Holdbound

Getting started

Last updated: 2026-08-26

Holdbound is one HTML file. There is nothing to install and no account to create. This page takes you from download to your first dashboard in about ten minutes, most of which is waiting for your exchange to generate an export.

1. Download and open the file

  1. Download the file from https://holdbound.com/download — it is named for its version, e.g. holdbound-v1.0.1.html.
  2. Move it to a folder you will keep, for example Documents/Holdbound/. The app stores its data per file location, so opening the same file from a different folder looks like a fresh install. Pick the folder once and leave it there.
  3. Double-click the file. It opens in your default browser. Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari all work; if a browser will not let a local file keep data (strict privacy settings, a private window), the app tells you on the first screen — see Backup and restore.

You will see the welcome page and a 30-day trial counter. Every feature is on during the trial.

2. Export your transaction history

You need the transaction or ledger history from each exchange, not an order report or a tax report. Step-by-step guides:

Two things matter more than anything else at this stage: export the whole history (every year, not just the last six months) and include deposits and withdrawals, not only trades. Without transfer records, coins arriving from your other exchange look like they came from nowhere and your gains come out too high.

3. Import

  1. Open Import and drop the CSV files in. Several at once is fine.
  2. The app tells you which exchange each file is from and how many rows it found. If a file is not recognised, see Troubleshooting.
  3. Give each file an account name, such as "Binance main" or "Kraken". Transfers are paired between different accounts, so keep each exchange or wallet separate.
  4. Read the preview. Skipped rows and warnings are listed with a reason; nothing is dropped silently.
  5. Click Import. Importing the same file twice is safe; duplicates are detected by content.

4. Check transfers

Open Transfers. Most withdrawals and deposits between your accounts are paired automatically. Anything the app could not decide is under "Needs your decision"; anything with no counterpart is under "Unpaired". Transfers and matching explains the rules and what to do with each case. Five minutes here is the difference between a correct cost basis and a wrong one.

5. Read the dashboard

Click Refresh prices to fetch current prices from CoinGecko. The dashboard shows holdings, current value, cost basis and realized/unrealized P&L, with a FIFO / average cost toggle. Cost basis methods explains the difference.

6. Make a backup

Open Settings → Backup & restore → Download backup (JSON). Put the JSON file somewhere outside the browser. This is the only copy of your data that survives a cleared browser cache, and it is also how you move to a new computer. The app reminds you weekly; saying yes to the reminder is the single best habit with this tool.

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