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how-to beginner 3 minutes

How to Use Bulk Transaction Actions

Save time by editing, categorizing, or deleting multiple transactions at once

Last updated: October 11, 2025

Need to categorize 50 transactions from a newly connected bank? Fix mis-categorized purchases? Delete multiple duplicates? Bulk actions let you update many transactions at once instead of editing them one-by-one.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to:

  • Select multiple transactions
  • Assign them all to the same slice
  • Change categories in bulk
  • Update descriptions for multiple transactions
  • Unassign or delete in bulk
  • Save hours during initial setup or monthly cleanup

How to Access Bulk Actions

Step 1: Select Transactions

From any transaction table (Overview, Transactions page, or Slice Details):

  1. Check the checkbox at the left of each transaction row you want to modify
  2. Select as many as you need (no limit)
  3. A Bulk Actions bar appears at the top showing count: “Bulk Actions (5)”

Selection tips:

  • Click individual checkboxes for specific transactions
  • Use filters first to narrow down (by date, account, merchant) then select all
  • Deselect by unchecking boxes

Step 2: Open Bulk Actions Menu

Click the “Bulk Actions (X)” button at the top of the table.

A dropdown menu appears with 5 options:

  • Delete Selected
  • Unassign from Slice
  • Assign to Slice →
  • Change Category →
  • Change Description

The 5 Bulk Actions

1. Assign to Slice

What it does: Assigns all selected transactions to the same slice.

Steps:

  1. Select transactions
  2. Click “Bulk Actions”
  3. Hover over “Assign to Slice”
  4. A submenu appears showing all your slices
  5. Click the target slice
  6. ✅ All transactions instantly assigned

What happens:

  • All selected transactions assigned to chosen slice
  • Slice balance decreases by the total of all transactions
  • Each transaction shows the slice assignment
  • Success notification shows count

Perfect for:

  • Initial bank connection (categorizing 180 days of history)
  • Monthly grocery run cleanup (assign all grocery store purchases)
  • Correcting mis-categorized transactions
  • Moving transactions from one slice to another

Example:

Select 23 Safeway transactions from last month
Bulk Actions → Assign to Slice → "Groceries"
Result: All 23 assigned to Groceries slice in one click
Groceries balance: Decreased by total of all 23 transactions

2. Change Category

What it does: Updates the category for all selected transactions.

Steps:

  1. Select transactions
  2. Click “Bulk Actions”
  3. Hover over “Change Category”
  4. A submenu appears showing all your categories
  5. Click the target category
  6. ✅ All transactions updated with new category

What happens:

  • Category field updated for all selected transactions
  • Helps with spending analysis and reports
  • Doesn’t affect slice assignments (those stay the same)

Perfect for:

  • Recategorizing imported transactions
  • Fixing bank’s automatic categorization (often wrong)
  • Organizing for tax purposes (business expenses, deductions)

Example:

Select 15 Amazon transactions currently categorized as "Shopping"
Bulk Actions → Change Category → "Business Expenses"
Result: All 15 now categorized as Business Expenses

3. Change Description

What it does: Sets the same description text for all selected transactions.

Steps:

  1. Select transactions
  2. Click “Bulk Actions”
  3. Click “Change Description”
  4. A modal opens with a text input
  5. Enter the new description
  6. Click “Apply”
  7. ✅ All transactions updated

What happens:

  • Description field updated for all selected transactions
  • Original merchant name replaced
  • Helps clarify vague transaction names

Perfect for:

  • Making cryptic merchant names readable (“AMZN MKTP US” → “Amazon Purchase”)
  • Adding context to recurring charges (“MONTHLY SUB” → “Netflix Subscription”)
  • Batch labeling project expenses (“Home Depot” → “Kitchen Renovation - Supplies”)

Example:

Select 8 "SQ *COFFEE SHOP" transactions
Bulk Actions → Change Description
Enter: "Local Coffee Shop"
Result: All 8 now say "Local Coffee Shop"

Note: All selected transactions get the same description. This action is best for truly identical transactions.

4. Unassign from Slice

What it does: Removes slice assignment from all selected transactions.

Steps:

  1. Select transactions (that are currently assigned to slices)
  2. Click “Bulk Actions”
  3. Click “Unassign from Slice”
  4. A confirmation modal appears
  5. Confirm the action
  6. ✅ All transactions unassigned

What happens:

  • Transactions removed from their slices
  • Slice balances restored (increased by transaction amounts)
  • Transactions become “Unassigned”
  • Safe-to-Spend increases by the total amount

Perfect for:

  • Correcting mass mis-assignments
  • Clearing out a slice before deleting it
  • Starting over with categorization after connecting a bank
  • Removing rule-assigned transactions you want to manually reassign

Example:

Select 10 transactions incorrectly assigned to "Dining Out"
Bulk Actions → Unassign from Slice → Confirm
Result: All 10 unassigned, Dining Out balance restored
Now manually assign to correct slices

5. Delete Selected

What it does: Permanently deletes all selected transactions.

Steps:

  1. Select transactions
  2. Click “Bulk Actions”
  3. Click “Delete Selected”
  4. A confirmation modal appears: “Are you sure you want to delete X transaction(s)? This action cannot be undone.”
  5. Confirm deletion
  6. ✅ All transactions permanently deleted

What happens:

  • Transactions removed from your account permanently
  • Slice balances restored (if transactions were assigned)
  • Cannot be recovered (this is permanent!)
  • Deleted transactions won’t re-import from bank

Perfect for:

  • Removing duplicate transactions
  • Deleting test transactions
  • Removing irrelevant bank transfers
  • Cleaning up initial import junk

⚠️ Warning: This is permanent! Make sure you really want to delete before confirming.

