Most of what an auditor or a new system needs can be exported from Xero or MYOB in a few clicks, if you know which report to use. The general ledger for every account, the trial balance, contacts and the chart of accounts all export to Excel or CSV. The harder parts are attachments, several years or several companies at once, data an auditor wants in a particular layout, and old desktop files nobody can open any more.
The general ledger for every account
This is the request that catches people out: an auditor asks for the transactions behind every account, and someone starts exporting accounts one at a time. You don't need to.
- Xero: run the General Ledger report (or Account Transactions) under Reports, choose all accounts and the date range the auditor wants, then export to Excel. One file covers every account.
- MYOB AccountRight: go to Reports, then Accounts, choose General Ledger [Detail], set the dates and click Export to Excel.
- MYOB Business (browser version): use the general ledger reports in the Reports area and export to Excel.
Two things to watch: the export is grouped by account, so if the auditor wants one continuous list you may need to reshape it in Excel, and large date ranges can be slow. Run one financial year at a time if it struggles.
Other things auditors and new systems usually ask for
Most of these export directly:
- Trial balance at the end of each period.
- Chart of accounts, including codes, names, types and tax codes.
- Customer and supplier lists with contact details and ABNs.
- Aged receivables and payables at year end.
- Bank reconciliation reports showing what was reconciled and what is outstanding.
- Invoices and bills for the period, as a list.
- Fixed asset registers, if you track assets in the system.
Agree with the auditor up front which reports, which periods and which format they want. It saves exporting the same thing three times.
The hard parts
Attachments
Receipts, supplier invoices and contracts attached to transactions don't come out in the standard report exports. In Xero, bulk download of attached files is one of the most requested features on its product ideas board, and Xero said in November 2025 that it isn't in its plans. Third-party apps can download attachments in bulk, and for larger or multi-entity jobs a script using the Xero API can pull every attachment into folders by year, supplier or transaction.
Several years or several companies
Exporting one year for one company is easy. Exporting seven years for five companies, in a consistent layout an auditor or a new system can use, is a project. It is also where mistakes creep in: missing periods, different chart of accounts codes between companies, and totals that don't match the original reports.
A specific layout
Auditors and some audit software want data in a particular format, for example one row per journal line with set columns. Xero has an export for some audit and practice tools under Advanced settings. Otherwise the export usually needs reshaping, and checking against the trial balance.
Old desktop files
Older MYOB AccountRight Classic and Reckon desktop files can be hard to open once nobody has the software installed. They can often be upgraded or converted, but test it early, not the week the auditor arrives.
Before you leave Xero or MYOB
If you are moving to another system, export what you need before you cancel. Access after cancelling is limited and the rules change, so check the provider's current policy rather than relying on read-only access later. At a minimum keep:
- The general ledger and trial balance for every year you still need.
- Invoices, bills and credit notes, with their attachments.
- Contacts, chart of accounts and fixed asset registers.
- Payroll records, which are often separate from the accounting reports.
- A note of what was exported, when and from which company, so someone can find it in five years.
The ATO generally expects business records to be kept for five years, and companies have longer obligations under the Corporations Act, so check with your accountant how long you need to keep yours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I export the general ledger from Xero to Excel?
Run the General Ledger report under Reports, select all accounts and the date range, then export to Excel. You don't need to export each account separately.
How do I export the general ledger from MYOB?
In AccountRight, go to Reports, then Accounts, choose General Ledger [Detail], set the dates and export to Excel. MYOB Business has similar general ledger reports that export to Excel.
Can I download all attachments from Xero at once?
Not with Xero's built-in tools. Third-party apps can, and for large or multi-entity jobs the attachments can be pulled through the Xero API and organised into folders.
How long do I need to keep my records?
The ATO generally requires business records to be kept for five years, and companies have longer obligations under the Corporations Act. Your accountant can confirm what applies to you.
What if the auditor wants several years for several companies?
Agree the format first, export one company and year at a time, and check each export against the trial balance. If it becomes a big job, it is often quicker to extract it once through the API into a consistent, checked set of files.
If you need years of data, several companies or every attachment out of Xero or MYOB, for an auditor or a move to a new system, book a free initial chat. Our data migration work includes a complete, checked archive of the old system.