A bank statement is the last document a bookkeeper wants to upload to a website. That is why we built Docubrew Desktop for Windows: the statement is converted on the computer it already sits on. This post walks the path from login to exported spreadsheet, and the design decision behind each step.
The top lane is the local computer. The bottom lane is everything sent online. The statement is never uploaded.
1. Sign in: The saved login belongs to Windows, not to us
The app offers three ways in: email and password (checked by our server), Sign in with Google, or Continue anonymously for a trial.
The saved login on your PC is handed to the credential protection built into Windows, which locks it to one Windows account on one PC. For Google, the normal browser opens, so the app never sees your password.
2. License check: Verify once, then work offline
The license is delivered once, and from then on the app checks it locally, so conversion works on a plane or a locked-down office network.
If a login has expired and the app cannot reach us, it asks for a fresh sign-in once the connection is back. The app asks you to sign in again rather than run without checking.
Anonymous accounts get 5 free pages, counted by page, not by file.
3. Add Files: Remember the location, not the document
The file list is stored on the PC as file paths only. The PDF is never copied into the app or its storage, so the list survives a restart while the statements stay in their folder.
The app opens the PDF from its original path only when conversion starts, and reads it without changing it. Converting produces rows of transactions that are held in the app for review, and nothing is written to disk until export. The exported file is saved outside the app's own storage, and the original PDF is left untouched.
Because only the path is saved, a PDF that has been moved, renamed or deleted can no longer be found. The app flags that file instead of converting a stale copy.
4. Convert Files: The engine ships inside the app
The conversion engine is built into the app, so Convert Files turns the PDF into rows of transactions without sending it anywhere. On test statements, that takes a few seconds.
It is the same core converter our cloud version uses, with the same bank layouts and the same rules for dates, amounts, and balances. The difference is where it runs: a browser cannot run the core converter, so the cloud version has to send each PDF to a server.
Running locally has two costs:
- Scanned statements are not supported yet. A photo of paper, with no selectable text, gets a clear message instead of a generic failure. A statement downloaded from online banking will work.
- Unfamiliar banks still convert, because a general-purpose fallback handles them. Its results deserve a closer look in the review step, where the balance check (section 5) will show whether the numbers add up. If they do not, press Report to let us know, and we will convert the statement for free. To learn how we handle unfamiliar banks, read How We Know Which Bank Your Statement Comes From.
5. Review: Nothing is saved before it is seen
The app shows the transactions in a table before writing any file. That is where you do a bookkeeper's check: opening balance plus every transaction should equal the closing balance. When it does not, rows near a page break are the first place to look.
This is the one step with an optional online action, and it is a button, not a background process. Pressing Report sends the problem to Docubrew. The PDF is only included if you tick the box to attach it. The statement is converted for free.
6. Export Files: Save what was reviewed
Export Files offers three formats: CSV, Excel, or QBO for QuickBooks.
Export saves exactly what was reviewed. It does not read the PDF a second time, so the numbers in the file are always the numbers that were on screen. In a batch, one failed file does not stop the rest.
Final Thoughts
Your statement goes from PDF to spreadsheet without leaving your computer. The only things that go online are your sign-in, your license, an update check, and a report if you choose to send one. Every step that touches your data is local, visible before it is saved, and yours to check. If a result is ever wrong, press Report and we will convert that statement for free.
Download Docubrew Desktop and try it on your next client statement.
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