Lost Data File Password (Q Mac)

SterlingBev

Hi,

Some how my data file password was deleted, is there anyway to retrieve it or reset it. Also I can still open the file on my Imac using my apple watch.

If my only option is using the quicken recovery team how safe is that?

Thank You For Your Time.

Jon

I don't think there's any good solution to your problem. You can't change or remove the password on a file without knowing it. You can't restore to a new file from a backup, it will have the same password.

You could try exporting your data to a QXF file and then importing it to a new file. If you have investment accounts you'll probably have to correct some mistakes, and you'll lose your reconciliation history, but it does get your data out from under the password protection.

SterlingBev

Jon YOU ARE BRILLANT AND AWESOME. I tried saving as a QXF file and it worked. It restore all my data into a new file (I did not loose anything) 😎and I set a new password, I also wrote it down and put a copy in my safe. THANK YOU 😎

SterlingBev

Maddog
I was still able to open my quicken on my Mac using my Apple Watch. (Thank God I had that feature enabled) I went to file, export, then clicked on - Quicken Transfer File (QXF). Then I opened the QXF file, renamed it and didn’t loose anything. I give credit to Jon. The only other option was to send my file to quicken support and they would remove it, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing that.

SterlingBev

Jon,
When I called support they said they offered this service for free.You can go to support section reset data file password.

From support page -
Quicken offers password removal services for your Quicken data file and transaction passwords. This service is for currently supported versions of Quicken. You can find the steps to submit the request here. Using the password removal service will also be necessary if you receive an error such as "There is not enough data in your data file to validate your identity" or if the verification questions can't be answered.

To submit a password removal request, please contact Quicken Support. Be sure to have ALL the required information in order for your request to be submitted successfully.

We require:

The data file
Your e-mail address
Your phone number
Version & release of Quicken (ex: QW2020 R4)
Name of the data file
You will also need to provide two of the following:

Three unique payees from your Memorized Payee List, specifically ones with unique names
One of the account names within the file
Last four digits of an account number from within the file
A brokerage account name from within the file
Your bank or financial institution name
Please have this ready before contacting Quicken Support.

Jon

I don't think there's any good solution to your problem. You can't change or remove the password on a file without knowing it. You can't restore to a new file from a backup, it will have the same password.

You could try exporting your data to a QXF file and then importing it to a new file. If you have investment accounts you'll probably have to correct some mistakes, and you'll lose your reconciliation history, but it does get your data out from under the password protection.

jacobs

If the Apple Watch is letting you into the file, the password is stored somewhere. I don't know enough about the wach-to-iMac functionality; I'd think the password is stored on the Mac Keychain and the watch is just authenticating you. Or maybe it's to iOS Keychain? But you should be able to log into your keychain with your AppleID and find and view the stored password.

Jon

There's a Quicken password stored in the keychain, but it appears to be empty - unlike the other passwords Quicken stores in the keychain, this one remains blank even after I provide my login password. And it doesn't seem to be associated with the file, just the application, so I don't think it would be the right password anyway. If I add a password to a different test file nothing in the Keychain changes, so I think the file password is only stored in the Quicken file itself.

jacobs

@Jon said: I think the file password is only stored in the Quicken file itself.

I'll buy that, but OP says they can get into the locked file via an Apple watch. How's that possible?

Jon

Umm…. good question. All I can say is when I add or remove a password from a test file - including enabling TouchID access - nothing changes in the KeyChain that I can see.

Although, there are a bunch of public keys and private keys stored in the keychain with no additional information, not even a modification date, so it's possible that one of those is getting modified & I just can't tell. From what little info I've been able to find, biometric authentication methods like Touch ID, Face ID, and Apple Watch use public & private key pairs, so it might be a completely parallel authentication method that doesn't involve the password at all. Or it may be that those methods store the password in the secure enclave which isn't publicly accessible to anyone.

