Bulk void vs unapprove: a guide for Xero users

A void cancels a document and leaves nothing to edit. "Unapprove" is what people call getting an editable draft back, and in Xero it is not a feature: it is a void plus a new draft copy. If you only need the documents cancelled, a void is enough. If you need to correct them and approve them again, you need the copy as well. This guide sets the two side by side.

Based on Xero Central pages last read on 12 October and 5 November 2026, and Xero Product Ideas as read on 24 October 2026.

Void and unapprove side by side

• What a void does. The document is cancelled. Xero says voided invoices can't be reinstated or restored (Delete or void an invoice). Only an awaiting payment document can be voided; a paid one needs its payment removed first.
• What "unapprove" means in Xero. There is no button. Xero's reply of 11 August 2025 on the invoice request marks it "Not in pipeline" and suggests voiding and copying to a new draft; the bill request's reply of 20 November 2025 says it is not in the roadmap at the moment. In practice: copy, void, re-attach files, approve the corrected draft.
• Bulk void in Xero. Bills and supplier credit notes can be voided in bulk from the Awaiting Payment tab. Sales invoices can't: Xero's article says to void them individually (Delete or void a bill).
• Bulk unapprove in Xero. None. The copy, the file re-attaching and the renumbering are done document by document.

Which one do you need?

1. The documents should not exist (an import by mistake, a duplicate): void them. Drafts and awaiting approval documents are deleted instead.
2. The documents are right but need a correction (wrong account, tax rate, contact): you need a draft back, so copy and void. Check first whether an edit is enough (Edit an invoice).
3. Only part of an invoice is wrong: a credit note for the difference, and Xero recommends one for an invoice you have already sent. The void or credit note guide sets out the choice.

The native way to unapprove, step by step

1. Check the status and blockers. Remove any payment first (Delete an invoice or bill payment), and any credit note allocation (Remove a customer credit note allocation).
2. Change the invoice number if the new draft should reuse it, because Xero requires this before the void.
3. Download the attached files (View, download and delete files in transactions).
4. Void the original. Open it, click the menu icon, select Void and confirm. Bills can be ticked and voided together.
5. Copy it to a new draft. Xero's articles say a voided invoice or bill can be copied to a new one.
6. Re-attach the files (Attach a file to a transaction), correct the draft and approve it.

Where the native way runs out

• Sales invoices are voided one at a time, and every unapprove adds a copy, a renumber and a file transfer on top.
• A void is permanent. Xero adds that voiding a bill could have tax implications, so check with your accountant or bookkeeper.
• Lock dates block edits on or before the lock date (Set up or remove lock dates).

The same routes, for a selection

Unapprove is a web app that works with Xero, and it has the two runs. The void-only run cancels a selection of eligible unpaid sales invoices and bills, with no copies. The unapprove run creates a draft copy of each first, carries the attachments across, then voids the original. Both start with a preview that writes nothing, and both start only when you type the count, for example VOID 60 or UNAPPROVE 37.

What it skips, and what it will not do

Documents with a payment applied or a credit note allocated are skipped (why), as are documents inside a locked period (why) and documents for an archived contact (why). For US organisations it only voids. A void is permanent, and Unapprove cannot undo one.

Price

Free for 14 days, with unlimited previews and three documents processed in total. After that, $29 per month per connected organisation, or a one-off $49 Clean-up Pass for 30 days with unlimited documents. Prices are in US dollars and exclude VAT and sales tax (added at checkout); the pricing page has the details.

Questions

Written by Atesen Software, an independent developer. Unapprove works with Xero through Xero's public API; Xero does not make it and has not endorsed it.

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