Xero Attachment Migration
When businesses move accounting systems, migrating the transactions is only part of the job. The Xero attachment migration service covers more than just that.
Behind those transactions there may be years of supplier invoices, customer documents, receipts and other supporting files that finance teams still need to access.
At Migrate My Accounts, we can include historical attachments and source documents as part of a bespoke Xero migration, where the source system and available data allow this.
Rather than simply storing historical files separately after the migration, our aim is to migrate supported documents into Xero and, where possible, associate them with the relevant historical transactions.
This can be particularly valuable for businesses moving from larger or legacy accounting systems where several years of financial history need to remain accessible after go-live.
Can attachments be migrated to Xero?
Yes, in many migrations attachments can be transferred to Xero alongside historical accounting data.
Whether this is possible depends on the source accounting system, how its documents are stored, whether they can be extracted, and whether there is enough information available to identify the corresponding transaction in Xero.
This is why attachment migration needs to be assessed as part of the wider data migration rather than treated as a simple file upload.
For suitable migrations, we can extract historical documents, identify their relationship with the accounting data and migrate supported files into the new Xero organisation.
What types of documents can be included?
Depending on the source system and migration structure, historical attachments may include:
- supplier invoices
- purchase invoice documents
- customer invoice documents
- receipts
- PDFs
- scanned documents and images
- supporting transaction documentation
- other files stored against historical accounting records
The exact scope is confirmed before the migration begins.
Not every legacy accounting system stores attachments in the same way. Some keep documents directly within the accounting database, while others use separate document-management systems, network folders or external storage locations.
We therefore check how your documents are stored before confirming what can be migrated.
Why migrate attachments when moving to Xero?
A historical accounting migration should leave the new system useful, not simply make the Trial Balance match.
Imagine opening a supplier bill from three years ago in Xero.
The transaction is there. The supplier, date, reference, VAT and value have all been migrated correctly.
But somebody now needs to see the original invoice.
If the document remained in the old accounting system, the finance team may still need access to that legacy software or a separate archive simply to understand the transaction.
Where historical attachments are successfully migrated alongside the accounting data, considerably more of that history can remain accessible from the new environment.
This can help with:
- historical transaction queries
- audit requests
- VAT/GST queries
- supplier and customer disputes
- finance-team handovers
- year-end accounting
- reducing dependency on legacy accounting software
For businesses migrating many years of history, this can be an important part of creating a genuinely usable historical Xero organisation.
How does Xero attachment migration work?
Attachment migration is normally completed as part of the wider historical data migration.
1. We assess the source system
First, we establish where the attachments are stored and whether they can be extracted in a usable format.
We also look for the information that connects each document to its accounting transaction.
Depending on the system, this could include transaction IDs, invoice numbers, document references, supplier references or other identifiers.
2. We extract the historical documents
Where technically possible, the relevant files are extracted from the source accounting environment or document storage.
At this stage, the objective is not simply to collect a folder containing thousands of PDFs.
We also need to preserve enough information to understand where those documents belong.
3. We migrate the accounting transactions
The historical accounting data is processed and migrated into Xero as part of the agreed migration scope.
Depending on the project, this can include sales and purchase transactions, payments, contacts, VAT/GST information, tracking categories, foreign currency transactions and historical allocations.
4. We match documents to transactions
Where the necessary source references are available, attachments are matched with their corresponding migrated Xero transactions.
This is one of the most important differences between document transfer and attachment migration.
Moving 20,000 PDFs into a new storage location is relatively easy.
Correctly identifying which historical transaction each of those 20,000 documents belongs to is the more complex part.
5. We validate the migration
As with the accounting data itself, we perform checks on the migrated information.
Attachment migration is therefore considered alongside the wider reconciliation and validation process rather than as an isolated file-moving exercise.
Can attachments be migrated from Sage to Xero?
Potentially, yes.
We provide bespoke migrations from several Sage products into Xero, including Sage 200, Sage 50, Sage 300 and Sage Intacct, and attachment migration can be assessed as part of the project.
However, the method depends on the particular Sage environment and how documents have historically been stored.
We therefore review the source data before confirming attachment scope.
Can attachments be migrated from ERP systems to Xero?
Yes, this is something we can assess as part of larger ERP-to-Xero migration projects.
Our historical migration work includes businesses moving from systems such as:
- Sage 200
- Sage 300
- Sage Intacct
- Access Dimensions
- Access Financials
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Dynamics NAV / Business Central
- Exchequer
- Pegasus Opera
- Twinfield
- other accounting and ERP platforms
Attachment availability varies significantly between systems and even between two businesses using the same software.
For that reason, we do not assume attachments are available simply because a particular accounting package supports them. We check the actual source environment.
What if the documents are stored outside the accounting system?
