MoneyWorks Manual
Creating a Backup Copy
MoneyWorks has inbuilt backup to compress your file and create a backup copy. The resultant file is called an mwgz file, and has the suffix .mwgz. It can be read on both Windows and Mac computers.
- Choose File>Save a Backup as...
If you have made any changes in your document, you will be prompted to save—the file must be current before you back up.
The Standard File Save dialog will be displayed. Use this to select where the backup copy should be saved, the format (with or without the Custom Plug-ins folder and—if downloading from a server—image attachments), and what name it will have. The name will default to that of your current document, with the date encoded in square brackets in the form [yymmdd].
The compressed file will be between one-fifth and one-third of the size of the original.
Note: The backup should normally be saved on a removable device (e.g. CD, zip disk) that can be taken off-site. There must be sufficient room on the device for the compressed backup copy—MoneyWorks will not split the file across multiple disks.
Note: Your MoneyWorks Custom Plug-ins folder (which contains your reports and forms) can also be backed up by choosing Accounts Backup with Custom Plug-ins from the Format pop-up (Mac) or the Save as type pop-up (Win) in the standard File Save dialog box.
Note: The backup file, if re-opened, will share any current MoneyWorks services with the original file.
Backup Strategy
We recommend that you take frequent backups, and always ensure that a recent backup is held off-site. Depending on the volume of transactions, you might want to take a backup every day, or at the end of every week. In either situation, you should have several backup disks that you rotate—you should never be backing up onto the same disk as you used last time.
When the backup disk fills up, you should delete the oldest backup on it. You can tell at a glance which is the oldest because MoneyWorks has helpfully dated the backup for you.
emailing a Backup File
You can email a backup copy of your MoneyWorks file by using the Accountant’s Export command, and setting the Email To option. A backup copy will be created as an attachment to a new email in your Out box.