Switch from Square to Another POS Without Losing Sales Data

Updated 6 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Switching from Square to another point-of-sale (POS) system can feel risky, especially if you have years of sales history, customer profiles, and product data locked inside. This guide walks you through a safe migration that preserves your essential data—so you can move to a new provider without starting from scratch or losing your reporting history.

What You’ll Need

Your Square account login (with owner or admin permissions)
Access to the email address associated with your Square account
A spreadsheet program (Excel, Google Sheets, or similar) to review exported files
Your new POS system’s account and a clear idea of what data it can import (check its help docs)
A backup of your current Square data (you’ll create this during the steps)

Step-by-Step

Decide what data you actually need. Most POS migrations care about three categories: item/product catalog, customer list, and sales history. Square also lets you export payments, deposits, and tax reports. Prioritize what your new system can import—many only accept items and customers, not full transaction history.
Export your item library. In Square Dashboard, go to Items & Orders > Item Library. Click the Export button (usually top-right). Square will email you a CSV file with your items, variations, prices, and SKUs. Save it to your computer.
Export your customers. Go to Customers in the Dashboard. Click Export. This gives you a CSV with names, emails, phone numbers, and any saved payment methods (note: card details are tokenized and won’t transfer—your new POS will need customers to re-enter payment info).
Export your sales history. Go to Reports > Sales Summary or Payments. Use the date range selector to cover your entire history, then click Export. Square will send a CSV or Excel file with transaction details, including gross sales, taxes, tips, and payment method. For more granular data, export the Transaction Report from the Payments tab.
Export other important data. If you use Square for payroll, inventory, or appointments, export those separately. For inventory, go to Items & Orders > Inventory and export the current stock levels. For appointments, go to Appointments > Settings > Export.
Save all exported files to a safe place. Create a folder on your computer or cloud drive named something like “Square Migration 2024” and store every CSV there. Also, take a screenshot of your current sales dashboard for a quick reference.
Check your new POS’s import format. Most modern POS systems (like Shopify POS, Lightspeed, or Toast) have import tools. Look for a “CSV import” option in their settings. They usually provide a template—download it and compare it to your Square exports. You may need to rearrange columns or remove extra fields.
Clean up your exports. Open your item CSV in a spreadsheet program. Remove any columns that the new POS doesn’t need. Ensure that headers match the new system’s template (e.g., “Item Name” instead of “Name”). For customers, remove any duplicate entries—Square sometimes has duplicates if you’ve merged accounts manually.
Import your items first. In your new POS, go to the import tool and upload the cleaned item CSV. Check that prices, SKUs, and categories come through correctly. Fix any errors before proceeding.
Import your customers. Use the customer CSV. Most systems will match by email, so make sure emails are correct. If you have a large list, import in batches to avoid timeouts.
Import sales history (if supported). Some POS systems allow you to import historical transactions for reporting purposes. If yours does, follow its specific instructions. If not, you can keep your Square exports as a permanent archive—that’s often enough for tax and accounting.
Reconcile your data. After importing, run a test: compare a few totals from your Square reports (e.g., total sales for a specific month) with the numbers in your new system. If they match, great. If not, check for missing rows or duplicate entries.
Update your payment processing. Once your new POS is live, you’ll need to switch your payment processor. This means setting up new payment terminals or card readers, and possibly contacting your bank. Do this only after your data is successfully imported.
Keep Square active for a while. Don’t cancel your Square account immediately. Keep it active for at least one full billing cycle (usually a month) so you can access any reports you missed or handle any refunds or chargebacks that come through.

Common Mistakes

Exporting only the current month. If you don’t set the date range correctly, you’ll lose years of history. Always double-check the date range before exporting.
Assuming the new POS imports everything. Many systems only import items and customers, not transaction history. Read the new system’s documentation first.
Ignoring column headers. CSV imports often fail because the new system expects specific column names. Take the time to match them exactly.
Forgetting to export your gift card balances. If you sell gift cards, export the list of outstanding balances and manually enter them into the new system—most POS systems don’t transfer that automatically.
Deleting your Square account too soon. Once you delete it, you lose access to all your historical reports. Keep it until you’re absolutely sure you don’t need it.

Tips

Use the export templates provided by your new POS. They are designed to match their import system, so start with those and fill them with your Square data.
Test with a small batch first. Import 5–10 items and a few customers, then check how they appear. This catches formatting errors before you process thousands of rows.
Keep a copy of your Square exports forever. Even if your new system imports sales history, your Square exports are the authoritative source for your time on Square.
Use a spreadsheet formula to clean up data. For example, if your Square export has a “Category” column but your new POS expects “Department,” rename the column header. Use =TRIM() to remove extra spaces.
Contact your new POS’s support before you start. They can tell you exactly which data they support importing and may even offer a migration service.

Troubleshooting

Import fails with a “column mismatch” error. This usually means your CSV headers don’t match the template. Re-download the new POS’s template and copy your data into it, rather than trying to rearrange your Square export.
Some items didn’t import. Check for special characters (like & or #) in item names—some systems choke on them. Also, ensure that all required fields (like price) are filled in. You may need to add a default price of 0 for items that are sold at variable prices.
Sales history totals don’t match. Square’s sales reports include tips, taxes, and discounts. Your new POS may calculate gross vs. net differently. Compare line-by-line for a single day to understand the difference.
Customer emails are missing. Square only exports customers who have provided an email. If you have walk-in customers with no email, they won’t appear in the export—that’s normal. You can’t recover that data if it wasn’t collected.
The export email never arrives. Square emails a link to the email on your account. Check your spam folder and wait up to 10 minutes. If it still doesn’t arrive, try exporting a smaller date range.
Your new POS doesn’t support sales history import. That’s okay. Keep your Square exports in a folder and use them for tax or accounting. You can also summarize them in a spreadsheet for your accountant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I transfer my Square sales history to another POS?

It depends on the new POS. Some systems allow importing historical transactions for reporting, but many don’t. You can always export your Square sales reports and keep them as a permanent record—that’s the most reliable way to preserve your history.

Will my customer payment methods transfer?

No. Square stores payment tokens that are only valid within Square. Your new POS will need customers to re-enter their card details the first time they pay with you again.

Do I need to cancel my Square account?

No, and you shouldn’t right away. Keep it active for at least a month after you switch to handle any returns, chargebacks, or to access reports you might have missed.

Can I export my inventory levels?

Yes. In Square Dashboard, go to Items & Orders > Inventory and use the export option. You’ll get a CSV with current stock counts.

What if my new POS doesn’t have an import tool?

Most do, but if yours doesn’t, you can manually enter items and customers. For sales history, keep your Square exports in a spreadsheet—many business owners do this and it’s perfectly acceptable for accounting.

How long does the whole process take?

For a small business with a few hundred items, expect 2–4 hours of work. Larger catalogs or complex data may take a full day. The export itself is quick—the time is in cleaning and importing.

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