How do I use tags?

Tags are used for arbitrarily grouping transactions, regardless of what categories may also be assigned to them, so that you can analyze them with reports more effectively. Tags are not hierarchical, but you can assign multiple tags to each transaction. Tags are best used together with categories to help you slice and dice your data in different ways.

Assign tags to transactions

New Banktivity documents do not start with any tags. In an account register, create a transaction or edit an existing one, and type any tag name you like in the tag field. Tag names may contain spaces and special characters, but the hash (#) character is not allowed. Banktivity automatically marks tags with hashes to distinguish them from categories.

When you finish typing the tag name, press Tab or Comma (,) on your keyboard to record it, then type another one if you choose. As you type, Banktivity will suggest the names of existing tags: when the drop-down list of tag names appears, use the Up and Down Arrows on your keyboard to highlight one, then press Tab to accept it.

To remove a tag from a transaction, simply click the tag and press Delete on your keyboard.

Manage tags

Click "Configuration" in the sidebar, then click "Tags." The tag list will appear to the right:

Adding

To add a new tag, click the plus (+) button above the list, enter a name for the tag, and click "Add Tag."

Editing

To edit an existing tag, double-click it. In the sheet that appears, change the tag name and click "Apply Changes." All transactions to which the tag is assigned will automatically update to reflect the new name.

Deleting

To delete a tag, select it and click the "Delete" button at the top of the list, or press Delete on your keyboard. You will be asked to confirm that you want to remove the tag. If you delete a tag that has transactions assigned to it, Banktivity will remove the tag from those transactions.

Analyze tags with reports

Once you have tagged several of your transactions, you can use reports to analyze your spending in more detail. Summary reports in the "Overview" section of the sidebar and under each of your accounts show activity in your top several tags and allow you to drill down for more detail in any one of them. Tag Spending reports give you an overview of all your activity in a given time period, broken down by tag, and let you drill down for more detail. Tags can also be used to limit the scope of most other report types so that you can analyze your spending within those tags.

For more information about how tags are handled by reports, please refer to the pages about each report type in the Reports section.