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Migrating from other accounting software

lim can import CSV exports from freee, MoneyForward, Yayoi, Bugyo, QuickBooks, and Xero. For large historical migrations, lim import is safer than the browser uploader because it gives you mapping, validation, rollback, and health checks.

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Supported sources

SourceJournal CSVOpening balanceRecommended path
freeeSupportedfreee-style B/S CSV supportedCLI
MoneyForwardSupportedSeparate CSV recommendedCLI
YayoiSupportedSeparate CSV recommendedCLI
BugyoSupportedSeparate CSV recommendedCLI
QuickBooksSupportedSeparate CSV recommendedCLI
XeroSupportedSeparate CSV recommendedCLI
The browser preview mainly covers the Japanese journal CSV variants used by freee and MoneyForward. For other sources, prefer the CLI importer.

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Before you migrate

  • Lock the date range you want to move
  • Keep a backup from the source system
  • Export journal CSV and, if needed, opening balance or balance sheet CSV separately
  • Create the company in lim and confirm the fiscal start date
  • Clean up major account-name inconsistencies before import
A freee journal export alone does not fully capture opening balance settings such as capital and startup costs. If you migrate from freee, export an opening balance or balance sheet CSV as well.
1

Export CSV files from the source system

Start with the journal export. If the source keeps opening balances outside normal journals, export a balance file separately.
  • freee: export the journal CSV and also export opening balance or balance sheet CSV when needed.
  • MoneyForward: export the journal CSV and keep a separate opening-balance file if you need a clean day-one state.
  • Yayoi / Bugyo / QuickBooks / Xero: export journals as CSV from the product’s export function.
lim auto-detects common encodings including Shift_JIS. Avoid re-saving the CSV in Excel if possible, because header names and formatting can change.
2

Validate with a dry run

Run validation first.
lim import ./exports/journal.csv --dry-run
Check the detected format, entry count, unmapped accounts, and parsing errors before you commit any data.
3

Resolve unmapped accounts

When account names do not match, the CLI lets you map to an existing account, create a new one, or skip those entries.
lim import ./exports/journal.csv
Confirmed mappings are saved to ~/.lim/account-mappings/<company-id>.json, so repeated imports get faster.
4

Import opening balances

Load opening balances separately when you need a clean opening state.
lim import --opening-balance ./exports/balance-sheet.csv
freee balance sheet CSV is auto-detected. For other systems, provide a CSV that clearly contains account names plus debit and credit balances.
5

Verify after import

Finish with the health check and a trial balance review.
lim import --health-check
lim reports tb
Compare the imported balances against the source system’s ending balances and confirm that debits equal credits.

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Using the browser uploader

If you use the CSV import page in the app, you can preview entries before import.
  • Entries with unmapped accounts are skipped
  • The CLI is better for complex compound entries or larger account cleanup
  • Imports are chunked internally for large files

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Useful commands

# Restrict to a date range
lim import ./exports/journal.csv --from 2025-04-01 --to 2026-03-31

# Roll back a previous import batch
lim import --undo <batch-id>
lim uses source metadata to detect duplicates during import. Re-importing the same CSV should skip entries that were already loaded.

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Source-specific notes

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freee

  • Supports both old and new journal CSV layouts
  • Uses 仕訳ID for stronger duplicate detection when available
  • Opening balances should be imported separately from a freee opening-balance or B/S CSV

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MoneyForward

  • Auto-detects CSVs that include 取引No and MF仕訳タイプ
  • Compound entries are grouped by transaction number

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Yayoi, Bugyo, QuickBooks, and Xero

  • Journal CSV import is supported
  • Prefer the CLI over the browser preview

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Next steps

Chart of accounts

Standardize and clean up accounts after migration.

Bank reconciliation

Reconcile balances and cash movements.

Financial reports

Validate with trial balance, P&L, and balance sheet.

Document management

Organize evidence and retention after migration.