OLSU 1024 QuickBooks Error: Fix the Bank Feed or Import QBO
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OLSU-1024 in QuickBooks Desktop means Bank Feeds could not finish setting up an account because QuickBooks could not load or update the bank's entry in its Financial Institutions Directory, the list of banks and their "branding files". Update QuickBooks to the latest release, then rename fidir.txt so QuickBooks downloads a fresh copy. If you are on a Desktop version Intuit no longer supports, no fix exists: import the transactions from a file instead, which you can do today.
That last sentence matters more than the usual ten-step lists admit. A large share of recent OLSU-1024 reports come from company files on old versions, and for those the error is not a glitch. It is the bank feed switching off for good.
What OLSU-1024 means
OLSU codes appear while you set up or reconnect an online account in Bank Feeds. Intuit's help article on this pair of codes describes the message as "An error occurred while updating the branding files" and says it happens when the Financial Institutions Directory (FIDIR) does not include your bank's current information or is not stored where QuickBooks expects it. In plain terms, QuickBooks asked Intuit's servers for the details it needs to talk to your bank and either got nothing usable or could not save it.
Intuit's broader OL and OLSU article lists the causes staff quote in OLSU-1024 threads: a problem at your bank, alerts on your online account you need to acknowledge, a bank that changed its service, an inactive account with online banking still switched on, an outdated directory, server or internet trouble, and "a version of QuickBooks we don't support."
Which OLSU-1024 do you have?
The same code covers three quite different situations. Spend two minutes working out which one is yours before you touch any setting.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Error on a Desktop version past its support date (for example Enterprise 13.0 in an October 2025 Community thread) | Intuit has turned off bank services for that version | Nothing in the file will fix it. Import IIF files, or upgrade |
| Error on a current version, for one bank only, while older connections to that bank still work | The bank or Intuit changed that bank's directory entry | Update QuickBooks and the directory; import a file for the gap while you wait |
| Card or account balance updates but no transactions arrive, sometimes with OLSU-1024 | A Direct Connect problem on the bank's side | Import a .qbo file for the missing period; report it to the bank |
The third pattern ran for months on Bank of America credit cards: QuickBooks Community users reported card balances updating in Desktop from December 2023 into 2024 while the transactions never came down. Intuit staff in that thread pointed to Web Connect as the stopgap.
How do I fix error OLSU-1024 in QuickBooks Desktop?
Sign in as the Admin user in single-user mode and back up the company file first. Then work down this list and stop as soon as the account connects.
1. Check your version is still supported
Open Help, About QuickBooks, and compare the year against Intuit's discontinuation list. Intuit generally supports a Desktop year for about three years. Past that date, online banking, including Bank Feeds setup, stops, and a moderator in the Enterprise 13.0 thread confirmed that version "lacks bank feed support". If that is you, skip to the import section; the remaining steps will not help.
2. Install the latest release
On a supported year, go to Help, Update QuickBooks Desktop, Update Now, tick Reset Update, and download. Restart QuickBooks. A missing maintenance release is enough to leave you with a stale bank list.
3. Rebuild the Financial Institutions Directory
This is the fix aimed squarely at OLSU-1024. Close QuickBooks, open C:\ProgramData\Intuit\QuickBooks 20XX\Components\OLB\branding\filist (20XX is your version year; ProgramData is a hidden folder), find fidir.txt and rename it to fidir.old. Reopen QuickBooks and start the Bank Feeds setup again. QuickBooks notices the file is missing and downloads a current copy with your bank's entry.
4. Clear anything waiting at the bank
Sign in on the bank's website and accept any notices, new terms or security prompts, and approve QuickBooks if the bank lists linked financial software. Some banks hold a new connection as pending until you do. Our OLSU-1013 guide walks through the TD Bank "Approval Pending" screen, which is the same idea.
5. Switch off online services on inactive accounts
In the Chart of Accounts, tick Include inactive, and on each inactive bank or card account open Edit, Bank Feed Settings, and deactivate all online services. Then set up the failing account again.
