Move your data from another app or spreadsheet

To move your financial history to finerd from Saldo, another finerd space, another finance app or your own spreadsheet, export it as CSV files and upload them with Import data in the space settings. finerd reads the files and creates your accounts, categories, tags and transactions in one go. Moving your data is free and works on the web, Android and iOS; in the iOS app it needs a plan that includes imports. It works only in a space that has no transactions from a connected bank or an imported statement yet, and only the space’s owner can run it. To add a bank statement to one account instead, see Import a bank statement.

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Before you move your data

Use a fresh space. finerd moves your data only into a space without transactions from a connected bank or an imported statement. Transactions you added yourself don’t get in the way. The easiest moment is right after you sign up, before you connect a bank: the setup on the web offers to move your data (see Start fresh or import history). If you’ve already connected a bank, add older history to each account with Import a bank statement instead. For a business, you can move the data into a new business space. Know what finerd creates. From your files, finerd creates:

• Accounts, with the names in your files. If the space already has an account with the same name and type, finerd adds the transactions to it instead of creating another one.
• Categories and subcategories, named as in your files. Categories in the space that have no transactions and aren’t in your files are removed, so your category list matches your old one.
• Tags and merchants from your files. Merchants that finerd knows, such as Starbucks or IKEA, get their logo.
• Transactions, with the date, amount, currency, notes and, where your files have it, the accrual month.

Check your plan and role. On the web and Android, moving data is free. In the iOS app, Import data shows a Pro badge if your plan doesn’t include imports; use the web or Android instead. In a business space, only the owner can move data into it.

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Prepare your files

finerd takes CSV files. If your data is in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets, save or download each sheet as CSV first. Excel workbooks (.xls, .xlsx) and PDF files can’t be used. A spreadsheet or another app’s export doesn’t need renamed or rearranged columns: finerd works out what each column holds. Each row should be one transaction with at least a date and an amount. finerd also uses these columns when it finds them:

• The account the money went from or to. A transaction without one goes to an account named Imported account.
• The category, and a parent category if you use subcategories. A transaction without one is recorded as Uncategorized Expense or Uncategorized Income.
• The merchant or payee, description, currency, notes and tags.
• Money in and out as one column with a minus for spending, or as an amount plus a column that says whether it’s income or an expense.

Remove rows that aren’t transactions, such as opening balances and totals. Rows with an amount of zero are skipped. Transfers. In a Saldo or finerd export, transfers between your accounts stay transfers. In a spreadsheet, a transfer written as two rows with a category, such as Transfer, comes in as two separate transactions in that category: money out of one account and money into the other. After the move, turn them into transfers as described in If a transfer is recorded wrong. How many files. On the web and Android, one migration takes up to 10 files with a combined size of up to 10 MB. The iOS app takes one file per migration. Put everything you want to move into one migration if you can: a second migration adds its transactions to the first, and if a file goes in twice, its transactions are recorded twice.

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Move your data

If you’ve just signed up, you can also start from the setup: on the web, Migration to finerd offers Start migration with the same steps; in the Android and iOS apps, the setup offers Import from Saldo only.

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Follow the migration

You can keep using finerd while your data is moved. A small file takes about a minute; a long history takes longer. A migration can’t be stopped once it has started, and while it runs you can’t start another import or connect a bank in that space. When the migration is over, finerd sends a message to Inbox, a push notification to your phone and an email. If everything was moved, the Inbox message says how many transactions were imported, for example All 12 transactions imported. We checked twice - still perfect., and the push notification says Migration successful.

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Check the result

Open Accounts or the Dashboard to see what was created, and compare it with your old app:

• Balances. Each account’s balance is the sum of the transactions moved into it. Compare it with the balance in your old app; if they differ, look for missing or doubled transactions, or set the balance your bank shows with a verified balance.
• Categories. Your categories have the names from your files. Rename, merge or archive them as described in Categories, merchants and tags.
• Transfers. Check that money moved between your accounts shows as transfers, especially if your data came from a spreadsheet.
• Uncategorized and Imported account. Transactions without a category or an account in your files end up in Uncategorized Expense or Uncategorized Income, or in Imported account. Open them and choose the right category or account.

Moved transactions are ordinary transactions: you can change, split or delete them like the ones you add yourself.

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If the migration fails

Get help. If a migration keeps failing or the result doesn’t match your old app, select Contact support in the Inbox message or chat with support. Say which app your data comes from and which source you chose in Import data.

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Related articles

• Start fresh or import history when you set up finerd.
• Import a bank statement into one account.
• Export your data from finerd to move a finerd space.
• Categories, merchants and tags to tidy up after the move.