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What if Quicken asks to overwrite the current file when I back up or restore my Quicken data file?

Backing up a data file to a disk that already contains a data file with the same name prompts Quicken to ask if you want to overwrite the current data file.

  • If you want to maintain a single backup of your Quicken data file, click Yes. Quicken replaces the old data file with the new one.
  • If you want to maintain multiple backups of your Quicken data file, click No. If you click No, you won't be able to complete the backup until you change the name or location of the backup file.
    • To change the name of the backup file, either you can click the Add date to file name field to add today's date to the current data file, or you can rename the current file or the file you're backing up.
    • To change the location of the backup file, replace the current backup media with another one. For example, if your current backup is on a CD, you can store your second backup on another CD or a removable (USB) drive (click Browse next to the Select the disk drive and path to the backup folder field to navigate to another drive).

The same basic principle applies when you're restoring a data file. If the current data file has the same name as the data file that you're trying to restore from a backup disk or online source, Quicken asks if you want to overwrite the current data file. If you click Yes, then Quicken replaces the current data file with the data file from the backup disk or online source. This means that any information you entered in Quicken after you made the backup will be lost.

  • If you're not sure whether you want to overwrite the current data file, click No, and rename the current file or the file you're restoring.
  • If you already clicked OK when Quicken asked if you wanted to overwrite the file, then your old data file is no longer available. If the Quicken data file you restored is older than the Quicken data file you replaced, you may be able to restore an automatic backup made by Quicken. Otherwise, you will need to reenter the data to bring your current Quicken data file up to date.
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