How to Export Your Splitwise Data and Switch Apps Without Losing Balances (2026 Guide)
A step-by-step way to leave Splitwise cleanly: export your history as a spreadsheet, freeze the old ledger, carry each person’s net balance across as one opening entry, and archive — without re-entering every coffee since 2023.
Looking for the app itself? Lekhhaa: the free Splitwise alternative for India — free on Android, iOS and web.
To switch from Splitwise without losing money: export each group’s expenses as a spreadsheet from the Splitwise website, stop adding expenses there, note every person’s final net balance, then either settle it over UPI or enter it in the new app as one opening expense. Keep the export as your archive.
Why not just import everything?
Most people assume switching means moving three years of expenses into a new app. You do not need to, and usually should not. What matters is not the history of who bought which coffee in 2023 — it is the single number at the end: how much each person owes or is owed right now. Carry that number across and keep the old history as a file, and you have lost nothing that matters.
It is also honest to say that most splitting apps, Lekhhaa included, do not import Splitwise files directly. Lekhhaa has no Splitwise importer. The method below works with any app because it only needs one entry per group.
Step 1: Export each group from Splitwise
Splitwise lets you export a group’s expenses as a spreadsheet from its website. Log in on a computer or a phone browser, open the group, and look for the export option in the group’s settings on the web. Save the file with a clear name like “Goa-2025-splitwise-export.csv”.
Do this for every group you care about, including non-group expenses with individual friends if you have them. The file is your permanent record — it will still open in Excel or Google Sheets years from now, regardless of which app you use.
Step 2: Freeze the old ledger
Tell the group: “From today, no new expenses in Splitwise.” Pick a date. Anything after that goes in the new app. The most common way a switch goes wrong is two apps running in parallel for a month, with half the expenses in each and nobody sure which balance is real.
Step 3: Write down every net balance
Open the group in Splitwise and note each person’s final balance — who is owed and who owes. Check that they add up to zero. If they do not, an expense was edited after you exported; export again.
Step 4: Settle or carry it over
You have two clean options.
Option A — settle and start fresh. Everyone pays their balance over UPI before moving. This is the cleanest, and the right choice if the amounts are small or the group is winding down. Use the simplified payments Splitwise shows, or paste the balances into a free who owes whom calculator to get the fewest transfers.
Option B — carry the balance as one opening entry. If people cannot pay right now, add a single expense in the new app that recreates the balances exactly. The trick: the person who is owed the most “pays” an expense split by exact amounts among the people who owe.
A worked ₹ example
Your Splitwise flat group ends like this:
| Person | Splitwise balance |
|---|---|
| Rahul | Owed ₹2,350 |
| Priya | Owes ₹1,200 |
| Aman | Owes ₹1,150 |
| Total | ₹0 |
In the new app, create the group with all three people and add one expense called “Opening balance from Splitwise”:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Amount | ₹2,350 |
| Paid by | Rahul |
| Split | Exact amounts |
| Priya’s share | ₹1,200 |
| Aman’s share | ₹1,150 |
| Rahul’s share | ₹0 |
Now the new app shows exactly what Splitwise showed: Rahul is owed ₹2,350, Priya owes ₹1,200, Aman owes ₹1,150. If more than one person is owed, add one such entry per creditor, each paid by that person and split exactly among the people who owe them — or settle the smaller ones first so only one creditor remains.
Step 5: Archive the Splitwise group
Once the new app’s balances match, leave the old group alone. Keep the exported file in Google Drive or email it to yourself and the group, so anyone can look up an old expense if a question comes up later.
The pitfalls to avoid
| Mistake | What goes wrong | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Re-entering every old expense | Hours of typing, new errors | Carry one net balance per person |
| Running both apps for weeks | Nobody knows which balance is real | Pick a freeze date |
| Forgetting one-to-one expenses | A friend’s balance disappears | Export and carry those too |
| Not checking balances sum to zero | The new app starts off wrong | Re-export if the totals don’t match |
| Deleting the old account first | History is gone | Export, then archive |
Switching to Lekhhaa specifically
Lekhhaa is a free Splitwise alternative that works in any browser and on the Play Store, in eight Indian languages. Create a group, and add the friends who will never install anything by name only — they do not need an email or account. Add the opening-balance expense with an exact split as above. When it is time to settle, share a private balance link: your friend opens it in a browser without signing in and can pay over UPI from their own app.
What it does not do: import your Splitwise file or scan receipts. For most groups that is fine — one opening entry is all the history the new app needs. If you are still weighing apps, our Splitwise vs Lekhhaa comparison and the Paytm Split Bills comparison cover the trade-offs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I move my Splitwise history to another app?
Export each group as a spreadsheet from the Splitwise website and keep it as your archive. In the new app, carry over only each person’s final net balance — usually as one opening expense split by exact amounts — instead of re-entering every old expense.
Can I export Splitwise data as CSV?
Splitwise lets you export a group’s expenses as a spreadsheet from its website. Open the group on the web and look for the export option in the group’s settings. The file opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
Does Lekhhaa import Splitwise files?
No. Lekhhaa has no Splitwise importer. The recommended way is to carry each group’s net balances across as one opening expense with an exact split, and keep the Splitwise export as your record of old expenses.
How do I carry over a balance as an opening entry?
Add one expense paid by the person who is owed, split by exact amounts among the people who owe them. For example, if Rahul is owed ₹2,350 and Priya owes ₹1,200 and Aman ₹1,150, add ₹2,350 paid by Rahul with Priya ₹1,200, Aman ₹1,150 and Rahul ₹0.
Should I settle up before switching apps?
If you can, yes — settling over UPI and starting fresh is the cleanest switch. Carry balances only when people cannot pay right away.
Will I lose my old Splitwise expenses?
Not if you export first. The spreadsheet keeps every old expense, and you can share it with the group. Only delete or leave the Splitwise group after the new app’s balances match.