Undo an import
Remove or void what a finished import added while nothing depends on it, reversing its journals on their own dates.
- Who can do this
- Owners, or staff with the import permissions for that type and its undo permission
- Where
- Books, then Import data
- You'll need
- A finished import whose records nothing else uses yet
Undo a finished import
- Open Books, then Import data.
- Under Import history, select View beside the file.
- Expand Undo this import, or Undo these opening balances for an opening balances file.
- Read what Undo does for that kind of file.
- Select Undo import, or Undo opening balances.
The import is marked undone. Nothing changes unless every record can be undone. An import with more than 500 records is undone in the background in batches, and the page shows the progress; if it stops, the records already undone stay undone and Undo import finishes the rest. Sub-accounts are undone before their parents, so a stop never leaves a sub-account without its parent. Each batch checks its records again just before undoing them, so a payment or bank match added while the undo runs stops it there and the page lists what uses them. If a background undo makes no progress for 15 minutes, Undo again carries on from where it stopped.
A background import that stopped part-way can be undone the same way, for the records it added. It stays under Import history as Stopped part-way however many files you upload later.
Only one import or undo runs at a time. If another is running, an import or undo of 500 or fewer rows or records asks you to try again in a few minutes. A larger one waits its turn in the background and tries again every 30 seconds. If the other is still running after about 10 minutes, it stops, and the import page says so: select the Add button or Undo import again later.
What Undo does
| Import | What Undo does | Refused while |
|---|---|---|
| Customers or vendors | Deletes the contacts it added, as deleting a contact does, and cancels a vendor approval still waiting. | A contact has invoices, bills, payments, journal lines, checks, expenses or other records, or a recurring schedule uses it. |
| Accounts | Removes the accounts it added, so their codes can be used again. Sub-accounts go before their parents. | An account has journal lines, a sub-account added later, a bank account, an item, a default account setting or other records, or a recurring schedule uses it. |
| Products and services | Removes the items it added, so their SKUs can be used again. | An item is on an invoice, bill, quote or purchase order, or a recurring schedule uses it. |
| Open invoices or open bills | Voids the documents and reverses each document's journal on its own date. | A document has a payment or credit, was edited, voided or deleted, is matched in banking, or its journal was reversed. |
| Opening balances | Reverses the opening journal on the as-of date and puts back a bank opening balance it set. | The year is closed, or a bank it changed has been reconciled since. |
| Journal entries | Reverses each journal on its own date. | A journal has been reversed or matched in banking. |
When Undo is refused, the page lists each record in use and what uses it, such as invoices or journal lines. Remove or undo those first, then try again.
A recurring invoice, bill or journal entry counts while it is active or paused, and the page names it. End the schedule, or change its lines, before you undo. An ended schedule doesn't stop Undo.
Reversals post on the original dates, so closed periods and Prevent backdating still apply. One date that can't take a reversal stops the whole undo. Undo never deletes posted history: each journal and its reversal stay in your books.
Void invoices and bills keep their numbers. A corrected file needs different numbers for those documents.
Who can do this
You need the import permissions for that type and its undo permission:
| Import | Permission to undo |
|---|---|
| Customers | Delete customers |
| Vendors | Delete vendors |
| Accounts | Deactivate accounts |
| Products and services | Archive and reactivate products & services |
| Open invoices | Void invoices |
| Open bills | Void bills |
| Opening balances or journal entries | Reverse posted entries |
Without it, the import page names the permission you need. Customer, vendor and account imports finished before Undo tracked the records it added can't be undone from the import page; correct those records on their own pages.