# Accounts

Accounts are the foundation of every Bkper Book. Every transaction is recorded between two Accounts, so the way you organize them determines the clarity of your financial data. For the conceptual overview, see [Core Concepts — Accounts](https://bkper.com/docs/core-concepts.md#accounts).

## Create an Account

Open your Book and navigate to the **Chart of Accounts** page. Click **New Account**, enter a name, and select the appropriate [Account Type](https://bkper.com/docs/core-concepts.md#account-types) (Asset, Liability, Incoming, or Outgoing). Press **Save** and the Account is ready for use.

- If it represents something you **own**, like a bank balance or cash, select **Asset**
- If it tracks what you **owe**, like loans or credit cards, choose **Liability**
- If it's for **money coming in**, such as sales or salary, go with **Incoming**
- If it's for **expenses**, like rent or transportation, select **Outgoing**

[Image: Animated walkthrough of creating a new Account in the Chart of Accounts]

> **Note**
> Account names must be unique within a Book.
### Creating from a Group

If your Book already has Groups, you can add an Account directly from the left menu. On the Transactions page, click the **three dots** next to the Group, select **Add New Account**, enter a name, and save. The new Account is automatically part of that Group.

[Image: Animated walkthrough of creating an Account directly from a Group in the left menu]

### From the Accounts page

Open the **Accounts** page, hover over the Account you want to modify, and click the **pencil icon**. Update the name or type, then press **Save**.

![Editing an Account from the Accounts page](https://bkper.com/docs/_astro/accounts-manage-3.C211F2KR.png)

### From the Transactions page

In the left menu, hover over the Account and click the **three dots**. Select **Edit**, make your changes, and save.

![Editing an Account from the Transactions page left menu](https://bkper.com/docs/_astro/accounts-manage-4.CqTH3Ldz.png)

> **Note**
> - Editing an Account does not affect its balance values.
> - All transactions that reference the Account are updated with the new name automatically.
### Account properties

You can attach [custom properties](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/properties.md) to any Account — contact information, external identifiers, or metadata for automations. Emails, URLs, and phone numbers stored as properties are rendered as **clickable links** in the chart of accounts, so clicking a phone number opens your calling app and clicking an email opens your mail client.

Account properties are managed from the account editor's properties section. They are commonly used to store values that bots need — for example, the [Exchange Bot](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/automations/exchange-bot.md) reads `exc_code` from each account to know its currency. See the [Properties guide](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/properties.md#account-properties) for details.

### Comments on accounts

You can leave [comments](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/comments.md) on any account — notes about its purpose, requests for a collaborator, or context for auditors. Select the account and click the comment icon. Mention a teammate with **@username** to notify them directly.

## Archive and Unarchive

Archiving removes an Account from the active list while keeping it in your historical records. This prevents new transactions from being recorded under it and keeps your Balance Sheet consistent.

Open the **Accounts** page, select the Account, and click **Archive**.

![Archiving an Account from the Accounts page](https://bkper.com/docs/_astro/accounts-manage-6.D8NtR11E.png)

> **Note**
> Archived Accounts cannot be used in [search queries](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/search-and-queries.md).
To restore an archived Account, open the **Accounts** page, select the **Archived** section from the left menu, find the Account, check the box next to it, and click **Unarchive**. The Account becomes available for new transactions again.

[Image: Animated walkthrough of unarchiving an Account]

### Searching by account

Use the [query language](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/search-and-queries.md) to filter transactions by account. The `account:` operator matches both From and To sides, while `from:` and `to:` target a specific direction — for example, `from:Cash after:$m-3` shows all outflows from Cash in the last 3 months. Archived accounts are excluded from query results.

## Delete an Account

An Account that has **never been used in any transaction** can be permanently deleted. Open the **Accounts** page, select the Account, click the **Trash Bin icon**, and confirm.

![Deleting an unused Account from the Accounts page](https://bkper.com/docs/_astro/accounts-manage-5.A3Xn06rC.png)

> **Caution**
> If an Account has been used in at least one transaction, it cannot be deleted — it can only be **archived** to preserve historical records.
## Accounts Menu

The **Accounts Menu** is located on the left side of the Bkper dashboard. It displays the balances of all your Assets, Liabilities, Incoming, and Outgoing Accounts and Groups in one consolidated view.

