Migrating from Excel, Google Sheets or a notebook
Kept your books in a spreadsheet or on paper? You don’t need to retype everything into the app. Fill in the ready-made template and import it into Svodly as a single file — from there you continue your bookkeeping in the app, with analytics, budgets and sync.
Step 1. Download the template
Download the template (Excel, XLSX) or in CSV format — a table with the right columns and a few example transactions. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice or “Numbers”.
Via Google Sheets. Open the downloaded XLSX in Google Sheets via File → Open → Upload, fill in the transactions and export it back via File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or CSV. Svodly imports both formats.
| Column | What to put | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Date | The transaction date, e.g. 2026-01-05 or 05.01.2026 | Yes |
| Amount | Expense — with a minus sign (−1200), income — with a plus (45000) | Yes |
| Category | For example “Groceries”, “Salary” | No |
| Account | “Card”, “Cash”, etc. | No |
| Counterparty | A store, an employer, a person | No |
| Description | A free-form comment | No |
Step 2. Fill in the transactions
- From an Excel/Google spreadsheet. Copy your data under the right columns or rename the headers in your original spreadsheet — Svodly recognizes Russian and English names.
- From a notebook. Copy the records into the template. The date and amount are enough; the rest can be left empty.
- Expenses — with a minus sign, income — as a positive amount.
How to move a notebook. Open the template next to your notebook and go day by day from top to bottom: one record from the notebook = one row. Each page usually has 10–20 records — 5–10 minutes per spread. If some dates are missing, that’s fine: import what you have and keep writing in Svodly from now on. Didn’t finish in one sitting — save the file and continue tomorrow; an extra batch is easy to undo (see below).
Step 3. Save and import
- Save the file in CSV or Excel (XLSX) format. In Google Sheets: File → Download → CSV.
- In Svodly open Import and drag the file in.
- Check the column mapping and choose the destination account.
- Review the preview and confirm the import.
More on the mapping and the preview — in the “Import & export” section.
Balances will appear on their own. Svodly computes an account’s balance as the sum of its transactions. Move your history and the balances will add up. If the spreadsheet is missing the oldest transactions, add a single “Adjustment” transaction for the starting balance.
Undo, if something went wrong
An import is saved as a separate batch. Didn’t like the result — open the import log and tap “Undo”: the batch’s transactions are deleted and the balances return to their previous state. You can fix the spreadsheet and import again.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep the template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open the downloaded CSV in Google Sheets (or copy the headers), fill in the transactions and export it back via File → Download → CSV. Svodly imports this file.
How do I mark a transaction as an expense?
Write the expense amount with a minus sign (for example, -1200) and income as a positive number (45000). Svodly determines the transaction type by the sign.
Do I have to fill in all the columns?
Only the date and amount are required. The category, account, counterparty and description can be left empty — they’re easy to fill in later in Svodly.
What if bookkeeping was kept in a paper notebook?
Copy the records into the template — at least the date and amount. You don’t have to enter everything in one go: you can import in several files and undo any extra batch.
Where to go next
- Transactions — how income, expenses and transfers work.
- Budgets — limits on categories after the move.
- Analytics — reports on the moved history.