Lost Quicken data

jeffsurvey

I subscribe to Quicken. I've been working on it for the past month and a half. Friday, I downloaded a photo program and there were no changes to the computer. Today, I started the computer and the program is opening for the first time, no backup files. Is there any way to recover these files? I was uploading to the cloud for 3/4 of the time but an error message came up not allowing me to upload to the cloud and I ended up just backup to the computer. I looked by typing the extension and there are no backup files (other than today 478kb worth).
Thank you

Tom Young

"I started the computer and the program is opening for the first time, no backup files."

Provide some more detail, please.  By default backups of your Quicken data file are stored in a folder called "Backup", that's in a folder called "Quicken", that lives within your Windows "Documents" folder.  Is that where you're looking for your backups, or have you designated some other place on your hard drive for these backups.  Also, what even prompted you to look for backups in the first place?  When you start Quicken it typically attempts to open the last-used Quicken data-file, and you go about your business.  Did something happen after opening Quicken that caused you to go looking for backups?

Separately I'd suggest setting Quicken's default backup process to create a backup each time you close your Quicken file.  Edit > Preferences... > Backup > Backup after running Quicken 1 times.  I'd advise keeping these on your own hard drive.  While you're there, set the prompt for "Manual" backups to a number that has the prompt coming up somewhat weekly, depending on your normal usage of Quicken.  These backups should be on your own hard drive or some "cloud" data storage site.  This combination of backups should ensure that you always have a fairly recent "good" data file if you need it.

Too, your "live" data file should never, ever be stored on some cloud server.  Quicken was designed for that file to be on your hard drive and routinely having this file somewhere in the cloud will almost certainly lead to problems.

"I was uploading to the cloud for 3/4 of the time but an error message came up not allowing me to upload to the cloud..."

I'm not sure what you're referring to here.  Are you talking about your "live" data file being uploaded to the cloud, backups being loaded to the cloud, or are you referring to Quicken's "sync" function, which really isn't a "backup" of your data file at all.  Where were you when you saw this warning?