025,"OFFICE SUPPLIES, INV 77",125.40,,"2,374.60"
15/03/2025,CLIENT PAYMENT - ACME SAMPLE LLC,,800.00,"3,174.60"
28/03/2025,MONTHLY SERVICE FEE,5.00,,"3,169.60"

After: what QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop receives

...
<STMTTRN>
<TRNTYPE>CREDIT</TRNTYPE>
<DTPOSTED>20250303120000</DTPOSTED>
<TRNAMT>2500.00</TRNAMT>
<FITID>D8E3A092ED5DD995</FITID>
<NAME>OPENING DEPOSIT</NAME>
</STMTTRN>
<STMTTRN>
<TRNTYPE>DEBIT</TRNTYPE>
<DTPOSTED>20250314120000</DTPOSTED>
<TRNAMT>-125.40</TRNAMT>
<FITID>8B3BD6B1A545D171</FITID>
<NAME>OFFICE SUPPLIES, INV 77</NAME>
</STMTTRN>
...

Synthetic sample data that follows the real export layout, not a real account. The "after" output was produced from it by the same converter this page runs.

Import the fixed file into QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop

  1. QuickBooks Online: go to Transactions > Bank transactions, click Link account (or Update) > Upload from file.
  2. Choose this .qbo file, pick the QuickBooks account to put it in, and click Continue.
  3. QuickBooks Desktop: File > Utilities > Import > Web Connect Files, choose the file, then pick or create the account.
  4. Review the transactions under For review and add or match them.

Questions

What does error OL-222 mean?
Intuit's page says it means the .qbo file format is wrong or the list of Financial Institutions in QuickBooks needs an update.
What is fidir.txt?
It is the list of financial institutions QuickBooks uses for Web Connect. Intuit's OL-222 fix replaces the copy inside QuickBooks for Mac with a new download for your version.
Can I edit the .qbo file from my bank instead?
Intuit's page does not suggest editing the file. If you have the same transactions as a CSV, building a new .qbo file from it avoids hand edits.

Converters for this file

Related import problems

Sources

The rules on this page come from these help pages, checked 2026-11-13. Software changes; if your screen says something different, the help page is the authority.