Guide
How to bulk download attachments from Xero
Xero doesn't have a built-in button for this. You can download each file by hand, or use a tool that reads your attachments through Xero's API and gives you one ZIP.
Option 1: by hand
- Open the bill, invoice or bank transaction.
- Open its attached files.
- Download each file and rename it.
- Go back. Repeat.
| Files | At 30 seconds a file |
|---|---|
| 500 | 4+ hours |
| 2,000 | 16+ hours |
| 5,000 | 41+ hours |
It works for ten files. It's a bad week for two thousand.
Option 2: build it yourself
Xero's API lists the attachments on each record and returns each file. People have built this themselves with AI tools. You'll need to handle Xero's rate limits and failed downloads, and check the result.
Option 3: use a tool
The Xero App Store lists backup and export apps. Before you pick one, ask two questions. Which kinds of records does it cover? And how will you know nothing was missed?
GrabReceipts answers both:
- Attachments from 10 kinds of record, in folders named by date, supplier and number
reconciliation.csvlists every file Xero listed and whether it came throughevidence-report.csvlists bills and spend transactions with no attachment, largest first
Questions
Can Xero download all attachments at once?
Not as a built-in feature when this page was written. In November 2025 Xero said bulk download of files was not in its plans, though it would like to explore it in the longer term.
How long does it take by hand?
At 30 seconds a file, 500 files take more than 4 hours and 2,000 files take more than 16 hours.
Does GrabReceipts change anything in Xero?
No. It only requests read access and closes the connection when the export ends.
Source: Xero's public product ideas forum. Last checked November 2026. Xero may change this.