Disconnecting a bank account stops the automatic flow of transactions

To disconnect a bank account in QuickBooks Online, go to the Gear icon (top left), select Bank Feeds, find the account you want to disconnect, and click the menu button next to it, then choose Disconnect. The account itself stays in QuickBooks — only the automatic transaction feed stops. Your historical data remains, and you can reconnect the same account later if you change your mind.

Disconnecting is different from deleting. When you disconnect, QuickBooks keeps all the transactions you've already downloaded and matched. You can still see them, edit them, and use them for reports. You straightforward stop receiving new transactions from your bank automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • Disconnecting a bank account stops new transactions from downloading automatically, but keeps all past transactions in QuickBooks.
  • The account itself is not deleted — only the live connection to your bank is removed.
  • You can reconnect the same account at any time by going back to Bank Feeds and re-entering your bank login.
  • If you want to remove the account entirely from QuickBooks, you must delete it separately after disconnecting.
  • Disconnecting takes less than a minute and does not affect your bank account or any other software.

Step-by-step: Finding and disconnecting your account

Open QuickBooks Online and look for the Gear icon in the top left corner of the screen. Click it and a menu will drop down. Look for Bank Feeds — this is where all your connected accounts live. Click on it.

You will see a list of all the bank and credit card accounts you have connected. Find the one you want to disconnect. To the right of that account name, you will see a small menu icon (usually three dots or a dropdown arrow). Click it. A small menu will appear with options. Select Disconnect.

QuickBooks will ask you to confirm. Click Yes or Confirm (the exact wording varies by version). That is all — the account is now disconnected. The page will refresh and the account will no longer show a "Connected" status.

What happens to your transactions after you disconnect

Every transaction QuickBooks downloaded before you disconnected stays in your account. You can still see them, match them to invoices or expenses, edit them, and include them in reports. Nothing disappears. The only thing that stops is new transactions from appearing automatically.

If you need to enter transactions from that account after disconnecting, you can do it manually. You can also reconnect the account later — QuickBooks will not re-read old transactions, only new ones from the date you reconnect forward.

When to disconnect instead of delete

Disconnect if you are temporarily stopping the feed — for example, if you are switching banks but plan to use the old account for a few more weeks, or if you want to pause automatic downloads while you sort through a backlog of transactions. Disconnecting keeps your history intact and makes reconnecting straightforward.

Delete if you are permanently removing the account from QuickBooks — for example, if you closed the account or no longer need it in your books. Deleting removes the account and all its transactions from QuickBooks entirely. This is a separate step that happens after you disconnect.

Reconnecting a bank account you have disconnected

If you change your mind, reconnecting is straightforward. Go back to the Gear icon, select Bank Feeds, and look for a button that says Add Account or Connect Account. Click it and follow the same steps you used the first time — enter your bank name, log in with your online banking credentials, and select which accounts to connect.

When you reconnect, QuickBooks will start downloading transactions from the date you reconnect forward. It will not re-read transactions from before you disconnected. All your old transactions remain in QuickBooks under that account.

Troubleshooting: Account will not disconnect

If the disconnect button is greyed out or not appearing, check that you have the right permission level in QuickBooks. You must be an Admin or have Bank Feeds permission to disconnect accounts. If you are not an Admin, ask the account owner to disconnect it for you.

If you see an error message, try refreshing the page and going back to Bank Feeds. If the problem continues, log out of QuickBooks completely, wait a minute, and log back in. This often clears temporary connection issues. If it still does not work, contact QuickBooks support — they can disconnect the account on your behalf.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will disconnecting affect my actual bank account?

No. Disconnecting only stops QuickBooks from downloading transactions. Your bank account itself is not affected in any way. Your money, your account status, and your bank's records all stay exactly the same.

Can I disconnect one account and keep others connected?

Yes. You can disconnect any single account without affecting the others. Each account is independent. Go to Bank Feeds, find the one you want to disconnect, and disconnect only that one.

What if I disconnect by mistake?

Reconnect it when ready by going to Bank Feeds, clicking Add Account, and logging in again. Your old transactions will still be there. You will only miss transactions from the time you disconnected until the time you reconnected.

Do I need to disconnect before switching to a different accounting software?

No, but it is a good idea. Disconnecting prevents QuickBooks from trying to read transactions after you have stopped using it. It does not hurt anything if you do not, but disconnecting is cleaner and takes one minute.

If I disconnect, can I still see my transaction history?

Yes. All transactions downloaded before you disconnected stay in QuickBooks and remain visible. You can view them, edit them, and use them in reports. Only new transactions stop downloading.