unofficial microsoft.public.money FAQ and A
[ Home ]

How to do things in Money: Data/File Management

Q) Where is Money hiding my data from me? In the registry? In the ether?

A) This question comes up over and over again in many disguised forms. Examples include "How do I just start completely over?," "I want to move my data to a new computer but can’t figure out where it is on the old one, what do I do?," and the ever popular "How do I backup my Money data to a CD-R instead of a floppy?"

Money is a file-oriented program. It stores your data in .MNY data files just like Word uses .DOC files, Excel uses .XLS files, Notepad uses .TXT files, and Access uses .MDB files. These files are all just data files that can be moved, copied, deleted, renamed, shared over the network, or burned to CDs, no matter what application originally created them. Perhaps part of the problem here is that Money users generally use the same single data file for months or years at a time--and Money always opens the last file they used--so they may not even remember that their data is in a file named what they told Money to name it and stored where they told Money to store it. Take note: there is a File|Open choice in Money, just like in Word. Money also has a File|New choice, just like Word.

There are some additional considerations:

1) While Money stores all of your account and transaction data in the data file you designated when you first setup the file, it stores your Tools|Options settings in the registry. The Tools|Options settings are the only thing that you ever put into Money that is not stored in a .MNY data file. This can be an issue when you reload your system or move your data file to a new system but the Tools|Options settings get lost. Particularly painful is when printer alignment settings for printing checks get lost. Write them down before replacing your system or reinstalling the application.

2) It is generally considered a "best practice" to store your .MNY files in the My Documents folder tree, not somewhere in the Program Files folder tree. All of the reasons for this are beyond the scope of the FAQ, but think of it this way: it's like throwing your coat in the back seat of the car vs. under the hood. The back seat is your space--under the hood isn't. This advice is particularly import for Windows Vista users since, for standard user accounts, Vista will "pretend" to update files stored in Program Files but will promptly revert them to their original contents when you exit Money.

3) Money can have your file open for access--and so can MoneyExpress and MoneySide. You should always avoid doing anything to the data file (like copying it to a CD-R as a backup or opening it over the network or from a different user profile) when the file is already opened since this can cause data file corruption problems. An .LRD file in the same folder with the same name is usually an indication that something has the data file open.

4) Starting the Money application directly--as opposed to opening a .MNY file from the Windows file explorer--results in Money trying to open the last .MNY file you used from the exact same location. If, say, you've moved your data file, this will result in a "file not found" type of error. This message does not mean that Money lost your data--it means that you've hidden your data from Money. Go find your data file using the Windows file explorer and r-click Open it or double click on it. After doing this, Money will now know where your file is located.

5) Because your Money file is just a file, you can burn it to CD or whatever else you want to do with it, just like any other data file. Money really doesn't care. Likewise, whatever you do with the file is at your risk, not Money's.

6) If you don't remember where you told Money to put your file or what you told Money to name it, here are some ways to find out:
- Search your system's disks for files of type Microsoft Money File (files using the extension .MNY).
- The Money title bar shows the name of your file, as in "MyDataFileNameIsHere – Microsoft Money" when you are using Money.
- The Most Recently Used choices numbered 1 through 4 at the bottom of Money's file menu are the four most recently opened Money data files
- If, with your file open, you go to Money's File|Open dialog it will show you the directory (folder, if you prefer) where your data file is located as this is the place it will start looking. If there is any doubt where this is, pull down the little arrow next to the "Look In" pull-down.

7) Because your Money data file is your data file, you are responsible for protecting it as you would any other file with important data in it: this means backing it up, keeping copies before reloading your machine, and so on.

8) Money File|Backup creates files that are not identical copies of the original file. For reasons unknown, occasionally this difference is relevant. If you really have to be sure you have your data--like when migrating to a new system or reformatting your present hard disk--it's a very good idea to have both the Money backup .MBF file and the real .MNY data file both copied onto, say, a writable CD or, better, several writable CDs, which you have tested in alternate machines from the one that wrote the CD, before destroying the original. The best method, if possible, is to get the new installation working before destroying the original.

Please see this disclaimer if you are using Money 2005 or this comment if you are using Money 2006.

If this kind of stuff is important to you: