[GNC] Deleting old entries

[Michael or Penny Novack]

On 3/23/2026 9:40 PM, David T. via gnucash-user wrote:
> Ken,
>
> You're right. This has been discussed many times, and there are many different ways to accomplish it.
>
> I have not done this (I'm carrying 19 years of data at this point)--and I am not at my machine to confirm specifics--but I believe that another way to accomplish it is:
>
> 1) Export the account structure of your current file. There is, I believe, an entry under File->Export that does this.
>
> 2) Print a Balance Sheet that shows all your account balances as of your preferred date.
>
> 3) Open the account structure created in step one, and enter the values derived in step two as the opening balances for all accounts. Proceed with the new file going forward.
>
> David T.
>
BUT -- you will want to do an explicit "close the books" before step 
two. That is because all the accounts of type "income" and "expense" are 
not going to be on the balance sheet. Only the NET of all of them is a 
balance sheet item (and even that not an explicit account).

Michael D Novack