Missing Records - How Do I Recapture

Chris Mead

Hi,

Quicken for MAC here, Version 7.0.1 (Build 700.48728.100), macOS 12.6.5

I have found that one of my checking accounts (Chase) is missing records prior to November 2021. My other checking account goes all the way back to 1/1/01 (prior versions of Quicken). The Chase account used to have many years as well so somehow, the records got deleted. I want them back. ::::

So, since the MAC has been backing up for years, I am able to go back in time to a prior data file in Time Machine (prior version of Quicken obviously) and get to an older file that has the records.. What is the procedure to get the missing records from the one account from the old file and import them into the current file?

Thanks

Chris

Jon

There are a couple ways to proceed. They both involve some work, Which one is best depends on how far back you have to go to get a good backup.

One way is to simply restore from backup and then re-add all the transactions that have happened since then. This might be the best approach if you can find a recent backup that has the missing transactions. If the backup is no more than 2 or 3 months old you should be able to download all the transactions since then from your financial institutions. Categorizing those transactions might require you to refer back to the old file.

The other way would be to export the Chase checking register to a CSV file, reformat the CSV to the Mint layout & then import that file into Quicken.You can find an example of what a Mint CSV file looks like here. When you import the file, it will create a new account so after the import you'll have to drag & drop the transactions into your existing Chase checking account. Any transfers in or out of the checking account might not get connected up to the other accounts correctly so you'll have to carefully review your accounts after to make sure you didn't wind up with duplicate transfers.

jacobs

I'd actually suggest a slightly different export/import approach. (Since you said you're missing data from prior to November 2021, simply reverting to a backup isn't viable; you need to extract the data from a backup file which contains the older data.) Here's what I'd do:

• With your live data file open, write down the current account balance
• Find a backup file which contains the data you're looking for. Make a copy of it.
• Open this backup file, and delete every account (including closed, hidden and separate accounts) except the Chase checking account.
• Delete any transactions after 11/2021 which already exist in your live data file. All that should remain now in this data file is the transactions in this one account which you want to import into your live file.
• File > Export > Quicken Transfer File (QXF)
• Now re-open your current/live data file
• File > Import > Quicken Windows File (QDF, QXF)

Your transactions from Chase account in the pared-down backup file will be imported into your live file. If these transactions go into your existing Chase account, you'll just have to adjust the opening balance transaction. If these transactions go into a new Chase account, click on it in the left sidebar, Select All, and drag them to the current Chase account. (Then you can delete the now-empty imported Chase account.) Again, you'll have to adjust the opening balance to bring the current balance back to the correct current value you wrote down at the start.

Chris Mead

Thanks Jon. Thanks jacobs. I like the second solution. I'm thinking of going back to the file just after the date of the missing records. I have weekly from back then so I'll shoot for a week overlap. I'll delete all but the Chase. Then I will export the Chase as a QXF. I will import that QXF into my current file. I have hourly backups so I can afford a bump. My guess is that I'll have a second Chase account. Not sure how Quicken though would handle two accounts from the same bank with the same account number.

We'll see. It's raining tomorrow so worth a shot. I'll let you know.

Chris Mead

OK, I have the results - and the issue is with me. I was able to go back in history to earlier Quicken backups. Turns out I didn't need the Time Machine as Quicken has backups saved going way back. Difficult to find (\Me\Library\Application Support\Quicken\ etc.) but I found a file right around the November timeframe. I restored that file and voila, the Chase account was not there. Then I remembered. Since this is my wife's account and I just fund it, I never tracked it in Quicken until 2022ish. I'm not sure exactly when - maybe November 2021. If I were smart then, I would have gone to Chase and downloaded history - but I didn't. And since Chase limits history to 2 years, I can only get back to April 29, 2021. It's a a few months and perhaps not worth the bother but at least I know that Quicken does a good job of protecting data.

Chris Mead

… and to complete the story, when I imported, Quicken matched the account and imported the data into it. As for the overlap, Quicken did not duplicate records. All I have to do is to classify the unclassified and I am done.

What's really amazing to me is how Quicken determines what records to download based on what is in the file already. Perhaps there is a transaction key field that with the bank account number creates a unique record that Quicken uses to determine if it already has the transaction. A bit off topic but interesting to know.