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My category list is empty or has old entries

Last updated October 13, 2026

On this page

Your AI says you have no categories, or it lists a name that no transaction uses anymore. Both are expected. Pennyweight builds the list from your own transactions, one list per ledger, and never trims it. For the full picture, see how categories work.

What you'll see

  • Your AI returns an empty category list, or a list that still includes a name you moved everything off.
  • On the web, the Categories page reads "No categorized transactions yet." when there are no transactions to show, or "No transactions match these filters." when an account or date filter leaves nothing.

Why it happens

  • There is no built-in list. Pennyweight doesn't come with preset categories. A category exists once a transaction carries it, so a new ledger starts with an empty list.
  • Each ledger has its own list. Your AI reads the list of the ledger you have open. If that ledger has no categorized transactions yet, the list is empty even when another ledger has plenty.
  • The list your AI reads only grows. A name is added the first time you, an import, a rule or your bank feed uses it. Nothing removes it. Moving every transaction to another category, or deleting those transactions, leaves the old name on the list.
  • The web page shows only what's in use. The Categories page is built from your transactions, so a name with no transactions in view drops off it. The page and your AI's list can disagree.

How to fix it

  1. If your list is empty, check which ledger you have open, or ask your AI to list the categories across all your ledgers. If the ledger really has none yet, start categorizing. Ask your AI to put a transaction in a category; a new name becomes a category on the spot. See change a transaction's category.
  2. To merge two near-identical names, ask your AI to move every transaction from one name to the other. It shows a preview and asks you to confirm. See recategorize many transactions at once.
  3. An old name can't be deleted from your AI's list. To see only the categories in use, open the Categories page in the web app, or ask your AI to find transactions in that category.
Try asking

Move both of my Pixel Electronics transactions from Electronics to Gadgets. Then show me my category list. Is Electronics still on it?

Try asking

Why don't I see a standard list of categories?

What your AI tells you

For the move, your AI previews the change, asks you to confirm, then shows your list. Electronics is still on it, even though no transaction uses it now. For the second question, your AI explains that categories come from your transactions and lists the ones you use.

Good to know

  • Names are case-sensitive. Groceries and groceries are two categories, and once used, both stay on your AI's list.
  • UNCATEGORIZED never appears on your AI's list. The web page shows uncategorized transactions as the last row.
  • The web page covers the ledger selected in the app and counts one currency at a time.
  • The web page is view-only: you can't rename or merge categories there.
  • Bank transactions carry codes such as FOOD_AND_DRINK, and those codes appear on your AI's list too. To see who set a category, see why a transaction has its category.
  • How categories workPennyweight has no fixed category list. See where your categories come from, why names are case-sensitive, and how to check what you use.
  • Change a transaction's categoryAsk your AI to move one transaction to a different category. Your choice is saved as your own decision, and rules never overwrite it.
  • Recategorize many transactions at onceAsk your AI to move every matching transaction to a new category in one pass. Preview what changes, confirm, and the result counts as your decision.
  • Find out why a transaction has its categoryAsk your AI why a transaction has its category. See every category it has had, who set each one, the reason given, and which one shows.