I just purchased qb today and I have been in business for years, but I dont want to put previous years bank info in the qb

Welcome to the Community, @Alycia.

I'd be glad to guide you with the steps on how to exclude bank transactions in QuickBooks Online (QBO). 

Once a downloaded transaction is either accepted or excluded, QuickBooks will stop the bank from bringing the transaction into the bank feed again.

Follow these steps how: 
 

1. On your QBO account, go to the Banking tab.
2. In the For review section, click on All dates.
3. Customize the transaction dates you want to exclude.
4. Once done, select Apply.
   
   
    
5. Tick the box of the transactions you want to exclude. Tip: You can click the box next to the Date to select all transactions.
   
   
    
6. Once ready, click on Exclude.
   
   

For detailed steps, kindly visit: Exclude a bank transaction you downloaded into QuickBooks Online.

Moreover, I'll also share this article that can serve as your reference if you want to learn how to reconcile your accounts so they always match your bank and credit card statements: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to leave a reply if you require further assistance with excluding transactions in QBO. The Community team always has your back. Have a good one!

@Alycia 

You may also need a backup restore app to lower any risks before connecting bank feeds.

https://www.moneythumb.com/?ref=110