You can begin linking a bank account from three locations in Commander. From the Home page or Accounts page, click the “Add
Account” button and select “Automatic” when prompted to choose between manual and automatic account creation. Alternatively,
navigate to the Synced Accounts page via the sidebar and click “Sync New Account.” Any of these options opens the form to link
a bank account.
The configuration screen lets you specify how much transaction history to import alongside future transactions. Select one of the
radio button options: “Future Transactions Only” imports no historical data, while the other options import 6, 12, or 24 months
of past transactions. The bottom option allows you to set a custom start date up to two years in the past using the date
picker. Select “Confirm” to proceed to Plaid’s authentication interface.
Plaid’s interface guides you through selecting your financial institution and entering your banking credentials. After
authentication, Plaid may present multiple authorization screens to verify your identity. Once verified, you select which accounts
from that bank you want to import into Commander. You can select multiple accounts from the same institution during this session,
though linking accounts from different banks requires separate sessions.
After completing Plaid authentication, Commander displays the Review Connection page showing the accounts you selected, your
chosen transaction historical timeframe, and the bank provider. Reviewing these details and clicking “Confirm” begins the sync
process. Commander then automatically initiates transaction syncing with your bank and displays a confirmation window indicating
the setup has completed successfully.
Commander returns you to the page where you started the linking process. Your new accounts appear in the accounts
list as Commander imports account and transaction data from your bank. The account balance updates as transactions import over
the course of a few minutes, depending on the volume of historical data. Once syncing completes, the accounts
appear alongside manual accounts for budgeting purposes, with Commander importing future transactions automatically
through Plaid.
