---
title: "Import a chart of accounts — React Box documentation"
description: "The three-step Excel / CSV import wizard: template, preview, confirmation, columns, rules and limits."
url: https://www.react-box.com/en/docs/accounting/import
lang: en
---

AccountingImport a chart

# Import a chart of accounts

Rather than entering your accounts one by one, import a full chart from an Excel or CSV file. The import runs through a three-step wizard, writing nothing until you confirm.

Updated on September 11, 2026

## Why import

The import lets you bring over the chart of accounts provided by your accountant in minutes, or update part of it. It is based on a file template you fill in, then checks every line before importing anything.

## The three steps

The wizard guides you from the template to confirmation.

1. Download the template  
Get an Excel workbook pre-filled with the right columns, examples and an instructions sheet, in French or English.
2. Upload and preview  
Drop your file: every line is analyzed and you see the planned action (create, update, skip, error), without any data being written yet.
3. Confirm  
Confirm: valid lines are imported, lines in error are skipped. A summary shows how many accounts were created, updated and skipped.

## File columns

Headers are recognized in French as well as English. Two columns are required.

* Number (required)  
The account number. Enter it as text to keep leading zeros.
* Label (required)  
The account's name.
* Description  
A free, optional description.
* Bank account  
The IBAN (recommended) or the exact label of an existing treasury account, to attach the account. Optional.
* Currency  
A 3-letter ISO code. Leave empty for all currencies. Optional.
* Usage  
Purchase, Sale or Both. Leave empty to derive the usage from the number: classes 2 and 6 = purchase, class 7 = sale, everything else = both. Optional.

## Import rules

A few simple principles guarantee a no-surprise import.

* Deduplication by number: an existing number updates the matching account; a new number creates one.
* Two modes: “create and update” (default) or “create only”, which skips updates.
* Bank matching: the treasury account is found by IBAN first, otherwise by exact label. A reference that is missing or ambiguous puts the line in error.
* Synergie export: the chart exported from Synergie can be dropped as is. Twelve-digit numbers are shortened to their usual form (342100000000 becomes 3421, an auxiliary account such as 342100010 keeps its trailing zero) and labels are cleaned up. Customer and supplier auxiliary accounts are set aside — they do not belong in the chart — and the wizard then offers to import them as third parties from the same file.
* Lines in error: a missing required field, a too-long value, an invalid currency or a duplicate number within the file are flagged and the line is skipped.
* Batched writes: confirming saves the rows in batches, not as a single operation. If the import stops, the rows already saved stay saved and the summary says so. Re-running the same file is safe: deduplication by number picks up where it left off.

## Limits and formats

The file must not exceed 5 MB or 5,000 lines. Accepted formats are .xlsx, .xls, .ods, .csv and .txt. Preview and confirmation always re-validate the file on the server, so nothing incorrect is written.

Note

Importing the chart of accounts requires the accounting management permission. If you don't see it, ask an administrator of your organization.