# Restore Deleted Statement Lines in Xero

- Author: SimpleBankConvert (https://www.simplebankconvert.com)
- Published: 2025-11-13
- Updated: 2025-11-13
- Category: Undoing and fixing imports
- Canonical: https://www.simplebankconvert.com/blog/restore-deleted-statement-lines-in-xero

> How to restore deleted statement lines in Xero, when they can be brought back and when importing that part of the statement again is the only way.
To restore deleted statement lines in Xero, open the bank account's Bank Statements view, switch Showing to Statement lines, tick the deleted lines and click Restore. That works because Xero never permanently deletes a single line. A whole bank statement deleted in one go is different: it cannot be restored and has to be imported again.

## Where deleted statement lines live in Xero

A deleted statement line in Xero is hidden, not erased. Xero keeps it on the bank statement it came from, marked as deleted, so it can be brought back later.

Xero Central's page on [deleting or restoring a bank statement line](https://central.xero.com/s/article/Delete-or-restore-a-bank-statement-line) puts it directly: you can't permanently delete a statement line from Xero, and deleted lines remain on the bank statement so they can be restored if required.

Deleting a line has side effects worth knowing before you restore it:

- **The Statement Balance changes.** Xero warns that deleting a line moves the account's Statement Balance, which is why it suggests deleting only true duplicates.
- **Reconciliation is undone.** If the line was reconciled, Xero deletes the statement line and turns the matching account transaction back to unreconciled. The account transaction itself stays.

You also need the right role. Xero Central says deleting or restoring needs the administrator role, or the standard role with bank accounts access.

## Steps to restore deleted statement lines in Xero

Restoring runs from the bank account's statement list and handles several lines at once. You select the account, show its statement lines, tick the deleted ones and click Restore. Pick the lines with care, because the list also shows lines deleted on purpose.

1. In the Accounting menu, select Bank accounts.
2. For the bank account, click the menu icon, then select Bank Statements.
3. From Showing, select Statement lines.
4. Tick the checkbox next to each deleted line you want back.
5. Click Restore.

Sort or scan by date first. A long account history can hold lines deleted on purpose months ago, such as genuine duplicates, and restoring those would count them twice in your Statement Balance.

## What happens after a restored statement line comes back?

A restored statement line returns to the account as an unreconciled line in most cases, so expect to reconcile it again. Deleting a reconciled line had already set its account transaction back to unreconciled. Once the line is restored, look for it on the Reconcile tab and match it to that same account transaction.

After reconciling, compare the Statement Balance in Xero with the closing balance on your bank statement for the same date. They should agree again. If they do not, a second line may still be deleted, or a duplicate may have been restored alongside the line you wanted.

QuickBooks users meet a similar question when lines go missing. If you also keep books in QuickBooks, [bringing in missing bank transactions in QuickBooks Online](/blog/import-missing-bank-transactions-into-quickbooks-online) covers filling a gap by date range, and [imported transactions with no payee in QuickBooks](/blog/imported-transactions-missing-payee-in-quickbooks) covers lines that arrive without a name.

## Can you restore a deleted bank statement in Xero?

A whole bank statement deleted with Delete Entire Statement cannot be restored in Xero. The lines go with it, and there is no Restore button for them. The only way back is to import that statement again from the original file, then reconcile the lines that return.

Xero Central's page on [deleting a bank statement](https://central.xero.com/s/article/Delete-a-bank-statement) gives the warning plainly: deleted bank statements can't be restored, and a statement deleted in error has to be imported manually again. The same page notes that you can choose to delete the reconciled account transactions along with the statement. If you ticked that box, those transactions are gone too and will need recreating when the lines come back.

Check which case you are in before you start. If the Statement lines view still shows the lines as deleted, they belong to a statement that still exists, and restoring from the Statement lines view works. If the lines are missing from that view entirely, the statement itself was deleted.

## Importing part of a Xero statement again without doubling lines

When a statement was deleted, or a gap needs filling, import only the dates that are missing. Trim the CSV so it starts the day after the last line Xero still holds and ends the day before the next one. Importing the full original file risks adding lines that are already present.

### A worked example

This example uses made-up dates. A business imported March as four weekly CSV files. Later, the statement holding March 15 to 21 was deleted with Delete Entire Statement. The remaining lines run March 1 to 14 and March 22 to 31.

| Step | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| 1 | Open the original file for that week, or a full March export trimmed to rows dated March 15 to 21 |
| 2 | Check the kept rows against the PDF statement for that week |
| 3 | Import the trimmed file into the same Xero bank account |
| 4 | Reconcile the returned lines on the Reconcile tab |
| 5 | Compare the Statement Balance for March 31 with the bank's closing balance |

If the week fell in a period you have already closed or filed, check with whoever closed it before reconciling. The QuickBooks version of that question is covered in [imported transactions in a closed period in QuickBooks](/blog/imported-transactions-in-a-closed-period-in-quickbooks), and the same caution applies in Xero.

If the original file is lost and you only have the PDF, [SimpleBankConvert](/) is being built to turn a PDF statement into a CSV laid out the way Xero's statement import expects, so you can rebuild just the week you need.