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No way to share Moneydance data with different user on same computer

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djlauria

05 Jul, 2022 09:16 PM

I think I've gone through all the possibilities, but if there's a way to do this please let me know. I want to share my Moneydance data file with another user account on the same computer (running latest Monterey). Unfortunately, we bought the program from the Mac app store, so it is sandboxed. There is no way to put the data file in a shared folder; symbolic/hard links won't work; and even iCloud sharing is no good since it would be between two different accounts. The only two solutions I can come up with are to either create a Dropbox account, sync the file there, and log both users into that same account, or buy the non App store version of MD. Is there anything I missed?

1. 1 Posted by dwg on 05 Jul, 2022 10:34 PM

   

   I'm a fellow user.

   There has never been an approved method for users on one computer sharing the same actual files on that computer with any edition of Moneydance including the directly sold one.

   All version of Moneydance since Moneydance 2017 have used the method of each using having their own copy of the Moneydance data file and this being synced to files on some sort of shared service. To facilitate this even when users are using the one computer the proposed solution has been to use Dropbox of if the users are on a LAN with a File server to use a shared folder for syncing with their own copy of the data. However with the App store sold version only iCloud or Dropbox Connection are available to you, so Dropbox would be your solution.

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2. 2 Posted by sth on 09 Jul, 2022 02:06 AM

   

   Just as a possibility, can you share the data through a "Shared" folder. If the current account is A, then A can start Syncing the file through /Users/Shared (I would create a folder in /Users/Shared called Moneydance so it would be /Users/Shared/Moneydance.

   Then A can set the permissions of /Users/Shared/Moneydance (and all files in it) so that the secondary user can access that file. (It should be OK by default.

   Then B opens Moneydance in their account and selects open sync file and goes to that file in the folder /Users/Shared/Moneydance.

   This should work fine for users on the same computer.

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3. 3 Posted by sth on 10 Jul, 2022 06:10 PM

   

   And I think you can share specific folders on iCloud with others. I am not sure if that can be done with the hidden Moneydance folder. But it seems so.

   In the terminal type the following command (or cut and paste):
   

   open ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/iCloud~com~infinitekind~moneydancesync
   

   The window that opens will have a folder called "MoneyDance Sync" and open that to see the folder called Sync. Right click on that folder and use "share iCloud" to share that folder with whomever you wish.
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4. 4 Posted by djlauria on 11 Jul, 2022 01:57 PM

   

   Thanks for the suggestions, sth. Unfortunately, the App store version is required by Apple to keep its data in the Container folder, and by design no combination of links and/or permission changes will allow those files to be shared.

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5. 5 Posted by dtd on 11 Jul, 2022 07:04 PM

   

   just a user - that's the problem with the App store version, and why users here usually recommend not getting that version. (Also, upgrade policy is atrocious)

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6. System closed this discussion on 10 Oct, 2022 07:10 PM.