Ho[w] to Find Automatic Backup File Folder Location (Q Mac)

Robert Galley

Unable to find the correct and current Automatic Backup folder containing current Auto Backup files. When I do "/Quicken/Preferences/General/File Backup/Save To/Backup Folder" I am presented with a Finder window with the highlighted folder name "Automatic Backups" that are current and with the number of backup files I have specified: so I know the Auto Backup process is working.

However, the only "Automatic Backups" folder I can find with Finder contains Auto backup files form Q2017 - over a year old. I've searched for the folder name as well as the specific file name of today's auto backup file (which I can see when I click the Prefs "Backup Folder"). I am just unable to find the folder path the current one is in with every search option I've tried.

Any guidance as to where these Backups live?

jr7107

Check for a BACKUP sub-folder wherever your main QDF is stored. That's where I found mine.

jr7107

Also, check your Edit/Preferences/Backup for the auto-backup settings and check how often it is occurring.

UKR

jr7107 said:

Also, check your Edit/Preferences/Backup for the auto-backup settings and check how often it is occurring.

@jr7107 The OP is asking a Mac - specific question. Your answer is for Windows.

We'll have to wait for a Mac expert to show up and answer his question.
I will take the liberty and edit the title of the post, adding "Q Mac" to the text, for clarity.

jacobs

@Robert Galley For a number of reasons to obscure to go into here, Quicken puts data files, and their backups, by default in a location that is partially hidden by the Mac operating system. This is inside the User Library folder, which Apple hides by default. The trick is to hold down the Option key while in the finder, and pull down the Go menu to Library; Library is only visible in that menu while you are holding the Option key. Now that you're in your User Library folder, open the Application Support folder, and then look for the Quicken folder. (For Quicken Subscription, e.g. Quicken 2019, the folder is called just "Quicken"; for Quicken 2017, the folder is called "Quiucken 2017". you might find both -- make sure to select the more recent "Quicken" folder. Inside that folder, find Backups, and inside that, Automatic Backups. Be careful to check the file dates to make sure you select the one you want.

Note: so far, this assumes you're using Quicken's default locatin, and you haven't moved your data file nor changed the backup folder location.

What if you don't know if your Quicken data file lives in the default location? Here's another faster way to get to the folder where your Quicken file lives: with Quicken running, in the top bar of the Quicken window, there's a little red Q icon and the name of your data file. Hold down the command key and click on the Q icon. A pop-up menu will appear, showing the full path to your data file. The first item below your data file name is the folder that hold it; if you move your mouse down to that folder and release, the Finder will open a window with that folder's contents.

Normally, nside your Quicken folder will be both your Documents folder, holding your live Quicken file, and your Backups folder, holding your backups. But as you've already seen, you can change the location of your Backups folder in Quicken Preferences. How can you see where it's set to currently? Go to quicken Preferences and click the Backup Folder button. This opens a Finder Window with Backups at the top. Click and hold on Backups, and a pop-up window will show the path to that folder.

Does that all make sense? Try it and see.

If you're going to use a backup file, I suggest you first make a copy of any backup file you're going to try to use (so the riginal remans untouched in case you need to go back to it again); rename the copy of the backup file in the Finder so you can keep straight all these files (e.g. "9-3-19 Backup to restore from"). You can drag the copy of the backup from the Backups folder to the Documents folder before you launch it; launch it by dragging the copy of the backup over the Quicken applicaiton icon in your Dock or in the Applications folder; this insures you're opening the version of the data file that you expect.

Robert Galley

@jacobs Many thanks for your suggestions and the substantive drill-down you offered. I quickly found the location based on the hidden "Library". I deleted all the old backup files from non-active "Automatic Backups" folders and consolidated most recent files in "/Quicken/Backups/Automatic Backups/" in my User Library. I had created nested "Automatic Backup" folders 4 levels deep. I then reset to the correct Auto Backups folder using the path in the pop-up window after clinking on Backups. The effort you went to to explain the breadth and depth of options was very meaningful to me - I appreciate it!

jacobs

@Robert Galley You're welcome. I'm glad you got it figured out and squared away.