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# Import from Wave

Wave books come in through **Wave multi-file migration** or through **Import** with **accounting.csv** or year-by-year **Account Transactions** reports.

|| Only the workspace owner or a bookkeeper can import books, because a General Ledger restates them.

Preview, account typing, and the reconcile check work the same as any other file on Import. See [The import wizard: drop a file and check it reconciles](https://help.booksgpt.ai/en/article/the-import-wizard-drop-a-file-and-check-it-reconciles-19p3vy/).

## What you need from Wave

- Your Wave login.
- A General Ledger: **Settings → Data Export → accounting.csv**, or **Reports → Account Transactions** (Accrual Paid & Unpaid).
- Optional: a Trial Balance for opening balances only (no transaction history).
- Optional: **Aged Receivables** and **Aged Payables** if you have open invoices or bills.

|| Wave's Data Export zip also includes **customers.csv**, **vendors.csv**, and **bill_items.csv**. Those are lists, not the ledger. BooksGPT refuses them on this page.

## Wave multi-file migration

For several reports at once:

1. Open **All pages**, then under **Setup** click **[Import](https://app.booksgpt.ai/go/import)**.
2. Under **Other ways in**, click **Wave multi-file migration**. The page title is **Onboard from Wave or QuickBooks**.
3. Click **Open Wave in a new tab** and export your reports.

![The import page with Import from QuickBooks or Wave. The drop zone names accounting.csv and says lists are not imported.](https://booksgpt.ai/help/imports/wave-dropzone.png?v=2026-08-28)

### Export the reports

- **Settings → Data Export**, then drop **accounting.csv**. That file is the books, not a bank statement.
- or **Reports → Account Transactions → Export → CSV**, with **Report Type** set to **Accrual (Paid & Unpaid)** and every account included.
- Trial Balance, and Aged Receivables or Aged Payables if you need them

### Drop the files

1. Drag your General Ledger onto the main card, or click **Drop a file here, or click to browse**.
2. CSV, XLSX, and XLS are accepted, up to 200 MB.
3. The banner turns green and says **Starting point ready** once a General Ledger or Trial Balance is in.
4. For the other reports, open **Advanced: upload specific reports (Trial Balance, Aged Receivables/Payables)**.

Files process in the background. When a card finishes it turns green and shows what came across. Open invoices or bills only appear if you uploaded Aged Receivables or Aged Payables.

## Bring Wave in one year at a time

Use Wave's **Account Transactions** report on the main **Import** drop zone, one year per file:

1. In Wave, open **Reports → Account Transactions**, choose **Accrual (Paid & Unpaid)**, pick one year, and keep every account in the report.
2. Export it as CSV and drop it on **Drop your books export here**. The preview names the dates it covers.
3. Import it, check it, and reconcile it if you like.
4. Repeat for the next year.

Each file replaces only the Wave transactions already imported for its own dates. Earlier years stay as you left them.

Use Account Transactions for every year. A workspace holding Wave's **accounting.csv** refuses an Account Transactions file, and the other way round.

Once Account Transactions imports are in place, the legacy multi-file transaction importer cannot replace them.

### Export the whole ledger, not one account

A report filtered to one bank account is not your books. For one account's bank activity alone, upload your bank's CSV or statement instead.

### If the import stops

Nothing is imported, and the message says what to do:

- **The account already has transactions for those dates from elsewhere.** Delete them first, undoing any reconciliation that includes them, then import again. See [Redo or undo an import](https://help.booksgpt.ai/en/article/redo-or-undo-an-import-i0h2pm/).
- **A transfer crosses the edge of the file's dates.** Export again with a range that includes the date the message names, or **Un-match transfer**, import, then match again.
- **The dates fall in a closed period.** Reopen books on **[Period close](https://app.booksgpt.ai/go/period-close)**, import, then close again.

For Wave **Account Transactions**, export on **Accrual (Paid & Unpaid)**. A Cash report cannot replace your books.

Books imported from **accounting.csv** can show Cash reports. See [Run your financial reports](https://help.booksgpt.ai/en/article/run-your-financial-reports-8ej6d5/).

## Good to know

- Uploading **accounting.csv** again replaces the earlier Wave import for those books.
- A Wave Trial Balance on its own posts opening balances only. See the import wizard section on Trial Balance.