How do I back up my Banktivity ledger?

One of the best ways to protect your financial data is to back up your Banktivity ledgers regularly. Banktivity is designed to work seamlessly with Time Machine and other macOS backup utilities, saving your data directly in your system's Library folder.

In addition to Time Machine, Banktivity Cloud Sync provides a convenient way to protect your data. Even if you only use Banktivity on a single Mac, syncing your ledger to the cloud ensures a secure, off-site copy that can be easily restored in an emergency.

If you prefer not to use Time Machine, you can also export a manual archive of any ledger directly within the app:

  1. Open the Organizer by choosing File > Open Organizer.
  2. Select your ledger from the list.
  3. Choose File > Export Archive to save the backup file.

If you ever need to restore that backup, simply go to File > Import Archive.

Restoring Banktivity Ledger from Time Machine

To restore your Banktivity Ledger from a Time Machine backup, you will need to navigate to a hidden system folder. Please follow these steps carefully:

Before You Begin: Turn Off Automatic Updates

It is important to make sure that you turn off Automatic updates first in Banktivity if you use Cloud Sync so that your backup is not immediately overwritten once it is restored. To do this:

  1. Open Banktivity.
  2. Go to Banktivity > Settings.
  3. Under the Import tab, turn off the option to Automatically update financial data.

Restoration Steps

  1. Click on the Finder icon in your Dock to open the Finder.
  2. Press Shift + Command + G on your keyboard to open the Go To folder window.
  3. Copy and paste the exact line below into the box and hit Enter: 
    ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.iggsoftware.banktivity.library/IGGFinance/production/Documents
  4. With that folder window remaining open and active, click the Time Machine icon in your Mac’s menu bar and select Browse Time Machine Backups (or open Time Machine from your Applications folder).
  5. Use the timeline on the right edge of the screen to go back to the date and time you wish to restore. Select your Banktivity file, and click Restore.

Important Note: If the Time Machine window resets to your desktop instead of staying in the specific folder, enter Time Machine first. Once inside the backup timeline, press Shift + Command + G to bring up the search bar within Time Machine, paste the path above, and press Enter to jump straight to the hidden folder.

After Restoring: Reset the Server

Only after you are positive your data has been restored should you Reset the Server with the local ledger:

  1. Go to Ledger > Show Cloud Sync Settings.
  2. Choose Advanced Options.
  3. Select Reset Server.
  4. Turn back on Automatically updating financial data in the Banktivity Settings.