Export data from Holded through the API
With a key you get in two clicks, Cofactu brings your invoices, expenses, quotes and products from Holded by itself. No exporting Excel or copying anything by hand.
- Category
- Migration
- Level
- Beginner
- Time
- Depends on volume and review
- Steps
- 6
- Updated
- 29 September 2026
Before you start.
What you are about to solve.
Exporting data through the Holded API means generating an API key (a code you create in your Holded account) and giving it to the program that will read your data, in this case Cofactu. With that key, Cofactu reads your data directly from Holded and imports it (invoices, purchases, collections and payments, quotes and catalogue) without you having to download or upload any file.
You do not need to know what an API is or touch anything technical: it is copying a code from one place and pasting it in another. The time depends on the volume and the review. Revoke the key when you no longer need to sync.
This guide shows you where the option is in Holded (it is somewhat hidden, in the Developers menu), how to generate the key and how to connect it in Cofactu securely.
Do it in order.
Open only the step you are on.
6 steps to review, issue and leave the document ready, without reading a whole guide at once.
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Go to the Developers menu in Holded
Step 01: Go to the Developers menu in Holded
In Holded, go to Settings (the gear) → More → Developers. It is the section where Holded keeps API keys; it is separate from the rest of the settings precisely because it is not for daily use, which is why it is hard to find the first time.
- Exact route: Settings → More → Developers → API Keys.
- You need to be an administrator of the account; a limited user does not see this section.
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Generate a new API key
Step 02: Generate a new API key
Press "New API Key", give it a recognisable name (for example "Cofactu — migration") and create it. Holded will show you a long code. Copy it whole: it is the key Cofactu will use to read your data. Keep it in a safe place for a moment while you finish.
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Paste the key into Cofactu
Step 03: Paste the key into Cofactu
In Cofactu, go to Settings → Integrations, choose Holded and paste the API key in the connection field. When you save, Cofactu runs an immediate check against Holded to validate that the key works; if it is correct, you will see the connection as active.
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Choose what you want to import
Step 04: Choose what you want to import
Cofactu lets you select which document types to bring: sales invoices, purchases (expenses), collections and payments, quotes and catalogue products. Tick what you need. For a full migration, leave everything on; if you only want the catalogue to start with, tick only products.
- Sales invoices and their collections.
- Purchases (expenses) and their payments.
- Quotes.
- Catalogue of products and services.
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Launch the sync and review
Step 05: Launch the sync and review
Start the import and Cofactu will bring in the data from Holded, showing you a summary of how many documents it imported, updated or skipped of each type. When it finishes, check the totals (number of invoices, sum of bases and VAT) against what you see in Holded to confirm they match.
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Delete the API key in Holded
Step 06: Delete the API key in Holded
Once the migration is finished, go back to Holded → Developers and delete the API key you created. That closes the access: the key stops working and nobody, not even you, can read your data with it again. If you want to sync again later, you generate a new one in a minute.
When you finish you will have your Holded invoices, expenses, quotes and catalogue inside Cofactu, imported by API without touching an Excel, and the key already revoked for security.
The questions that come up
when you put it into practice.
How do I export data through the Holded API?
Holded allows two routes. Through its API, the one in this guide, the export is automatic: you generate a key and Cofactu reads invoices, purchases, collections and payments, quotes and catalogue directly, with no files in between. The manual alternative is to export each list to CSV/Excel from its screen, and the general ledger from Accounting → Entries → Export; Cofactu also imports that CSV if you prefer that route or if you are not an administrator of the Holded account.
What information can be exported through the Holded API?
The Holded API exposes billing documents (sales invoices, purchases, quotes, delivery notes and their collections and payments), contacts, the catalogue of products and services and accounting entries. Cofactu imports through this route invoices, purchases, collections and payments, quotes and catalogue; contacts are created when their documents are brought in.
What is an API key and is it safe to use?
It is a code that authorises an application (Cofactu) to read the data of another (Holded) on your behalf. Limit its access and treat it like a password: you generate it only for this connection, use it and delete it in Holded when you finish. Cofactu stores it encrypted while it is active.
I cannot find the Developers option in Holded
It is in Settings → More → Developers. If you do not see it, check the permissions and API availability on your plan: ask whoever administers it to generate the key, or to give you administrator permissions temporarily.
Is my whole history imported or only the recent part?
Cofactu brings the documents of the types you tick (invoices, expenses, quotes, products). Invoices you already issued in Holded come in as historical records: accepted, with their Holded number, without a QR code and never sent to the AEAT; only Holded drafts arrive as drafts. They do not prove prior acceptance by the AEAT nor guarantee their correct inclusion in the books. Keep the originals and review the treatment with your accountant.
Can I connect a program other than Holded?
Yes. Cofactu also connects with FacturaDirecta and Billage by API key (with its own scope per connector) and with A3. The process is the same: you get the key in your program and paste it in Cofactu's Settings → Integrations.
Continue from here.
Without losing context.
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