Next, under Account Type, we selected Assets. We started with Assets as the first account typed, checking it was set to our currency of choice, US dollars ( Figure 3). From here, you can start entering your main accounts. Next, click on Actions and scroll to New Account. If you can't see this, go to View | New Accounts. Once you have cancelled, ensure that you can see Accounts on the left-hand side of the page. However, more adventurous users can click Cancel when the setup window launches and enter information manually. The setup wizard can walk you through all these. The next page relates to New Book Options, and there are four tabs to go through: Accounts, Budgeting, Business, and Counters. Next, select the currency you wish to use in your accounts, and then press Forward. A pop-up box appears called New Account Setup Hierarchy. Click on File | New File From here, you can choose whether to use the wizard or enter your information manually. The sheer number of accounts can be overwhelming at first, but they can easily be unchecked and removed from your books. Although this is a fast way to get started, some users may find there are way more accounts and sub-accounts than needed. You can simplify setup by using the GnuCash wizard. This makes your finances easier to manage. Every transaction you make can be categorized under these headings. These include Assets, Expenses, Income, Liabilities, and Equities. It is best to set up five principle accounts. The software is suitable for both personal and business accounting. Once install is complete, you can set up your main GnuCash account. If you don't want to see this, just uncheck the box underneath the message. The GnuCash website also contains instructions for installing the program in other popular distributions.įigure 2: You can use the Ubuntu Software Center to install GnuCash.Įach time you open the application, a pop-up box with a tip appears. Once the installation is complete, click Launch to open. Ubuntu users can navigate to Ubuntu Software, type in GnuCash, and click on the results ( Figure 2). Failing this, there are several different ways to install GnuCash. GnuCash comes preinstalled in certain distributions of Linux. Users can also track investments and loan payments. While GnuCash is perfect for personal use, it is a very powerful tool for business users. You may want to do more in-depth bookkeeping, such as tracking credit card spending, assets, and liabilities. If you just want to balance your checkbook, GnuCash has that covered. The software can track your finances any way you see fit. It is also one of the few bookkeeping tools to support multiple currencies, and GnuCash developers claim it is the only open source program of its kind. GnuCash stores all data you enter in the flexible. An Android version was released in 2015.įigure 1: Download GnuCash from the application's main page. There are versions for Windows and macOS, as well as Linux ( Figure 1). It was initially designed to imitate some of the features found in Intuit QuickBooks but soon evolved and began to offer more. We have focused here on setting up accounts and inputting transaction data, but we encourage readers to take the time to explore the program's extra functions, too (see the "Other Features" section). GnuCash 3.5, which is the focus of this review, contains a truly staggering number of features. Despite being free of charge, the program is suitable for complex accounting data and supports double-entry bookkeeping, multiple currencies, and credit card transactions out of the box. As free and open source software, there's far less risk of support being discontinued altogether, and it can open and save transaction data in a number of formats. GnuCash offers a ready solution to both these dilemmas. Many of the freeware finance programs also don't support more advanced features like double-entry bookkeeping. There is some sense in this: If you choose a less well-known product that is later discontinued, all your financial data could become unreadable overnight. If you're starting your own business or want to take greater control of your personal finances, you may have been tempted to subscribe to one of the many popular proprietary (and sometimes expensive) accounting products on the market such as Sage and Intuit QuickBooks.
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