> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ai2fin.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use 2Fin on several devices

> Keep a laptop, a desktop and a phone in step by sharing one source you already own — and why the database itself must stay local.

You can run 2Fin on as many machines as you like. What follows is how to keep
them in step, and one thing to avoid that will otherwise cost you a ledger.

## The idea in one line

**Share the source your devices import from. Never share the database.**

Each device keeps its own copy of your books. They all read the same source —
a spreadsheet in your own Drive, or a folder your existing sync tool already
handles. Nothing passes through 2Fin, because nothing needs to.

<Warning>
  **Do not put the 2Fin database in Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud or OneDrive.**

  Those tools copy whole files on their own schedule. The database expects
  exclusive control of its journal while it writes, and a file copied out from
  under it mid-write is a damaged file. Two machines opening the same synced
  database is the single most reliable way to lose a ledger.

  This is not specific to 2Fin — it is true of every SQLite application, and it is
  why the instructions below share a *spreadsheet* rather than a database.
</Warning>

## Set it up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Put one source where every device can reach it">
    A Google Sheet in your own Drive is the simplest choice: it is already synced,
    already versioned, and you can open it without 2Fin involved.

    A folder that Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive or Syncthing already keeps in step works
    just as well — put your bank's CSV exports in it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect that source on each device">
    On every machine, open **Connectors** and connect the same sheet, or import from
    the same folder. Each device keeps its own local database and reads from the
    shared source.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Let re-imports look after themselves">
    Importing the same rows twice is safe. Every row is fingerprinted from its
    account, date, amount and description, so a repeat is recognised rather than
    duplicated.

    If a row disappears from the source it is **flagged for you to look at**, never
    deleted — you may simply have tidied your own spreadsheet, and losing history
    because a row moved is not acceptable.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Optionally, let a bank connection fill the source">
    Where a bank-data service covers your country, it can write rows into that sheet
    on its own. Your devices then follow without you exporting anything.

    The connection belongs to you: you set it up, and you revoke it at your
    provider, not here.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Moving a whole book to a new machine

Sharing a source keeps devices *current*. It does not carry across the
categories, rules and edits that live only in one database. For that, use an
encrypted backup:

1. **Export** an encrypted backup from the machine that has the history.
2. Move the file however you like — it is encrypted with a passphrase you set.
3. **Import** it on the new machine.

Use this when replacing a laptop. Use the shared source for day-to-day.

## Where the data actually lives

<Card title="Your data folder" icon="folder">
  The desktop app keeps everything — database, receipts, attachments — in one
  folder. Open **Settings → Where your data lives** to see the real path and open
  it in your file manager.

  The folder can be relocated if you want it somewhere specific. Relocating is
  supported; putting it in a *sync* folder is the thing to avoid, for the reason
  in the warning above.
</Card>

## Sending data onward

The same records can flow out to tools you already use — Google Sheets,
Microsoft Excel, Notion or Airtable — on your instruction. Useful when a
dashboard, a client report or an existing workflow needs the numbers.

You choose the destination and can disconnect it at any time.

## Frequently asked

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I use it on a phone and a laptop at once?">
    Yes. Both read the same source and each keeps its own copy. There is no locking
    between them, because they are not sharing a database — only the rows they both
    import from.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if two devices import the same sheet at the same time?">
    Nothing breaks. Each is writing to its own local database, and fingerprinting
    means both arrive at the same result.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a paid plan for this?">
    No. Bringing records in from a spreadsheet or a CSV, keeping the database on
    your own machine, and pointing several devices at one source are all part of
    using 2Fin. Paid plans unlock what 2Fin does *with* those records, never access
    to the records themselves.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if I stop paying?">
    Your records stay readable and export keeps working. The database is a file in a
    folder you chose; the source is a spreadsheet in your own account. Both remain
    yours.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>