Xero troubleshooting guide

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Troubleshooting steps

If you’re running into any issues with PixieBooks, here’s a quick walkthrough of the steps we’ll normally ask you to try first.

Watch this video (2 mins), or follow the instructions below:

Step 1 — Check your permissions in Xero

Go to xero.com, open the organisation dropdown, and go to Settings → Users.

Once you’re on the Users page, take note of your access level:

  • If you can’t view the Users page at all, your role is Read only or Invoice only.
  • If you can see the Users page, note whether your role is Advisor or Standard.
  • Also check whether you’re able to click into your own profile and make changes — that helps confirm your exact permission level.

Step 2 — Fully disconnect and reconnect

Head to your PixieBooks dashboard at app.pixiebooks.com.

  1. Disconnect your phone number.
  2. Disconnect your organisation.
  3. Next, go to xero.com.
    Open the organisation dropdown, then go to Settings → Connected apps.

    If you discovered in Step 1 that your access level is Read only or Invoice only, you won’t be able to access this page — so just skip this part.

    • You should no longer see PixieBooks listed here.
    • If you do still see it, just disconnect it from this page.
  4. Return to app.pixiebooks.com, refresh the page, and click Connect Organisation to reconnect everything.
  5. Once that’s done, re-add your phone number.
  6. Finally, go back to your Xero tab in Connected apps, and refresh the page — you should see PixieBooks listed there again.

If after disconnecting and reconnecting you’re still having trouble, contact us at [email protected]. Send us a short description of the issue and your Xero access level, and we’ll take it from there.

This number’s already in use

PixieBooks only allows one phone number to be connected to one organisation at a time. If you try to add your phone number and see an error saying “This number’s already in use”, check your PixieBooks dashboard to see which organisation it’s connected to.

If you can’t see it on your dashboard, one of these is usually true:

A) It’s a bug

Follow the steps in our troubleshooting guide to disconnect and reconnect.

B) You’re signed into a different Xero account

If you have more than one Xero account, your phone number may be connected under the other account’s organisations.

A quick way to check: if you’ve submitted receipts via WhatsApp before, open your PixieBooks WhatsApp chat and scroll to the very top. In the welcome message, you should see the organisation name and the email address managing it.

To switch Xero accounts:

  1. Log out of your PixieBooks dashboard.
  2. Go to xero.com and log out there too (as cache can get in the way).
  3. Return to PixieBooks and sign in with your other Xero account.
  4. Connect the organisation (if needed), then disconnect your phone number from the organisation it’s currently linked to.

If you manage multiple Xero accounts and want to access all your organisations from one PixieBooks dashboard, see our tips & tricks guide.

Still having trouble with your number? Reach out to us at
[email protected]
and include as much detail as possible about what went wrong and what steps you’ve already tried.

Something went wrong when adding your phone number

This issue can occur when you’re creating a new organisation in PixieBooks and your phone number is still connected to a different organisation.

Why this happens

A phone number can only be linked to one PixieBooks organisation at a time.

If you try to add your phone number while it’s still connected to another organisation, PixieBooks won’t be able to complete the setup. When this happens, you may be taken to a “Something went wrong” page.

What to do instead

If your phone number is already connected to another organisation:

  1. When you reach the Add your number step, skip this step for now.
  2. Complete the rest of the setup without adding your phone number.

You can add your phone number later once it’s been removed from the other organisation.

How to get back to your dashboard

If you’re taken to the “Something went wrong” page:

  1. Open a new browser tab.
  2. Go to app.pixiebooks.com.
  3. You’ll be taken directly to your PixieBooks dashboard.

From there, you can manage your organisations and phone number connections.

Need to move your phone number?

To use the same phone number with a new organisation, first remove it from the existing organisation in your PixieBooks dashboard. Once it’s been disconnected, you’ll be able to add it to the new organisation without any issues.

Manage subscription 404 error

When you click on Manage subscription in the PixieBooks dashboard, you will be taken to Xero, where you may find a 404 error.

If this occurs, simply return to the PixieBooks dashboard and click on Manage subscription again.

Contacting support 

If you encounter issues that cannot be resolved through the troubleshooting guide or would like to report a PixieBooks error, please fill out the form or send us an email at [email protected].