This does not necessarily mean they cannot be migrated.
Some businesses have historical documents in separate folders, document-management applications or other storage systems.
If there is a reliable way to connect those files to the accounting transactions, we can assess whether they can form part of the migration.
The important question is not only:
“Can we extract the files?”
It is also:
“Can we reliably identify which accounting transaction each file belongs to?”
That distinction becomes increasingly important when dealing with tens of thousands of historical documents.
What if some attachments cannot be matched?
We prefer to identify this before migration rather than make assumptions.
Missing references, duplicate filenames, inaccessible documents or inconsistent historical storage can make some files impossible to match reliably.
If we identify limitations during our assessment, we will explain them and agree the appropriate approach before processing the attachment migration.
We do not want a migration to create the impression that historical documentation is complete when the source data does not support that conclusion.
Do I need to keep my old accounting system after migrating to Xero?
This depends on your business, statutory requirements and what information has been migrated.
However, reducing reliance on an old accounting system is one of the reasons businesses choose a comprehensive historical migration.
If transactions are migrated but the supporting documents remain exclusively in the legacy platform, there may still be a reason to retain access to that platform.
Migrating supported attachments alongside the accounting history can help create a more complete historical record in Xero.
Businesses should still consider their own legal, tax and document-retention obligations before cancelling access to a previous system.
Are attachments included in every Xero migration?
No.
Attachment migration is subject to the source system, document availability, extraction method, volume, file structure and the ability to match documents reliably with their corresponding transactions.
We assess this during the migration-scoping process and confirm what can realistically be included.
This is particularly important with legacy and ERP systems because two businesses using the same accounting software can have completely different document-storage structures.
What makes attachment migration different from migrating accounting data?
Accounting data is structured.
An invoice may contain a date, contact, invoice number, nominal code, VAT/GST rate, amount and payment information.
Attachments are files that need to be extracted, identified and associated with that structured accounting data.
That means a comprehensive migration may involve several interconnected layers:
Accounting transaction → historical reference → supporting document → migrated Xero transaction
Preserving that relationship is what makes attachment migration valuable.
It is also why attachments should ideally be considered during the initial migration design rather than after thousands or millions of accounting records have already been transferred.
Xero migrations are about more than moving numbers
We specialise in bespoke historical migrations for businesses moving from legacy accounting and ERP systems to Xero.
Our projects can include far more than opening balances.
Depending on the source system and agreed scope, we can migrate historical transactions, contacts, allocations, VAT/GST information, foreign currencies, tracking structures and supporting attachments.
For complex and multi-entity migrations, we design the migration around the actual source data rather than forcing every business through the same automated conversion process.
If retaining historical invoices, receipts and supporting documents is important to your move to Xero, tell us during the initial migration assessment.
We can review how your documents are currently stored and confirm what can be included before the migration begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you migrate attachments to Xero?
Yes, attachments can be included in many bespoke Xero migrations. The exact scope depends on the source accounting system, how the files are stored and whether they can be reliably matched to the corresponding transactions.
Can supplier invoices be migrated to Xero with the historical bills?
Where the source data and document references allow it, supplier invoice documents can potentially be migrated alongside the corresponding historical transactions.
Can receipts and PDFs be transferred to Xero?
Potentially, yes. Supported documents can include PDFs, receipts, invoice images and other transaction documentation. Compatibility and matching need to be assessed before migration.
Can you migrate Sage attachments to Xero?
We can assess attachment migration as part of Sage-to-Xero projects, including migrations from Sage 200, Sage 50, Sage 300 and Sage Intacct. The exact process depends on where and how the documents are stored.
Can attachments be migrated from Access Dimensions to Xero?
Yes, attachment migration can be assessed as part of an Access Dimensions to Xero migration. We first establish how documents are stored and how they can be linked with their corresponding historical transactions.
Can you migrate attachments from Microsoft Dynamics or Business Central to Xero?
Potentially, yes. Attachment migration can form part of a bespoke Dynamics or Business Central to Xero project where the documents can be extracted and reliably associated with the accounting transactions.
Do attachments increase the Xero migration time?
They can. Large document volumes, complex storage structures and document matching can add processing time. We assess this during scoping so the attachment work can be included in the migration plan.
Can you migrate thousands of historical documents?
Potentially, yes. Volume alone is not necessarily the main limitation. The quality of the source information and our ability to reliably associate documents with their historical transactions are equally important.
What happens if some historical attachments are missing?
We can only migrate documents that are available and accessible from the source data or agreed document storage. If files are missing or cannot reliably be matched, we will identify this rather than arbitrarily attaching documents to transactions.
Should attachments be discussed before the Xero migration starts?
Yes. If retaining historical documents is important, it is best to include this during initial migration scoping. This allows the accounting data, transaction references and document migration to be designed together.