![The Accounts Menu showing all Account and Group balances](https://bkper.com/docs/_astro/accounts-menu-1.mBI_6_cL.png)

Balance values are presented with two visual cues:

- **Colors** — each balance uses the same color as its Account Type or Group, making it easy to distinguish between Assets, Liabilities, Incoming, and Outgoing items.
- **Parentheses** — a number wrapped in parentheses indicates a negative balance.

![Color-coded balances with parentheses indicating negative values](https://bkper.com/docs/_astro/accounts-menu-2.28EwKLXO.png)

Click any **Account or Group name** to filter the transaction list. Click a **balance value** to open both the filtered transactions and the [Chart Reports](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/chart-reports.md).

### Running balance

When you filter transactions by a single permanent Account, Bkper shows that Account's running balance for each transaction. This value appears toward the end of the transaction row and represents the Account balance immediately after that transaction is applied. Use it to follow how a bank, cash, or credit card balance changes over time and to confirm end-of-day or end-of-period positions.

## Opening Balances

When you start using Bkper, your Accounts need to reflect their real-world values. If your bank account has $1,000 today, your Bkper Bank Account should show $1,000. This is called setting an **opening balance**.

### Setting Your Opening Balance

To set the balance of any Account, right-click on it in the sidebar and select **Adjust balance**. Enter the actual balance value and click **Continue**. Your Account now shows the correct balance.

Bkper automatically records a Transaction to set the balance. You will see this Transaction in your ledger with the description "Balance adjustment", moving resources from an "initialize" Account to your target Account.

This works for any permanent Account — whether it is a bank balance (Asset), a credit card debt (Liability), or a loan you owe (Liability). Right-click, adjust, and you are done.

[Image: Setting an opening balance in Bkper using the Adjust balance feature]

### Example: Starting Fresh

Imagine you are setting up Bkper for the first time. Your bank shows $5,000, you have $2,000 on your credit card, and you owe $10,000 on a car loan.

Right-click each Account and adjust:

- **Bank Account** → adjust to 5,000
- **Credit Card** → adjust to 2,000
- **Car Loan** → adjust to 10,000

Each adjustment creates a Transaction, and your Book now mirrors reality. You are ready to start recording your daily Transactions.

### What Happens Behind the Scenes

When you adjust a balance, Bkper records a Transaction using an "initialize" Account. This Account is created automatically and serves as the counterpart for all opening balance entries.

For an Asset like a bank account:

`11/02/2026 1,000 initialize >> Bank Account Balance adjustment`

For a Liability like a credit card:

`11/02/2026 2,000 Credit Card >> initialize Balance adjustment`

The initialize Account is an Incoming type Account. Once you have set all your opening balances, you can archive it to keep your Account list clean. Archiving only hides it from active use — the opening balance transactions and their effect on the ledger remain part of your records.

### When to Use Opening Balances

Opening balances are typically set when:

- You first start using Bkper
- You migrate from another system
- You begin tracking a new Account mid-year

Only permanent Accounts (Asset and Liability types) need opening balances. Incoming and Outgoing Accounts track activity within the selected reporting period rather than carrying a position forward like Asset and Liability accounts do.

### Making Corrections Later

If you need to correct a balance after initial setup — perhaps you discovered a discrepancy or need to account for an unexpected adjustment — you can use the same **Adjust balance** feature at any time. Bkper will record the necessary Transaction to bring the balance to your specified value.

## Batch Export and Import

You can manage Accounts in bulk using the [Bkper Add-on for Google Sheets](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/google-sheets.md). Use **[Fetch Accounts](https://github.com/bkper/bkper-sheets#bkper_accounts)** to export your Chart of Accounts to a spreadsheet, and **[Save Accounts](https://github.com/bkper/bkper-sheets#account-columns)** to create Accounts in batch — including types, Groups, and Custom Properties.

[Image: Animated walkthrough of exporting Accounts to Google Sheets]

[Image: Animated walkthrough of importing Accounts from Google Sheets]

## Related

- **[Chart of Accounts](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/chart-of-accounts.md)** — build and organize your account structure with Groups and hierarchies
- **[Balances Audit](https://bkper.com/docs/guides/using-bkper/balances-audit.md)** — how Bkper automatically checks balance consistency