Find and remove duplicate transactions

Find duplicates lists transactions that look alike so you can remove a copy. It never removes anything on its own.

Find and remove duplicates

1. Select Transactions in the sidebar (on a phone, the Transactions tab).
2. To check one account, choose it with the account button at the top left. Otherwise the page checks all open accounts.
3. Select Find duplicates. On a phone, select the three-dot More actions button, then Find duplicates.
4. Review each group. The heading shows the account, date and amount. Each row shows a payee and a category. Groups dated a few days apart come last, under Same amount, a few days apart. Their heading shows how many days apart they are, and each row shows its own date. If nothing looks duplicated, the page says "Nothing looks duplicated."
5. Select the checkbox on each transaction to remove. Leave at least one unselected in every group.
6. Select Delete selected.
7. In the "Delete duplicates" dialog, select Delete N transactions.

The removed transactions go to Trash as Removed as a duplicate. A removed transaction that came from your bank or from an OFX or QFX file doesn't come back on the next bank sync or import. If you remove the wrong one, select Undo in the toolbar of the Transactions page straight away, or restore it from Trash. See Delete, undo and restore transactions.

How transactions are matched

Transactions are grouped when they are in the same account and have the same date, amount and description. The description is the Notes text, compared without regard to capitals or extra spaces. Transactions in different accounts are never grouped. Closed accounts are left out. A split transaction counts once, as its total.

Your bank sometimes sends one purchase twice, with different dates. To find these, the page also lists transactions in the same account with the same amount that are a few days apart. Choose how far apart with Same day, Within 3 days or Within 7 days. The default is Within 3 days. The choice resets the next time you open the page.

To also list transactions whose notes differ, select Date and amount only. The default is Date, amount and description (recommended).

Rows with the badge Duplicate copy or Removed by provider · duplicate copy start selected, because Good Steward found them redundant while syncing your bank. Nothing else starts selected. The badge Removed by provider alone means your bank no longer reports the transaction.

Keep both transactions

Select Not a duplicate on a transaction. It hides that transaction's pairs with the other transactions in the group, with no confirmation. The others stay listed together. Undo doesn't reverse this.

To bring a pair back, select Show in the line "N hidden as not duplicates", then select Flag again on the pair. That line appears only when something is hidden.

When a transaction can't be selected

• A reconciled transaction has a checkbox you can't select and shows Locked. Select Locked and confirm to remove the lock. See To review, Cleared and Reconciled.
• You can't remove every transaction in a group. A message begins "That would remove every copy in a group". Clear one checkbox and try again.

If duplicates keep coming back after a bank sync, see Missing or duplicate transactions.