Documents and files in AceMoney Studio

Everything you enter in Studio (accounts, transactions, categories, schedules, investments and the settings of that ledger) lives in one document. This page explains where that document is, how to work with more than one on a desktop computer, and why the phone app (AceMoney Studio Mobile, from version 1.2, not in the stores yet) has exactly one.

What a document is

A document is a single file of the type AceMoney document, with the extension .amdb, plus a folder of attachments next to it for the images and PDFs you attach to transactions.
Everything is saved automatically the moment you confirm it. There is no Save command; ⌘S or Ctrl+S only shows “Everything is saved automatically — no action needed.”
On desktop you can have as many documents as you like, one open at a time. In AceMoney Studio Mobile (from version 1.2, not in the stores yet), on a phone or tablet there is one document, inside the app.
The default document is built in. It lives inside the app’s own data folder, has no file path, shows as AceMoney in the top bar (its tooltip reads The default document), and cannot be given a password. Studio opens it the first time it starts, and whenever no other document was left open.

On a computer the File menu holds, in order: New Document, Open…, Open Recent, Save a Copy As…, Archive…, Revert to when opened, Import…, Export… (▸ Register…, Report…, Accounts…, Schedule…, Portfolio…), Export Everything… (from version 1.2), Print… (▸ the same five pages) and Close Document. Export… and Print… take you to that page, where its own buttons do the work; see Export and print and Import data.

Create a new document

Choose File ▸ New Document (⌘N on macOS, Ctrl+N on Windows and Linux, where the menu bar sits inside the Studio window).
Pick a folder and a name; the suggested name is Untitled.amdb. Keep the extension.
Studio opens the new, empty document and shows the Welcome to AceMoney Studio page (import, sample data or start fresh), then offers a password with Protect this document with a password?.

Open a document

File ▸ Open… (⌘O / Ctrl+O) and choose the file. The picker shows AceMoney documents only.
Double-click the document in the Finder, in File Explorer or in your file manager. It opens in the running copy of Studio, or starts Studio if it is not running.
File ▸ Open Recent lists the documents you opened lately. Every entry can be chosen. If the file has moved or its drive is not connected, Studio says so when you pick it (“This document could not be found at its expected location…”) and changes nothing.

If the document has a password, the This document is protected dialog asks for it; see Document password. On desktop, Studio reopens the document you last had open when it starts, and asks for its password if it has one. If that file has been moved, renamed or is on a drive that is not connected, Studio opens the default document instead and tells you the file is missing; use File ▸ Open Recent or File ▸ Open… to find it again.

Save a copy of a document

File ▸ Save a Copy As… (⇧⌘S / Ctrl+Shift+S) copies the whole document (the file, its attachments folder and, if it is encrypted, everything needed to open it with the same password) to a location you choose (the suggested name is AceMoney.amdb), then switches Studio to that copy and confirms with “Saved a copy to …”. Choosing the file of the open document itself is refused with “You can’t replace the document that is open now. Choose a different name, or close this document first.”

If the document syncs with AceMoney Cloud, the copy would share the same synced data. Studio asks This document is still attached to cloud sync: choose Continue Syncing to keep the copy attached, or Detach & Mint New Identity to make the copy a separate document that no longer shares the synced data. See Sync between devices.

To go back to how the document was when you opened it, use File ▸ Revert to when opened (a computer only; see Backups and restore). Use Save a Copy As… to keep a snapshot before a big change, to carry a document to another computer, or to turn the default document into a file you can see and protect. There is no command that renames or moves the open document in place; to do that, close the document, rename or move the file and its attachments folder together, then open it again.

Archive old transactions

File ▸ Archive… saves the transactions up to a date into a separate archive document, the way AceMoney Classic does.

Choose File ▸ Archive….
Set Archive transactions up to (that day is included).
To also remove those transactions from the open document, tick Delete archived transactions from the active document. It is off by default.
Choose a name and folder for the archive file; the suggested name is Archive.amdb.

If you ticked the box, Studio asks Remove the archived transactions? first and makes a backup before it removes anything. There is no Undo; the backup is the way back. Investments and the cash entries of trades stay in the document, and the budgets and reports of the archived period become empty in it. If the document syncs with AceMoney Cloud, archive only when your other computers are in sync. In the free version, if any of those transactions are in an account that is read-only, nothing is removed; untick the box to archive without removing.

Close a document

File ▸ Close Document (⌘W / Ctrl+W) closes the document and shows the welcome page, No document open, with the buttons Continue with the default document, New Document…, Open… and Import data…. Below them, Recent lists each recent document with its folder, its number of accounts and transactions and when you last used it; ✕ removes an entry (Remove from recents), and a document that cannot be found shows Missing — file not found.

