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All CollectionsGetting StartedAdding a company to Fathom (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, MYOB, & Excel)
Using the Fathom Desktop Connector
Using the Fathom Desktop Connector

Importing data from QuickBooks Desktop or MYOB AccountRight

Updated this week

What is the Fathom Desktop Connector?

The Fathom Desktop Connector is a small (~6MB) application that can be downloaded from within Fathom.

The Desktop Connector lets you import accounting files from your local computer or a mapped network drive. You can extract and securely upload the financial data into Fathom.

The connector currently supports multiple accounting software vendors. For more specific help relating to each vendor, please select the relevant help article:

Please see our article, 'Using the Fathom Desktop Connector in a Server Environment,' for information on how to use the Fathom Desktop Connector in a Server Environment.

❗Notice: The Fathom desktop connector is an executable file (.exe). It can only be opened from a Windows operating system. It cannot be opened from a Mac operating system.

Download the Fathom Desktop Connector

The Fathom desktop connector can be downloaded from within Fathom.

To do so,

1. Log in to Fathom
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2. Select the green ‘Add’ button in the upper right corner of the ‘My Companies’ page
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3. Select ‘Company’
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4. Then, choose from QuickBooks, MYOB, or Excel
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5. Select the option to 'Launch the Fathom Desktop Connector'.

This will download a '.exe' file. You can use this executable file to import your desktop files into Fathom.

⚠️ Error Alert: If you cannot download or launch the Fathom Desktop Connector, please go through the troubleshooting steps detailed in the ‘Troubleshooting the Desktop Connector’ article.

Launch the Desktop Connector

The first time you launch the desktop connector, you must provide your email and password, the same details you use to log in to Fathom.

Your password will be remembered for the next time you use the connector.

Add or update company files

Adding a new company or updating an old one uses the same process. Simply click the 'Add Files' button and select the files from your computer.

The connector will indicate which files are new and which are being updated.

❗Notice: You cannot add two companies with the same name.

For more details on importing or updating specific files, view the dedicated articles:

What information is extracted?

The Fathom Desktop Connector extracts the following information and securely uploads this information to the Fathom servers.

  • Company details such as the name of the company, financial year, and currency.
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  • The chart of accounts.
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  • Financial statements such as the Profit/Loss and Balance Sheet
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  • In the case of an error, relevant debugging information to help resolve the issue quickly.

The source file itself (i.e. *.myo, *.qbw, *.xlsx) is not uploaded to Fathom.

For clarity, no personal data, such as credit card information, login details, customer contact information, etc., is uploaded to the Fathom servers. The account holder is responsible for ensuring that no personal data is inadvertently exposed in the chart of accounts.

All data is encrypted using SSL as it is transferred to Fathom.

Requirements

Operating System

The Fathom Desktop Connector uses Microsoft ClickOnce technology, so it will only work on Windows 7 and Windows 8 or later.

Macintosh OS/X is not supported.

Web Browser

The connector can be launched from Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari or Firefox.

Microsoft .NET Framework

The Microsoft .NET framework v4.7.1 must be installed on your system. Most Windows installations already have this; however, if necessary, it will be automatically downloaded for you as part of the desktop connector installation.

To install the .NET framework manually:

  1. Go to https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-framework-runtime.
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  2. Click 'Download Runtime'.
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  3. Wait for the installer to download the framework.
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  4. The computer may need to be restarted after the installation finishes.

Hosted Environments

If you use the Desktop Connector to import hosted QuickBooks files, please see our 'Using the Fathom Desktop Connector in a Server Environment' article for more information.

Updates

The connector will occasionally be updated to incorporate new features and/or improvements. This update requires no user interaction; the new version will be downloaded automatically when you launch the connector.

Troubleshooting

For problems related to a specific file type or vendor, please see the relevant help article:

To troubleshoot issues with the Fathom Desktop Connector, visit the following article: Troubleshooting the Desktop Connector

Learn more

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