Example:

Select 3 duplicate transactions from a sync error
Bulk Actions → Delete Selected → Confirm
Result: Duplicates removed, slice balances corrected

When to Use Bulk Actions

Initial Bank Connection

You just connected a bank:

  • 180 days of transaction history imported
  • Most transactions unassigned
  • Overwhelming to categorize one-by-one

Solution:

  1. Filter by merchant (e.g., “Safeway”)
  2. Select all matching transactions
  3. Bulk assign to “Groceries” slice
  4. Repeat for other frequent merchants
  5. Manually assign the remaining unique transactions

Time saved: Hours → Minutes

Monthly Cleanup

End of month review:

  • Unassigned transactions accumulated
  • Want to clean up categorization
  • Need accurate spending reports

Workflow:

  1. Filter by “Unassigned” or scan for uncategorized
  2. Group by merchant type
  3. Select all from same merchant
  4. Bulk assign to appropriate slices
  5. Bulk change category if needed

Time saved: 30 minutes → 5 minutes

Fixing Rule Errors

Your rule mis-categorized 20 transactions:

  • All assigned to wrong slice
  • Need to fix quickly

Solution:

  1. Go to the incorrect slice’s transaction table
  2. Select all mis-categorized transactions
  3. Bulk unassign from current slice
  4. Bulk assign to correct slice
  5. Update the rule to prevent future errors

Tax Preparation

Organizing for tax season:

  • Need all business expenses categorized
  • Want consistent descriptions

Workflow:

  1. Filter transactions by date (tax year)
  2. Select all business-related transactions
  3. Bulk assign to “Business Expenses” slice
  4. Bulk change category to appropriate tax category
  5. Export or review for deductions

Advanced Techniques

Combining Filters + Bulk Actions

Power user workflow:

Example: Categorize all Starbucks purchases from Q4

  1. Filter:
    • Date range: Oct 1 - Dec 31
    • Search: “Starbucks”
  2. Select: Check all filtered results
  3. Bulk assign: To “Dining Out” slice
  4. Bulk category: “Coffee Shops”

Result: Months of Starbucks purchases organized in 30 seconds.

Sequential Bulk Actions

You can chain actions:

Example: Clean up Amazon purchases

  1. Filter for “AMZN”
  2. Select all
  3. Bulk change description: “Amazon Purchase”
  4. Keep selected
  5. Bulk assign to “Shopping” slice
  6. Keep selected
  7. Bulk change category: “Online Shopping”

Result: 3 actions, 1 selection, complete categorization.

Using with Automation Rules

Best practice: Bulk actions + rules together

Workflow:

  1. Bulk assign historical transactions manually
  2. Create a rule for the same merchant
  3. Future transactions auto-assign
  4. Use backfill on the rule (if actions are safe)

Example:

Manually: Bulk assign 47 Safeway transactions to Groceries
Then: Create rule "Merchant contains Safeway → Assign to Groceries"
Future: All Safeway purchases auto-assign

Tips & Best Practices

💡 Filter First, Then Select: Narrow down transactions before selecting to avoid mistakes.

💡 Check Your Selection: Before bulk actions, verify you selected the right transactions. The count helps!

💡 Undo by Reversing: Made a mistake? Select the same transactions and bulk assign to the correct slice.

💡 Use for Initial Setup: Bulk actions shine when setting up a newly connected bank.

💡 Review Before Delete: Deleting is permanent! Double-check your selection before confirming.

💡 Combine with Search: Search for a merchant, select all results, bulk assign.

💡 Don’t Overthink: Bulk assignment is faster than perfect rules for one-time cleanups.

Troubleshooting

Issue: Bulk Actions button not appearing

Cause: No transactions selected.

Solution: Check the box next to at least one transaction.

Issue: Can’t select certain transactions

Cause: Some transactions may not have checkboxes (parent transactions of splits, certain system transactions).

Solution: Only regular transactions can be bulk-edited.

Issue: Bulk assign failed

Cause: Slice may have been deleted, or insufficient permissions (Family tier member).

Solution: Verify the slice still exists. Check your account permissions.

Issue: Selected wrong transactions

Solution: Before clicking bulk action, review your selection. Uncheck any incorrect ones. After action, you can reverse by bulk assigning to a different slice.

Common Questions

Q: Is there a limit to how many transactions I can select? A: No hard limit, but selecting hundreds at once may be slow. Recommend batches of 50-100.

Q: Can I undo bulk actions? A: Not directly, but you can reverse most actions (reassign, recategorize). Deletion is permanent.

Q: Do bulk actions trigger automation rules? A: No. Bulk actions are manual overrides. Rules only trigger on new transactions.

Q: Can I bulk assign to different slices at once? A: No. Bulk assign sends all selected transactions to the same slice. For different slices, select and assign in batches.

Q: What if selected transactions are already assigned to different slices? A: Bulk assign will reassign them all to the new slice. Previous slice balances are restored automatically.

Q: Can I bulk split transactions? A: No. Splitting must be done one transaction at a time. See How to Split a Transaction.

Q: Do bulk actions work on pending transactions? A: Yes! You can bulk assign/categorize pending transactions.


Remember: Bulk actions are your best friend during initial setup and monthly cleanup. Use them to save hours of repetitive clicking.

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