How to backup MD Files in case of problems
How do I either "save or backup" moneydance at the end of a session? Where is the file kept, so I can copy it to another place for additional backup?
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1 Posted by -Kevin N. on 02 Dec, 2024 08:55 PM
Hi Montgomery,
The easiest way to locate Moneydance backup data files is to do so from within Moneydance.
From the Moneydance menu bar, go to Help > Show Backup Folder.
-Kevin N. (not a member of Moneydance support)
2 Posted by dtd on 02 Dec, 2024 09:01 PM
You can also do a one-off File/Export Backup to whereever you want it to be.
3 Posted by tonyt on 03 Dec, 2024 07:04 AM
You set automatic backup schedule in settings / preferences depending on your OS
4 Posted by derekkent23 on 03 Dec, 2024 09:17 AM
I am not support staff, just a user.
Hi Montgomery
Some words on backups covering the latest build of Moneydance 2024.
Moneydance backups can be a live saver if you make a big mistake or you hit a problem with your computer.
There are two types of Moneydance backup, manual and auto.
The default backup location can be found under HELP – SHOW BACKUP FOLDER. This location is on your hard drive. In both cases you can select the backup location and as such it is good practice to set the location on a cloud server such as a free Dropbox account, OneDrive etc, in case your hard drive fails.
Manual backup. A manual backup can be made under FILE – BACKUP EXPORT. The automatic file naming convention is yourdatasetname-yyyymmdd-HHMM.moneydancearchive
Automatic backup is set under FILE – PREFERENCES – BACKUPS. If you have more than one Data Set and switch Data Sets the setting are common and cannot be set differently for each Data Set.
There are two methods that can be selected.
Backup: Once per day, when closing.
Backup: On every Close.
Backup: Once per day, when closing.
This type of Auto backup makes a backup every time you close Moneydance. Moneydance only keep the last auto backup of the day, overwriting any previous auto backups for that day. You can set the number of backups to be kept. The setting is Keep up to X days of backups. When this number is exceeded the oldest backup is deleted. So in effect this setting determines the number of backups that are retained for a given Data Set. Automatic file naming convention is yourdatasetname.yyyy-mm-dd.moneydancearchive
Backup: On every Close . This type of Auto backup makes a backup every time you close Moneydance. But unlike Backup: On every Close it keeps all the backup that are made in a day. You can set the number of day’s worth backups to be kept. The setting is Keep up to X days of backups. When this number is exceeded the oldest backups are deleted. Keep in mind Moneydance is deleting a day’s worth of backups created from the same Data Set, a day may contain a number of backups of a given Data Set. So in effect this setting determines the number of day’s worth of backups that are retained for a given Data Set. Automatic file naming convention is yourdatasetname.yyyy-mm-dd-HHMMSS.moneydancearchive
A moneydancearchive file is a compressed Data Set.
The contents of a backup file is encrypted and provided you have set a password under FILE – PASSWORDS can only be opened by Moneydance by entering your password after using FILE – RESTORE FROM BACKUP.
If you are syncing and using a cloud server as a backup location don’t set your computers to use the exact same backup location. When you sync you have a primary computer and secondary computers. A primary Data Set is not the same as a secondary Data Set and hence neither are there backups. But as they use the same Data Set name it possible to get confused. To identified a Secondary Data Set install and run the extension Toolbox, it will tell you if the Data Set is a secondary. It is possible to convert a secondary Data Set to a primary Data Set by running Toolbox. Your password is not reset, you still need it to open a backup.
When you FILE– RESTORE FROM BACKUP you do not overwrite your existing Data Set, a new Data Set is created with the naming convention – from manual backup yourdatasetname-yyyymmdd-tttt.moneydance the date time code taken from the backup file - from auto backup yourdatasetname-yyyymmdd.moneydance the date code taken from the backup file. As part of the restore process you will be given the option to change the name of the restored Data Set although you can’t use the name of an existing Data Set. Also there is a tick box KEEP SYNC SETTING FROM ORIGINAL FILE. See note below tick box. If you were syncing data between devices and something when wrong and this is the reason you are Restoring from Backup you should untick the box to break the syncing link to other device so the syncing does not resume automatically and you can set up syncing anew. Other backup methods such as making a copy of your Data Set will mean syncing is still enabled and can mean a restored Data Set will sync and your Data Set will be corrupted again.
The set Auto Backup location can be found under HELP – SHOW BACKUP FOLDER.
The default Data Set location can be found under HELP– SHOW DOCUMENT FOLDER. This location is on your hard drive and you should not move your Data Set, certainly not to a cloud server where due to the nature of the Data Set read/write features it could become corrupted. You can delete old data sets you no longer want. You can rename a restored Data Set with Moneydance closed as you would any other folder provided you retain “.moneydance” extension. A Data Set is a folder not a file containing other folders and files. When you open Moneydance it will open in the “Welcome to Moneydance” window with the Data Set name listed on the right.
Hope this helps.