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Import Cleaner for Xero

Xero™ export dates wrong in Google Sheets™

By Paul Kemp · Published

A UK bank export dated 06/03/2026 opens in Google Sheets™ showing 3 June. Nothing looks broken: the dates are real dates, they sort, they filter. They are just wrong, and every reconciliation built on them is wrong too.

Why it happens

When Google Sheets™ imports a CSV with File → Import → Upload, the "Convert text to numbers, dates and formulas" box is ticked by default. Google Sheets™ parses each date using the spreadsheet's locale (File → Settings). A US-locale sheet reads 06/03 as June 3rd. The ambiguity is destroyed at import: what arrives is a confident, wrong date.

Opening the CSV from Google Drive™ ("Open with Google Sheets™") does the same thing using your account locale instead.

06/03/2026 reads as 6 March under a UK locale and 3 June under a US locale

Check by hand

  1. Before importing, check File → Settings → Locale matches the country your Xero™ organisation reports in.
  2. On the import screen, untick "Convert text to numbers, dates and formulas". Everything then arrives as text, and nothing is silently reinterpreted.
  3. After any import, check a date you know: if your early-March transactions show as June, the locale got them.
  4. Be suspicious of any date column where every day value is 12 or below. Real data rarely cooperates that neatly.
About two minutes on a real sheet. The full walkthrough is on YouTube.

Check the file before you trust it

Import Cleaner for Xero scans a Xero™ export in both directions: the dates, the amounts and the contact names that would create duplicates. The full scan, every explanation and Undo are free, and your data stays in your Google™ account.

Install from the Google Workspace Marketplace™

Google, Google Sheets™, Google Drive™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Xero Limited. Xero is a trademark of Xero Limited. Import Cleaner for Xero is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.

Google, Google Sheets™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Xero Limited. Xero is a trademark of Xero Limited. Import Cleaner for Xero is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.