Backup Options for Quicken MAC

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: The online backup being offered is only for version that is after the one I have. The update says th.

RobWilk

You don't say which version you have.

I'm curious what backup options are recommended for Qiucken For Mac (current version)? Would doing something as simple as storing the data file (and opening it there) on Google Drive or OneDrive (I have both) work?

Earlier versions of Quicken years ago, on exit would prompt to backup the data file to a backup with a different data file name (it might save 5 backups). Do they still do anything like that? When I was prompted for that years ago, I was on a PC now I use MacBook for most things.

Jon

Don’t keep your data file on cloud storage, that leads to file corruption.

There’s an option in settings to have Quicken automatically create a backup on exit, and it’s fine to have those backups stored on a cloud service if you want. You can set a limit for how many backup files are kept.

jacobs

To add to what @Jon wrote, the first thing to understand is that the Quicken Online Backup is a new service, but automated local backups (on your hard drive) have always existed. The Online Backup does the same thing as the local backups you can have Quicken do for free, but it makes it easier to find and restore a backup for users who may be challenged by navigating to find their backup files on their hard drive. And it does one thing local backups don't accomplish: placing backups outside your local Mac, so that you're not out of luck if your Mac or hard drive dies, if your Mac is stolen, or if you have a disaster in your home.

Since you already use a cloud storage service, you can safely store your backup file (but NOT the live data file) there. Go to Settings > Backup, click the Backup Folder button, and navigate you a folder on your preferred cloud backup service. And make sure the "Automatically create a local backup when quitting Quicken" box is checked. I also like to set the number of files to a much higher number than Quicken's default of 5; I suggest at least 20-25; I keep 50. (Storage space is plentiful and cheap.) Going forward, Quicken's automatic backups, and any manual ones you may trigger from the File menu, will be stored in your specified destination.

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I also recommend Mac users take advantage of the built-in Time Machine software in macOS. Time Machine works in the background, creating incremental backups and snapshots of your Mac (by default every hour, but it can be set to once a day). All it requires is an external hard drive connected to your Mac. (If you don't have an external drive lying around, it's worth investing perhaps $100-$150 for a 1 or 2 TB drive just for this purpose.) If you use a laptop which moves around, just connect the external drive when it's convenient. Time Machine requires absolutely not intervention once you turn it on. The beauty of Time Machine is that you can browse through the snapshots going back days or weeks or months to find a file or folder you want to restore at the click of a button. (Google macOS Time Machine and watch a video so you see how it works.) Time Machine gives you the comfort of knowing that all your data is backed up — email, pictures, music, apps, files, settings — should you need to selectively restore something or restore your entire Mac's data to a different Mac. The weakness of Time Machine is that the hard drive sits next to your Mac, so it may not help if you have a robbery or a fire. That's why different layers of backups are desirable, and what you store on OneDrive or Google Drive can provide backups for some of your key data. (I personally feel there can't be enough backups, because ^%$t happens, so I also make a periodic full drive backup to an external hard drive I keep offsite, and I also pay for iDrive cloud backup software, which does something like what Time Machine does in incrementally backup up my Mac — to the cloud — every day; iDrive doesn't back up all file types, such as applications, so this is again why different types and layers of backups are desirable for insuring your years and decades of digital data are secure.)