Can I import transactions while OLSU-1024 is unresolved?
Yes. The error blocks the live connection, not file imports. A Web Connect import through File, Utilities, Import, Web Connect Files never talks to the bank during setup, so a .qbo file goes into the existing account with the same review screen as a download, and each transaction carries an ID so a later download of the same dates will not duplicate it.
Where the file comes from depends on your bank and your version:
- The bank's own QuickBooks download, if it offers one and it covers the months you need.
- The PDF statements, which every bank keeps and which go back further than any download. Convert the PDF bank statement to a QuickBooks Desktop file and import it the same afternoon.
- An IIF file on a version where Web Connect has stopped too. IIF is a plain import that works in every Desktop year, which is why the discontinued QuickBooks Desktop page recommends it for unsupported company files.
For a credit card, the file must be a credit card file with purchases as charges. A converter that writes a card as a checking account turns every purchase into a deposit. The Bank of America credit card statement to QuickBooks converter and our other card pages write card accounts correctly.
OLSU-1024 compared with the codes around it
| Code | Where it starts | First thing to try |
|---|---|---|
| OLSU-1024 | Directory or branding files for the bank; unsupported version | Check version, update, rename fidir.txt |
| OLSU-1022 | Same branding-file update, listed by Intuit with 1024 | Same steps as OLSU-1024 |
| OLSU-1013 | Authorizing or updating the connection | Approve QuickBooks at the bank, check TLS 1.2 |
| OLSU-1011 | Bank Feeds setup, often company preferences | Set default accounts; see the OLSU-1011 guide |
| OL-222 | A .qbo file QuickBooks cannot read | Replace the file; see the OL-222 guide |
Should I upgrade or keep importing files?
If the error came from an unsupported version, you are choosing between two costs. A new Desktop subscription restores Bank Feeds, and for a firm that relies on Desktop job costing or inventory, that is usually the right call eventually. Moving to QuickBooks Online is what Intuit moderators suggest in these threads, but it is a migration project, not an afternoon.
Importing statements keeps an old company file working in the meantime. A business account with 100 transactions a month takes about an hour to key and check by hand; converting the statement and importing it takes a few minutes plus a balance check. On the Starter plan here, $49 a month covers 50 statements, so a firm with a handful of clients on an old version pays less for a year of imports than for a single day of data entry. Once the accounts reconcile, the same books can feed year-end financial statements for the lender or the board without anyone rebuilding the numbers.
If more than one bank is failing at once, the bank feed not working page covers closing the month entirely from statements.
Frequently asked questions
What does "An error occurred while updating the branding files" mean?
It is the message that comes with OLSU-1024 and OLSU-1022. QuickBooks tried to download or save your bank's details from the Financial Institutions Directory and failed. Updating QuickBooks and renaming fidir.txt to fidir.old so a fresh copy downloads is the direct fix on a supported version.
Is OLSU-1024 a QuickBooks Online error?
No, it is a QuickBooks Desktop Bank Feeds code, including Enterprise. QuickBooks Online has its own connection messages. The Online version of the workaround is Transactions, Bank transactions, Link account, Upload from file, which also accepts a .qbo file.
Why does OLSU-1024 happen with only one bank?
Because the directory entry is per bank. When one bank changes how it connects, new setups for that bank fail while other banks, and sometimes older connections to the same bank, keep working. Update the directory; if it still fails, the fix is on the bank's or Intuit's side, and a file import covers the wait.
Can I use Web Connect on an unsupported QuickBooks Desktop version?
Do not count on it. Intuit switches off online banking services for discontinued versions, and users report Web Connect imports failing alongside Bank Feeds. IIF import is a local file import that still works, so convert the statements to IIF for those company files.
Does OLSU-1024 affect credit card accounts?
Yes, it appears on card setups as well as checking. The workaround is the same, with one difference: the imported file has to declare a credit card account, or purchases post as payments. Pick the card type when you convert the statement.
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