Going from Mac Beta Back to Mac Classic
I am unable to open my data file which was a Mac Beta file in Mac Classic.
Here is message:
I am running version 8.5.1. How do I open this file in Mac Classic?
Comments
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New versions of Quicken will sometimes update the file to a new format; when that happens you won't be able to open the file in older versions of Quicken anymore. You'll have to wait until the new version gets released to be able to open it.
In the meantime, you should be able to go back to the file as it was when you first opened it in beta. Go to Library/Application Support/Quicken Beta/Backups/Automatic Backups. Among the files there will be one or more files with names starting with "BACKUP (Pre-Update)". Look for the newest one. You can open that file in Quicken 8.5.1 and it will restore your file as it was.
In the future, I suggest making a copy of your file to use in Quicken Beta rather than risking your working file. Though you're not flagged as a beta tester anymore, so maybe that's a moot point.
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Unfortunately, I get the same message that I got previously. I have been using Beta exclusively for a year so I don't have a backup from my previous non-Beta Quicken data. Any other suggestions?
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If you have any other backups from more than a week ago (from before the latest beta started) you should be able to open them in 8.5.1.
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Did you just lose your Mac Beta status today or did you get an email that you were getting removed from the program due to a lack of participation? I didn't get any notification (although I will admit I've been lacking in providing feedback but I only found out when I was going to work on my Beta task today.) Can anyone confirm that it's from being removed from the program or if it's from login issues cause I've also been having trouble logging into both the website, community forums and my 9.0.0 Quicken Beta program completely won't let me log in at all.
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I did receive lose my Mac Beta status yesterday. This is difficult as when removed from Beta I purchased a Deluxe subscription and can't use my quicken data which I have been using since 1996.
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I was able to follow Jon's instructions and restore it to a snapshot from before. Make sure you use one where the parentheses text at the front says "Pre-Update".
For me it wasn't necessarily the newest one but it was very recent since luckily the newest update was pretty recent. I copied that into the folder that my Quicken file is in but you can do it anywhere. And then on Quicken 8.5.1 go to File → Open and then double click the newest (Pre-Update).quickenbackup file and it should walk you through it with recreating back a regular Quicken save from the .quickenbackup.
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Just to be clear on a couple points:
When I said “newest” I meant specifically the newest of the “Pre-Update” backups. There will of course be Automatic backups that are newer than that.
Second, while files from the current beta can’t be opened with older versions of Quicken, there’s nothing about beta files in general that makes them incompatible with the non-beta software. Like @LukieLau, I tried out opening the pre-update backup in 8.5.1 to make sure it worked, and I know there have been times in the past where I stopped using the previous version during a beta and only used the beta software, and at the end of beta kept using the beta test data file with the released software. So I’m confidant that if you can find either a data file or a backup file that pre-dates the start of the current beta (that was generated with the beta 8.5.1) you’ll be able to open it.
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I was kicked out of the beta program yesterday (no warning - I hadn't contributed recently but I did contribute when I first joined). Now I can't open my Quicken file. I did find the 'pre update' backup file, but it's from February…….
Quicken could have handled this better IMO. I've been a Quicken user for over 20 years, and was actively participating in the beta when it first started.
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I agree that it would have been better if they had "cleaned house" in between beta tests so the now-former beta testers didn't get locked out of their current files like this. I'm still not sure why people are having a hard time recovering a backup from the end of March, though.
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@Quicken Bree Barring a major violation of the terms of beta testing, I don't think anyone should lose their beta status without advance warning, for exactly the reasons these two users above have run into. Users should be provided a little advance notice, which should include instructions about how to revert to a backup data file from the latest released version. And as @Jon said, such status changes really should be done before the start of a new beta, so users won't be forced to revert and lose days or weeks of data.
Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 19931 -
Hi everyone,
I hear your concerns and understand the frustration this has caused. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
If anyone is having trouble accessing their data files after being removed, please let me know so I can help. Going forward, we will notify users in advance of any removals.
Thanks,
BreeQuicken Bree
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@Jon, yeah I really appreciated your help through this post getting me back up and running. And I agree with @jacobs about having some advanced warning, or even some official warning afterwards (cause the Beta instructions do say you will receive an email if you get the boot and I just spent the entire time thinking it was an error versus an official change.)
The first thought I might've lost Beta was my subscription end date changed from 12/31/26 to my original 04/25/26 and the subscription ending bar popped back up. It was after that I started having trouble refreshing transactions and requiring me to login but it kept showing Invalid Quicken ID. Support suggests signing out of Quicken (so now I don't even have access to my data) and reinstalling (which I couldn't get the 9.0.0 install file because I no longer have access to the Beta community channels.) My 8.5.1 install also wouldn't sign in until I removed both of them and just reinstalled 8.5.1 (but was unable to open my 9.0.0 file), and that's when I saw this helpful thread to look in the Library for backups. Thanks again!
I do think (especially since this is "for Mac") with how recently Apple has made their Beta OSes available, "Beta" has become more of an Early Access/Release to play with features program than something transactional and requiring feedback to stay in (like how Quicken does it) and it's fine to operate that way but it definitely would catch someone (me) off guard if they called my bluff and removed me from participating.
Looking forward to discussing and participating more on here, the regular release channel. HAHA.
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@LukieLau I'm sorry you were put in that position without warning or explanation, and I'm glad you got back up and running. And thank you for posting about this, so the Quicken folks became aware and have already modified their procedures for the future.
Regarding your last point, I do think Quicken is in a very different situation than Apple. Apple's early releases are intended to get many thousands of people working with the software, expecting that professional developers and dedicated personal users will take time to report bug and performance issues. But Apple doesn't have direct competitors for selling its OS the way Quicken does with its apps. And because Quicken beta testers are a much smaller universe, I understand that they really need active participation and feedback to avoid bug-plagued releases. Apple isn't giving testers anything for free, just early access. Quicken sweetens the pot by offering testers a free subscription, but in return, they expect participation. I think that's a fair tradeoff. For people who sign up but discover they don't have the time or interest to actively participate in beta testing, I think it's fair for Quicken to remove them from the testing program — provided they give such users adequate notice so they can prepare properly.
Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 19931