OTOH, if I take a file that's accessible via TouchID and move it to a different Mac, I can still access that file via Touch ID on the new Mac. That suggests that whatever is going on with biometric access, it doesn't involve the Mac knowing what your password is in advance or having stored it somewhere. Whatever information is unique to the file - like its password - came along with the file.

SterlingBev

Jon YOU ARE BRILLANT AND AWESOME. I tried saving as a QXF file and it worked. It restore all my data into a new file (I did not loose anything) 😎and I set a new password, I also wrote it down and put a copy in my safe. THANK YOU 😎

SterlingBev

Thank You Jon and Jacobs for your input. 😎

SterlingBev

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20348763#Comment_20348763

Thank you Jon, everything is working great, I did'nt loose any information. I am glad I had the feature using my apple watch to open quicken turned on, that enable me to be abled to export a QXF file and reset my password. 😎

MadDog Matt

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20348837#Comment_20348837

Jon or SterlingBev — I have avery similar problem, where I can access my file on Quicken mobile (running on my iPad) but have lost the PW for the file on my Mac. How do I accomplish the suggested fix above? I can't seem to figure out how to save the file as QFX in the mobile app.

jacobs

The data stored in Quicken Cloud, which you access with the mobile app or web interface, is a subset of the data in your desktop Quicken data file. I don't believe there's any way to generate a QXF file from the mobile app; only the desktop app can do that. (Also, just for clarity, "QXF" is an exported dump of a Quicken data file; "QFX" is a format for downloading and importing transactions from a financial institution.) The longer you go with just the mobile app and not using your desktop data, the more you are at risk long term. Unfortunately, I do not know if Quicken provides a service to break into a password-protected data file.

Jon

I don't think you can create a QXF file from the mobile app. If you don't have an alternate way of opening the file on your Mac (either TouchID or Apple Watch) then you might be stuck.

SterlingBev

Maddog
I was still able to open my quicken on my Mac using my Apple Watch. (Thank God I had that feature enabled) I went to file, export, then clicked on - Quicken Transfer File (QXF). Then I opened the QXF file, renamed it and didn’t loose anything. I give credit to Jon. The only other option was to send my file to quicken support and they would remove it, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing that.

Jon

@SterlingBev So the folks at Quicken told you they could remove the password protection? Interesting, we didn't know if they could still do that.

SterlingBev

Jon,
When I called support they said they offered this service for free.You can go to support section reset data file password.

From support page -
Quicken offers password removal services for your Quicken data file and transaction passwords. This service is for currently supported versions of Quicken. You can find the steps to submit the request here. Using the password removal service will also be necessary if you receive an error such as "There is not enough data in your data file to validate your identity" or if the verification questions can't be answered.

To submit a password removal request, please contact Quicken Support. Be sure to have ALL the required information in order for your request to be submitted successfully.

We require:

The data file
Your e-mail address
Your phone number
Version & release of Quicken (ex: QW2020 R4)
Name of the data file
You will also need to provide two of the following:

Three unique payees from your Memorized Payee List, specifically ones with unique names
One of the account names within the file
Last four digits of an account number from within the file
A brokerage account name from within the file
Your bank or financial institution name
Please have this ready before contacting Quicken Support.

MadDog Matt

> @SterlingBev said:
> Maddog
> I was still able to open my quicken on my Mac using my Apple Watch. (Thank God I had that feature enabled) I went to file, export, then clicked on - Quicken Transfer File (QXF). Then I opened the QXF file, renamed it and didn’t loose anything. I give credit to Jon. The only other option was to send my file to quicken support and they would remove it, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing that.

Thanks SB. Are you only able to turn on that feature from the desktop version? I don't anything in the iPad version that allows for that. Also do you know what the "Memorized Payee List" is? I have all the other data (from the iPad version) so would like to see if I could find that info before going down this alternate route.

jacobs

"Memorized Payee List" is Quicken Windows terminology; in Quicken Mac's database structure, every Payee is "memorized". I would think you could satisfy this requirement by providing three Payee names for individuals or small businesses (e.g. "Bob's Bridal Bouquets" rather than "Home Depot").