Create Your First File

The first thing to understand about Common Cents is that your budget lives in a file. You are not dropping data into a shared cloud account and hoping it lands in the right place later. You are opening or creating the file you want to work in.

Start from the startup screen #

When you first launch Common Cents, the startup screen gives you the main choices you need:

• create a new file (with or without guided setup)
• open an existing .cents file

Some other options you may use later:

• reopen a recent file (currently only supported on desktop/laptop Chromium browsers)
• drag and drop a .cents file into the startup screen to open it

For most first-time users, the best choice is creating a new file.

Blank file or guided setup? #

When you choose to create a new file, Common Cents asks whether you want help setting up the basics.

• Choose the guided path if you want help creating accounts, categories, and income setup right away.
• Choose a blank file if you already know your setup or want to build it yourself.

Neither choice locks you in. Guided setup just helps you avoid staring at an empty file.

Opening an existing file #

If you already have a Common Cents file, open that instead of creating a second one.

That is the right path when:

• you are returning to your normal budget
• you moved a file from another device or backup location
• someone shared a file with you as part of a workflow you control

Common Cents can also show recent files on platforms that support reopening them directly.

What your file actually represents #

Your file is the source of truth for your data.

That includes:

• accounts
• categories and category groups
• assigned money
• transactions
• labels, targets, and other planning data when those features are in use

If you make a second file, you are making a separate budget, not another view of the same one.

Your next step after the file opens #

Once your file is open, move through these basics in order:

1. Create at least one account with a starting balance
2. Create a category group and a category.
3. Assign money to the category.
4. Add a transaction.

That sequence gives you a usable budget faster than jumping around the app.

Next in Getting Started: Saving, Autosave, and Recovery.