How do I backup my iBank data manually?

One of the best ways to protect your iBank data is to back it up regularly. If you do not have a .Mac account or don't want to take advantage of the automatic backup feature, you can still backup your iBank data easily.

To backup your iBank data:

In the Finder, locate your data file. You chose a name and a save location for this file in the Setup Assistant the first time you launched iBank. If you don't remember where you saved the file, check in your Documents folder, or search for files with the ".ibank" extension. The name of the file is displayed in the title bar of the main iBank window:

filename

Once you have located the data file, simply drag and drop to copy the file to a backup location. For better security, choose a location outside of your local hard drive, such as a flash drive or a shared folder on a network. Feel free to rename the backup file to indicate that it is a copy of the original, if you like.

If you are handy with Automator, you can easily create a workflow to backup your iBank data. You can then attach the workflow to a repeating iCal event to have your Mac run the backup automatically at specified intervals.

To restore your data from a backup file:

In the Finder, browse to the folder containing the backup file you want to restore. Drag and drop the file to your Desktop (or whatever location you prefer to keep the data file in).

Double-click the file to open it in iBank. The next time you launch iBank, it will automatically remember the location of your data file and open it at startup.