How to Use Find and Recode in Xero

Quick summary

Find and Recode in Xero is an advanced accounting tool that lets you search, filter, and update transaction lines in bulk across your ledger. Instead of editing each transaction individually, you can apply new account codes, contacts, tax rates, and regions to multiple entries at once.

Steps

1. From the Xero dashboard, click Accounting in the top menu bar.
2. Select Advanced from the dropdown list of options.
3. Choose Find and Recode from the Advanced menu.
4. Click the Find and Recode button again to open the tool.
5. Open the Filter menu and select your preferred filter option.
6. Click Add a Condition to define your search criteria.
7. Pick a condition type from the available choices.
8. Configure the condition based on your specific requirements.
9. Click Search to retrieve matching transaction lines.
10. Tick the checkbox next to each transaction line you want to recode.
11. Click the Recode button to open the recoding panel.
12. Enter your desired revisions — such as Contact, Account, Tax Rate, or Region — into the respective input fields.
13. Click Review to preview the changes before applying them.
14. Click Confirm to finalise and apply the recode.
15. Your updated transaction codes are saved and applied instantly across all selected lines.