Why Import and Export?

Moving data in and out of BeeKeeper lets you:

• Migrate from other software: Bring historical data into BeeKeeper
• Share with your accountant: Export reports in standard formats
• Board reporting: Create formatted reports for meetings
• Tax preparation: Export data needed for Form 990-EZ filing
• Backup: Keep copies of your financial data

Exporting Data

What Can Be Exported

Export Formats

Exporting Journal Entries

Journal entries are exported per account:

1. Go to Bookkeeping and select the account
2. Open the Actions dropdown and click Export
3. An Excel (XLSX) file downloads automatically

The export always contains every journal entry for the account, regardless of any filters applied to the on-screen ledger.

To export everything, run the export from each of your bank accounts — every journal entry touches at least one of them.

Exporting Reports

1. Go to Reports
2. Select the report type
3. Set parameters (date range, fiscal year)
4. Click Export or Download
5. Choose your format

Importing Data

Supported Import Formats

Importing Transactions

Imports are done at the individual account level:

1. Go to Bookkeeping and select the account
2. Click Import
3. Select your file
4. Follow the format-specific steps below

QFX/OFX/QBO Import

QFX, OFX, and QBO (QuickBooks Web Connect) are standard bank download formats:

1. Download a QFX, OFX, or QBO file from your bank’s website
2. Select the file in BeeKeeper’s import dialog
3. Click Import

These files include unique transaction IDs. BeeKeeper automatically skips transactions that have already been imported, preventing duplicates.

CSV Import

There is no column-mapping screen — your file must use BeeKeeper’s column headers. Download the template from the import page to get the correct layout.

1. On the import page, click Download Template to get a correctly-formatted CSV
2. Fill in your transactions using these columns:
   • Transaction Date (required): Transaction date
   • Amount (required): Transaction amount
   • Description (optional): Transaction description
   • Payee (optional): Who the payment was to/from
   • Reference Number (optional): Check number or reference
   • Account (optional): Category account by code or name
3. Select your CSV file
4. Click Import

Files whose columns don’t match BeeKeeper’s header names will fail with a “Missing required columns” message.

CSV Tips:

• Date formats accepted: YYYY-MM-DD, MM/DD/YYYY
• Use positive numbers for income, negative for expenses
• Remove currency symbols ($) and thousand separators (,)
• Use the template’s column headers exactly

XLSX Import

Works the same as CSV import:

1. Start from the downloaded template’s column headers
2. Select your XLSX file
3. Click Import

After Import

All imported transactions enter the review pipeline:

1. Transactions appear on the account’s Needs Review tab
2. Transaction Rules are applied automatically
3. AI categorization runs for unmatched transactions
4. You review and accept each transaction

See [Imported Transactions](imported-transactions) for the full review workflow.

Tips for Successful Imports

Before Importing

• Clean up your data file (remove header rows, summary rows)
• Verify date formats are consistent
• Check that amounts have the correct sign (positive/negative)
• Back up your BeeKeeper data first (export current transactions)

During Import

• Start with a small file to test the layout
• Pay attention to any warnings or skipped rows
• Note that transactions import immediately — there is no preview step before they are created

After Import

• Review imported transactions promptly
• Check for duplicates if you’ve imported from multiple sources
• Verify totals match your source data

Limitations

• Maximum file size: 20MB
• Date range is not restricted — you can import historical data
• Import is one account at a time
• Cannot import journal entries directly (only bank-style transactions)
• You can undo a whole import from Actions > Import History — deleting a batch removes its transactions and any journal entries created from them, unless entries have already been reconciled

Common Questions

Can I import from QuickBooks? Yes — QuickBooks Web Connect (.qbo) bank files import directly, the same way as QFX/OFX. You can also export your QuickBooks data to CSV and import that.

What if my CSV has different columns? Rename your columns to match BeeKeeper’s template headers (download the template from the import page). There is no mapping step, so files with mismatched column names will be rejected.

Will importing create duplicates? All formats deduplicate. QFX/OFX/QBO files dedupe by the bank’s transaction ID. CSV/XLSX files dedupe by a fingerprint of each row, plus a whole-file check that blocks re-importing the exact same file.

Can I import into multiple accounts at once? No, imports are per-account. Run separate imports for each account.

What if the import fails? Check your file format, ensure your columns match the template headers, and verify date/amount formats. Try a smaller file to isolate the issue.