Data Export

How to export your financial data from Forbidden Finance in CSV or JSON format with optional date, category, and account filters.

Overview

Forbidden Finance lets you export your financial data at any time. You own your data, and you can download it in CSV or JSON format for use in spreadsheets, other financial tools, or personal archiving. Exports can include transactions, account balances, budget history, net worth snapshots, and more. Filters let you narrow the export to exactly the data you need.

How to Export Your Data

Open Settings

Tap the Settings icon in the navigation bar.

Select Data Export

Tap Data Export to open the export configuration screen.

Choose the export format

Select CSV for spreadsheet compatibility or JSON for a structured data format that preserves all fields and relationships.

Apply filters (optional)

Narrow your export using one or more filters:

Date range — Select a start and end date to export only transactions within that period.
Categories — Choose specific spending categories to include or exclude.
Accounts — Select which accounts to include in the export.

Start the export

Tap Export. The file is generated and downloaded to your device. Larger exports may take a few moments to prepare.

Export Formats

CSV

CSV (comma-separated values) files open directly in spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Apple Numbers. Each row represents a single record (transaction, balance entry, etc.), and columns contain the fields.

CSV is ideal when you want to:

Analyze your spending in a spreadsheet.
Create custom charts or pivot tables.
Share data with an accountant or financial advisor.

JSON

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a structured data format that preserves relationships between records, nested data, and field types. It is more complete than CSV but requires a tool that can parse JSON to read.

JSON is ideal when you want to:

Import your data into another application or tool.
Create a complete archive of your financial records.
Work with the data programmatically.

What Is Included in Exports

Depending on your filters, the export can include:

Data Type	CSV	JSON
Transactions	One row per transaction with date, merchant, amount, category, account, and notes.	Full transaction objects with all metadata.
Account balances	Current balance for each included account.	Balance history with timestamps.
Recurring rules	Rule details including merchant, amount, frequency, and status.	Full rule objects with occurrence history.
Budget data	Budget allocations and spending by category for each month.	Complete budget configuration and history.
Net worth snapshots	Daily net worth totals for the selected date range.	Detailed snapshots with per-asset breakdowns.
Goals	Goal names, targets, and current progress.	Full goal objects with contribution history.

Tips

Export a full backup in JSON format periodically. It captures all your data in a single file that can be used for personal archiving or as a safeguard.

Use the date range filter to export just one month of transactions when you need to review a specific period, like preparing for tax filing or sharing a summary with your partner.

Export files are downloaded directly to your device. Forbidden Finance does not store your export files on its servers. If you need another copy, run the export again.