gnuCash file locations

[lightman47]

I love gnuCash. I have a dying laptop with all my gnuCash data on it. The fc16-64 HD is good, but it's doubtful that I'll eventually just be able to plug it into a new laptop and "all will be well". I just 'smell a headache'.

Having sorta been in this situation (inability to find/copy/move ALL of the pertinent gnuCash files) several times, I wonder if anyone knows the TRUE locations of all the data files - so a copy of same will be found & WORKING on a fresh install of gnuCash. Their "import/export" support is extremely weak - but it is FREE, so I haven't much to whine about! It does a fantastic job, fantastically easy.

Thank you.

---------- Post added at 01:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:39 PM ----------

I should mention that I have done some 'leg work' - locating files. Every time I thought I had them all - NOPE! What I had wasn't IMPORTable or even OPENable. There are directories named .gnucash, .acqbanking (or similar), ... I know that there's more going on that I can't find.

An even bigger dream, is to find the .conf file that specifies WHERE to locate the data files - (I'd move them to my server - if I can FIND them all)

[bbfuller]

Hello lightman47

I can't actually tell you where the files are located, but I can tell you what you are looking for.

I've been using Gnucash now for eight or ten years and when I first started it, it asked me where to put the data files. I elected to create a folder called "gnucash_accounts" in my home area and everything is stored in there - except for a few configuration files in ".gnucash" which you have found and which don't contain a file location.

In my "gnucash_accounts" folder I have many accumulated files, one of which is called just "accounts" When I do a new install of gnucash, I just tell it to open that file and all of my data is there.

As well as the plain "accounts" file there are others named as below.

accounts
accounts.7f0100.2356.LNK
accounts.20110930112228.log
accounts.20110930112731.log
accounts.20110930112753.gnucash
accounts.20110930112755.log
accounts.20110930113401.gnucash
accounts.20110930113403.log
accounts.20110930113949.gnucash
..................

Perhaps a search for files of those names will turn them up for you. Obviously the numeric part being date based won't be the same but the rest should be.

Otherwise, create a transaction and save it and look for files modified at about that time.

Hope that helps.

[lightman47]

I think you told me a lot more than you think you did! When I get this "new" laptop configured for my girlfriend I'll start digging around in mine - using the clues you supplied.

Thank you!