How to Export Customer Emails From QuickBooks (and Xero) to a Clean List

To get an email list from QuickBooks Online, go to Sales > Customers and click the Export to Excel icon above the list (or export the Customer Contact List report). Split cells that hold several addresses, add CC addresses if you want them, set aside inactive customers and accounts-payable inboxes like ap@ and invoices@, and check the list before you send anything beyond invoices. Xero, QuickBooks Desktop and FreshBooks exports work the same way.

The free QuickBooks customers to email list tool does the splitting and setting aside in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Step 1: export the customer list

Software	Where
QuickBooks Online	Sales > Customers > Export to Excel icon, or Reports > Customer Contact List > Export
QuickBooks Desktop	Customer Center > Excel > Export Customer List
Xero	Contacts > All contacts > Export
FreshBooks, Wave	The clients list export

The Customer Contact List report lets you add columns such as CC. Its title lines and TOTAL row aren't data; the tool skips them.

Step 2: split multi-address cells

QuickBooks lets one Email field hold several addresses separated by commas: the owner and the bookkeeper, say. Split each into its own row, keeping the customer name on both. In Xero, read EmailAddress and Person1Email to Person5Email for every contact person.

Step 3: set aside the wrong recipients

• Inactive or archived customers. When the export has a Status or Active column, set them aside; they are no longer active customers.
• Accounts-payable inboxes (ap@, invoices@, billing@). Keep them for statements; leave them out of announcements. The role-based email filter catches other shared inboxes such as info@ and office@, and our post on role-based email addresses explains when to send to them.
• Repeats. One address shared by several customers (a bookkeeper with many clients) becomes one row naming them all.

Step 4: check consent

Customers gave you their address for invoices and account messages, which covers service email. For marketing, ask first or follow the rules where you are: the FTC's CAN-SPAM guide covers the US and the ICO's guidance the UK. Our accounting firm client email list post covers practices with many client contacts.

Step 5: check the addresses

Customer files collect addresses for years without anyone noticing which have died, because invoices often get paid by other means.

1. Download the list from the tool.
2. Upload it on the verify page. Every address gets a live mailbox check, and valid, risky and invalid download as separate files.
3. Send to the valid file. Update invalid addresses in QuickBooks next time the customer pays, so invoices reach someone.

Our guide on how often to verify an email list covers the schedule. For the cheapest way to check a small list, see how to verify an email list cheaply.

Where SimpleVerifier fits

Exporting and cleaning are free and run in your browser. For the mailbox check, the first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. Starter is $9 a month for 2,500 checks; Pro is $39 a month with the first 100,000 checks a month at full speed, then slower, never cut off. See pricing.