Attachments not part of export

BJL

Often quicken tells me to create a new file and restore from backup yet all the attachments made (which I need for tax purposes for 7 years) are not part of the backup file

John_in_NC

If you are following the File:Save a Backup and File:Restore from a backup, then yes, all your attachments are preserved. A backup file is identical to a regular file with the exception of a different filename extension and it compresses (zips) the file. 

BJL

Sorry I miss stated.  On numerous occasions Quicken support had me create a new file and add accounts from scratch. So it only since newer transactions and not way back.  What they had me so was an export and then import. It's the export (not the backup) that doesn't retain the attachments so that remains a none starter for me.  It seems to me that if Quicken provides a function to add attachments they should be part of what one can export. 

jacobs

@BJL I believe Quicken Support unfortunately gives this advice far too often and too easily. It's a blanket way to wipe out whatever problems a user might be having with their data file, because it only pulls in transactions. Left behind are connectivity settings, reports, budgets, and yes, attachments. It gets the Support agent to get off a call, but from what I've read over the years on this forum, they rarely prepare the user for everything that will be lost. I believe Support should only recommend exporting and importing as a last resort, or after confirming that losing those things will not be a major problem for the user. 

It may or may not help you, but your old attachments still exist. But sorting them out and reattaching them might be more work than it's worth. If you're interested, here's how to find them…

Find your old Quicken file. Control-click on it, and select Show Package Contents. Your Quicken data file is actually a wrapper around a series of files and folders. When you do Show Package Contents, one of the folders inside it is Attachments. Inside, you'll see folders with numbers as names. Inside each folder is another folder with a long string of letters and numbers - -and inside that is an attachment, with its original filename. You'd have to go through and open all the folder to pull out your attachments, and then in Quicken re-attach them to transactions. Or…

As you extract your attachments, name them meaningfully, and put them in folders that will help you find them quickly in the future. This might be by year, or year and month, or perhaps by name of the payee. But don't attach them in Quicken. Why? Because, as you've seen, having your important records tied up in Quicken leaves you beholden to -- and vulnerable to -- Quicken. If you organize the same documents in folders on your Mac (and religiously back up your Mac!), your documents aren't at risk if Quicken goes south.

BJL

Completely agree. I’ve learned the hard way that I will no longer follow their instructions without first asking what I will lose. Unfortunately though they are often wrong. Quicken is probably one of the worst at it as I even have had this experience with Apple. Probably more so with Quicken as the problems are never ending.  There is just no alternative for Quicken at the moment.

thanks so much for the info on the file structures. I’ll give it a try. It would be great if I could use other data like to payee name to sort by as then easier to set up.a file attachment hierarchy.   I really appreciate this and guess I will need to change some of my own habits that while saved me time and effort also makes this more complex.   I still believe Quicken should ultimately remedy this as they added this nice attachment feature  and should have someway to export them. It’s sort of like Hotel California. You can check in anytime you want but you can never leave. You can add file attachments but not export them unless you open each one and save it! 

Thanks again