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Locked data file

mmandayam

Hi Quicken Support,

Until recently, I have been accessing my Quicken on Mac using my fingerprint. Since last Friday (Oct 16th), Quicken has been asking for my password to open the file. I tried all possible combinations of my password (based on the hint). But to no avail.

I contacted Quicken Support and sent them my zipped up data file and answered the other questions to verify my identity. Unfortunately, Quicken Support said they cannot unlock the file or reset my password. I am very surprised and appalled by the answer as I expected them to resolve the issue as they are the product owners. Now they tell me I have to start from scratch with a blank file and lose all my transactions. This is the most ridiculous statement I have heard after being a loyal Quicken customer for so many years.

I would like to escalate my situation to higher-ups in Quicken and see if we can come to a quick resolution to my issue.

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Comments

jacobs

@mmandayam Did Quicken Support tell you they would not unlock the data file or that they could not unlock the data file? It's an important distinction. The former indicates a policy issue where they are refusing to help you break the password; the latter indicates corruption of your file that they have no tools or ability to resolve.

In any case, my real question is whether you have backups of your data file. Even though you were used to using your fingerprint to open the file, you originally set it up as a text password which should still unlock the file. Even if some of your backups are a bit out of date, I'm sure getting an older version of your file which you'd need to spend some time updating is preferable to not having your data file at all. Hopefully you have some backups which you (or they) can open.

As for appealing to higher ups in Quicken, I would think you'll need to go back to Quicken Support and ask for a supervisor or upper-tier support specialist to reach out to you. The only Quicken folks on this forum are the moderators and they have fewer tools available to them than official Quicken Support.

mmandayam

They "could not" unlock the file. I do have backups on my MacBook and in the cloud. But every backup version I try to access asks for my password, which I do not remember. I thought Quicken, being the product owner, would have some magic to unlock the file.

Chris_QPW

Doesn't Quicken Mac use the Apple security system for locking the data file?

It sounds like Quicken Mac has used true encryption for the data file (no backdoor or using some kind of scrambling instead true encryption).

This has been something discussed many times on the Windows side, which doesn't use true encryption.

On the Windows side they can unlock any data file. The very fact that they can implies that they aren't using true encryption.

jacobs

Quicken Mac has a password which is separate from encryption. (You can have a password without encryption, but encryption requires creation of a password first.)

@mmandayam Did you have Quicken Support try to open any of your backup files?

mmandayam

Yes. I sent them my backup file. But they said they cannot unlock it for me, unfortunately, which is very surprising.

mmandayam

My other option is to start from scratch and lose all my years' worth of transactions and reports, which sucks. Can Quicken Support comment please?

jtemplin

I'm not trying to pile on @mmandayam's woes, but I note there are dozens of users who have viewed this post, so a friendly reminder…

This is an excellent use case for using a password manager to keep track of your passwords. As @jacobs mentions, at some point before using fingerprint sensors, a password had to have been selected for this file, and should have been stored in a manager.

Chris_QPW

I think I didn't really explain what I was talking about clear enough.

There are two separate levels of encryption. One is where MacOS encrypts a file/folder. The other is when the user tells Quicken to use a password for the data file needs to protect that data file. How it does that is the question.

I assume that Quicken Mac doesn't have an option encrypt of not???

So, whatever it does it is the same for all password protected data files.

It isn't clear in Quicken Windows if the password is just at the GUI level or if they have a "backdoor" way of "unlocking it" *there isn't Windows equivalent to MacOS's password system, at least not in the past). I suspect that it isn't real encryption, that the most the scramble the data a bit. When they return data files they come back with the password removed. It is interesting to note that the files like attachments that are outside of the main database do use Windows file level encryption, but it is clear that they store the key to encrypt it in the data file.

I'm betting that they are using SQlite's encryption for the main database and probably file level encryption for the files that reside outside of the database. As such, that means no one going to be able to open the data file without the password. That the double edge of using real encryption. You get true security, but you can't retrieve the data if the password is lost.

Jon

Yes, encryption is optional in Quicken Mac. It's a separate additional setting once you have put a password on your file - you have to have a password first before you can enable any of the other Quicken security settings (encryption, TouchID, Apple Watch). As I understand it that encryption is done via operating system calls, but I'm not sure where the encryption key is stored - I would assume in the keychain and if so that would explain why customer support can't get around it. OTOH, I can copy my file to a different Mac and still open the file, so maybe not the keychain after all.

John_in_NC

I won't wade into why or won't Quicken won't unlock you file, but let's step back: if you always used TouchID to login, then why can't you now?

While I have found that quite reliable, I do know fingers change-especially with weather changes. I do know that if you have a certain amount of failed attempts with Touch ID, it stops asking and goes to the password to open. The only way to get it to ask for TouchID again is to log out/back in to your account (or restarting) to be asked again.

If you can get Touch ID working, then you can get in and change your password once you open the file.

MontanaKarl

Here's the Security tab of Settings showing the separate Pasword and separate Encryption option.

mmandayam

It doesn't ask me for Touch ID anymore. Since last week, it has been prompting me to enter the password, no matter which backup file I choose

John_in_NC

Have you restarted to force it to ask you for TouchID again?

MontanaKarl

Does your Mac auto-unlock with touchID, or is TouchID not functioning for anything? There can be an issue with macOS that can require restarting the computer for TouchID and AppleWatch unlock to work with apps again, even if it works for unlocking the computer.

jacobs

@mmandayam Just so you understand, this site is not Quicken Support. There are mostly users here trying to help fellow users, and there are a handful of Quicken-employed moderators here who keep the site organized and civil and who can answer some questions — but they are not Quicken Support. Quicken Support representatives do not read this forum. So if you want to try to escalate something with Quicken Support, you have to call Quicken Support.

mmandayam

Thank you all for your comments and support. Finally, I was able to restore a much older version of the data file that was not locked by a password or Touch ID. Hooray!