Editing GnuCash (section)

==Backwards compatibility issues==

GnuCash maintains the ability to read older data files between major releases, as long as major releases are not skipped.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gnucahs FAQ|access-date=2020-04-25|date=2020-04-25|archive-date=2020-04-01|url=https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/FAQ#Q:_Can_a_new_GnuCash_release_still_read_my_old_data_file.3F|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401093911/https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/FAQ}}</ref> If a user wishes to access historical data saved in old GnuCash files, they must install intermediate versions of GnuCash. For example, upgrading from 2.2 to 4.1 may not be possible; the user should upgrade from 2.2.9 to 2.4.15, then to 2.6.21, then 3.11, then 4.1.

The other alternative is for users to export transactions files to a CSV format<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gnucash Manual:Transaction Exports|url=https://www.gnucash.org/docs/v3/C/gnucash-help/trans-export.html}}</ref> prior to upgrading GnuCash. Exporting of the account tree must be done as a separate step.