16. Guides

Import Transactions

Follow the Common Cents import flow so imported rows are previewed, checked, and saved without avoidable cleanup later.

Use this guide when you already have transaction data in another file.

Before you start #

Have the source file ready and know which account the imported rows belong to.

What you will do #

Start the import, review the preview carefully, correct any obvious mapping issues, and only then save the imported transactions into your file.

1. Turn on Mass Transaction Entry first if needed #

Imports run through Mass Transaction Entry.

If that feature is disabled, enable it in Settings > Features before you begin.

This is also where you can decide whether the main Add button should open single-entry or multi-entry by default.

2. Open the import flow through the multi-entry sheet #

Once Mass Transaction Entry is enabled, start from the bulk-entry sheet rather than from the ordinary transaction form.

That is the correct surface for imported data because nothing is committed immediately. The rows first land in a reviewable sheet.

3. Bring the source data into the sheet #

You have three practical ways to start the import:

paste copied CSV or tab-delimited rows into the sheet
right-click a row number and choose Paste: Import
drag a CSV file into the Mass Transaction Entry drop zone

At this stage, the data is only entering the review sheet. It is not saved to the file yet.

4. Choose a saved mapping or create a new one #

If Common Cents finds compatible mappings, it opens the Import Data chooser so you can apply one.

If no mapping fits, or if the fit is not good enough, create a new mapping from the current dataset instead of forcing a bad import through.

5. Review the imported rows like a draft, not a finished result #

After mapping, the rows land in the Mass Transaction Entry grid.

Review the most important columns before you think about saving:

date
account
payee
category
label when Labels are enabled
amount
note

Importing is successful only if the reviewed sheet looks believable.

6. Resolve validation issues before save #

If Common Cents finds problems, it highlights the affected cells and can list them in the Validation Issues panel.

Fix those issues in the sheet first.

This is the stage where you should correct:

missing required values
wrong destination fields
amount or sign mistakes
data that mapped to the wrong account or category

7. Review imported payees if payee matching is enabled #

If Payee Matching is enabled, Common Cents can step in when imported names do not cleanly match your existing payees.

For unresolved imported payees, the review flow lets you:

match to an existing payee
create a new canonical payee
ignore the payee for now

Those decisions update the sheet right away and help future imports remember the imported names as aliases.

8. Expect budget rules to still apply at save time #

Importing does not bypass the rest of the app’s validation rules.

If Strict Mode is enabled and the imported spending would overspend a category, Common Cents pauses the save and asks you to cover the overspending before the rows are committed.

That means the safe workflow is always:

import into the sheet
review the rows
fix mapping, payee, and validation issues
save only when the sheet makes sense

9. Save the rows and spot-check the landed results #

After Save All Rows, review a small sample of the imported transactions in the app.

Check that the rows landed in the right accounts, the amounts look right, and the payees and categories tell the story you expected from the source file.