Moving to Toshl Finance from a different financial or budget app? Want to import your past data from your online bank? Toshl has an import function that will help you with that.
You will find the Import section in the main menu of the web app on toshl.com.
Many different file formats are supported for importing: CSV, OFX, QFX, TSV, TAB, XLS, TXT and QIF.
In the vast majority of cases at least one of these formats will be supported by your online bank, or other financial app’s export function. If you have a choice between multiple supported formats and these are supported, go with OFX, QFX or QIF files.
Such files are better structured in advance for financial data and it’s more likely that the import process will go smoothly.
Importing data from a file is currently only supported in the Toshl web app isn’t possible from one of the native mobile apps on Android, iOS or Windows Phone.
That doesn’t mean this doesn’t help you with your mobile app. Any data you import via the web app will instantly sync to your Toshl mobile app as well.
How to import data?
1. Choose file
Just click the “Choose file” button or drag & drop the file from the file manager into the white field.
2. Select destination financial account
All your financial accounts will be listed below. Select the one you want to import to. All the expenses and incomes that will be imported, will go to this account.
We advise making a new financial account for importing data. That way, if you change your mind regarding the imported data, it’s easier to remove along with the account.
2 financial accounts are enabled for free, if you would like to use more, please upgrade to Toshl Pro.
3. Click Save. All done.
In most cases that’s it. Files will be imported, show up in the right sidebar and elsewhere in the Toshl apps, as long as the account you imported to is set to ON.
If you’re importing a CSV or XLS file…
4. Match data fields in your file with the data fields on Toshl
This may sound a bit complicated, but it’s not.
CSV and XLS (Excel) files are pretty universal, a lot of different data can be stored in them. As such, it’s impossible for Toshl to know with certainty whether a field or column in the file contains data about your tags, descriptions, categories or puppies.
That’s why we ask you to check what the data in the field is and match it to the correct type of data on Toshl.
Just match the dates with dates, categories with categories etc.
In the white field, you’ll see a preview of your actual data from the file so you can tell what’s what.
If certain type of data isn’t applicable to Toshl, or can’t be imported to a corresponding field, feel free to skip it.
5. Click Save. All done.
If you’re importing very unclear date formats…
5. Select date format
There’s one more exception. In most cases the date format is automatically detected. In some rare cases Toshl can’t be sure whether you meant to use D/M/Y format like most sane people or M/D/Y… ;)
Just pick on the right one aaaaand…
6. Click Save. All done.
If your file contains transfers between accounts…
They’ll be detected after the import and we’ll ask you to review them, to confirm they’re really transfers.
If there are multiple financial accounts in your file, or if the imported transactions include transactions that could be part of transfers between account, an option to review the transfers will show up as “Review entries” in the “List of previous imports“.
The system to detect transfers will look for expense and income pairs on different accounts, with similar dates and amounts. If possible matches are found it will suggest them as transfers.
The import system however cannot import transfers already entered as such in the imported file, as we cannot be certain that the financial accounts in the file really match the ones you have entered in Toshl.
See the transfers article for more info on how transfer detection works.
Exemplary CSV
If you’re making or re-formatting a CSV file to import to Toshl, here’s an example of a CSV file that will be easy to import to Toshl.
Feel free to also import CSVs made by Toshl’s export function.
In general CSV files should work normally, but please try to avoid strange non-standard headers in the file, varying date formats within the same file, adding strange unicode characters to amounts, importing by throwing clay tablets written in Sumerian cuneiform writing at the computer etc.
If you have any questions regarding importing or if you experienced any difficulties, please contact us on support@toshl.com and we’ll be happy to help.
Happy importing!