Books, accounts and entries
A book is one company. Inside it, accounts hold balances and entries move amounts between accounts. Nothing is ever deleted: a mistake is corrected with a reversing entry that stays in the audit trail.
Documentation · Ledgerline Desktop 5.2
The manual for bookkeeping that runs on your own computer.
Ledgerline Desktop keeps your accounts in a single file on your machine, with no subscription and no cloud account required. These pages cover installing it, how books, accounts and reconciliations fit together, every keyboard shortcut, and what changes when you move up from version 4.
System requirements
Ledgerline Desktop 5 runs on current and recent versions of Windows, macOS and Linux.
| Windows | Windows 10 (build 19045) | 4 | 420 |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS | macOS 12 Monterey | 4 | 380 |
| Ubuntu and Debian | Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12 | 4 | 350 |
| Fedora | Fedora 39 | 4 | 350 |
From download to first ledger
- 01
Run the installer for your system
Windows and macOS use a signed installer; Linux ships as a .deb, an .rpm and an AppImage. Each one is checked against the SHA-256 value printed beside the download link.
- 02
Create or open a company file
Choose New company and pick a currency and a financial year start. Everything is saved to one .ledger file that you can keep on a USB drive or in any folder you already back up.
- 03
Import your opening balances
Paste a trial balance from a spreadsheet or import a CSV from your bank. Ledgerline flags any account that does not balance before it lets you post.
Core concepts
Four ideas explain almost every screen. Read these before the reference pages.
Reconciliation
Match each bank line to an entry and the difference falls to zero. Ledgerline suggests matches by amount and date and remembers the ones you accept for next month.
Periods and closing
Close a month and its entries lock for everyone except the owner. Reopening a period writes a note into the audit trail with the date, the person and the reason given.
Keyboard shortcuts
Windows and Linux use Ctrl, macOS uses Command. Every action also appears in the menu.
| New entry | Ctrl + N | Anywhere in a book |
|---|---|---|
| Post the entry | Ctrl + Enter | Entry window |
| Find an account | Ctrl + K | Anywhere in a book |
| Start reconciliation | Ctrl + R | Bank account view |
| Accept the suggested match | Space | Reconciliation |
| Close the period | Ctrl + Shift + L | Periods screen |
| Undo the last unposted change | Ctrl + Z | Entry window |
Upgrading from version 4
Your files are converted in place after a backup. These are the steps, in order.
- Before
Back up the version 4 file · File menu
Choose Save a copy and keep the original untouched. Version 5 can open a version 4 file, but a version 4 install cannot open a converted one.
- Install
Install version 5 beside version 4 · Installer
The two versions can live on one computer. Your license key from version 4 activates version 5 for free for the first twelve months after release.
- Convert
Open the old file in version 5 · Conversion
A guided conversion rebuilds report layouts and tax codes. It lists anything it could not carry over, which is normally a handful of custom report columns.
- After
Compare the trial balance · Reports
Print the trial balance from both versions and compare the totals. If they differ, the conversion log names the account.
Licensing and support
Does Ledgerline Desktop need an internet connection?
Only to activate your license once and to check for updates. Day-to-day bookkeeping works entirely offline.
How many computers can I install it on?
One license covers two computers used by the same person, for example an office desktop and a laptop. Teams need one license per seat.
Where does my data live?
In the single .ledger file you chose when you created the company. Ledgerline never uploads it; the file is only as visible as the folder you keep it in.
Can two people work in the same file?
Not at the same time. Use the Team export to pass a period to a colleague, or the Shared folder mode on a network drive with a lock file.
Report a mistake in these pages
If a step does not match what you see on screen, tell us which page and which version you are running. Documentation fixes are published every Thursday.