Where to keep your documents

Anywhere on your computer. Your Documents folder is a good default.
A cloud-drive folder (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive) works and gives you an off-machine copy. Two rules: never open the document from two computers at the same time, and let the drive finish syncing before you open it elsewhere. A password keeps the file unreadable in transit and at rest; see Document password.
A network share works the same way: one computer at a time. Studio refuses to open a document that is already open elsewhere.
A removable drive works; while it is unplugged, the welcome page shows the document as Missing — file not found, and Open Recent says it cannot be found when you pick it.

Backups are separate from the document and stay on the computer that made them; see Backups and restore.

When a document is already open

Opening the same file twice is refused, calmly:

“This document is already open (in this app or another window). Close it there first, or choose a different document.”
“This document is open on another computer (…). Close it there first, or choose a different document — AceMoney cannot safely tell whether that lock is stale from here.”
Can’t verify this document is closed. Studio found a record of the document being open but could not check whether that program is still running. Choose Cancel unless you are certain the document is not open anywhere else; then Open Anyway.

The document on a phone or tablet

iOS (iPhone and iPad)

From AceMoney Studio Mobile 1.2, AceMoney Studio Mobile has one document, stored inside the app on the device. There is no File menu and no way to create, open or copy a document; the top bar shows it as AceMoney. Back up from Settings ▸ Document, and get data out with the export buttons on Accounts, Register and Reports, which use the share sheet. Deleting the app deletes the document.

Android

The same as iOS, and the ledger is also part of Android’s system backup of app data; see Backups and restore.

Common questions

Do I have to save my work?

No. Every change is written as soon as you confirm it, and a short undo is offered after each delete.

Which document is open right now?

The chip in the top bar shows the document’s name (on desktop, its tooltip shows the full path); AceMoney with the tooltip The default document is the built-in one.

Which document opens when I start Studio?

The one you last had open. If you closed it with File ▸ Close Document or it was the default document, Studio starts on the default document.

Can I have two documents open at once?

No. Studio has one window and one open document; opening another one switches to it.

Can I rename or move a document?

Yes, but not from inside Studio. Close the document (File ▸ Close Document), then rename or move the file together with the attachments folder next to it, and open it from its new place with File ▸ Open…. Studio treats the new location as a new document for backups, so its backup list starts empty; the old backups still exist on the computer but are no longer shown.

Can I open my desktop document on my phone?

Not as a file. AceMoney Studio Mobile (from AceMoney Studio Mobile 1.2) has its own single document and cannot open a file. With AceMoney Cloud, your document syncs between your computers and AceMoney Studio Mobile; see Sync between devices. Without it, export a register as QIF or CSV on one device and import it on the other.

Can Studio open my AceMoney Classic file directly?

Yes. Studio can open a .amj file directly; it asks for the file’s password, your Serial Number or the computer name only if the file needs it. See Export and migrate to Studio.

How do I get all my data out in one file?

From version 1.2, File ▸ Export Everything… writes all of the document’s data as one JSON file, with copies of its attachments, in a new folder. The export is not encrypted, and it includes account numbers and payee contact details. See Export and print.

What is in the attachments folder?

The images and PDFs you attached to transactions. Keep the folder next to the document; it moves with Save a Copy As… but is not part of a backup, and a document password does not cover it.

Troubleshooting

“This document is already open (in this app or another window).” Close it in the other Studio window. If Studio itself stopped unexpectedly, simply open the document again: Studio checks whether the earlier copy is still running.
“This document is open on another computer (…).” Studio cannot release a lock held elsewhere. Open the document on that computer, close it properly, then try again.
Can’t verify this document is closed. Choose Open Anyway only when you are sure nobody has the document open, on this computer or another.
Missing — file not found in Recent, or “This document could not be found at its expected location…”. The file was moved, renamed or is on a drive that is not connected. Reconnect the drive, locate the file with File ▸ Open…, or remove the entry.
“You can’t replace the document that is open now.” You chose the open document’s own file in Save a Copy As…. Choose a different name or folder.
“This document appears to be damaged and could not be opened safely.” If it still opens, run Tools ▸ Check Document…; see Document Doctor. If it will not open at all, its backups are still on this computer: contact Support and mention this message.
“This document was last used with a newer version of AceMoney.” An older Studio opened a document a newer one had used. Nothing was deleted; update Studio to see everything again. See Software updates.
I cannot find the default document as a file. It has no visible location by design. Use File ▸ Save a Copy As… to get a file you can see.