[GNC] Copy and paste account into a new account

Tue Sep 9 04:37:14 EDT 2025

Thank y’all again.

On Mon, Sep 8, 2025 at 10:22 PM R Losey <rlosey at gmail.com> wrote:

> Sorry, I thought you knew about Unix-based stuff.  If you open a Terminal
> (a CMD like this for the Mac), you will be in your home directory (probably
> "/Users/YOUR_USER_NAME".  If you enter the command "echo $HOME", it will
> show you the value of HOME, which is automatically set by MacOS to be your
> login directory.  The command "cd" (by itself) always takes you to your
> home directory.
>
> So, start a terminal window, enter "cd" at the prompt to ensure you are in
> your home directory, and then use the "cd" command to change to the proper
> directory.  You can use the "tab" key to autofill file and directory names.
> So, when I went there, I entered "c" "d" "<space key", "L", "i", and "<tab
> key>", which filled in "Library/". I continued typing "A", "p", "p" and
> then "<tab key>", which filled in an "l" - it didn't fill the whole thing
> because multiple files matched, so I entered "i" and then "<tab key>"
> again, which filled out "Application\ S" -- as before, I had to enter "u"
> and then "<tab key>" to get "Support/" to autofill. Then I entered "G" and
> "n" and then "<tab key>" and "GnuCash/" was auto-filled. Since that's where
> I wanted to go, I pressed the enter key to go to that directory.
>
> I hope this helps you.
>
> Just for information, because there is a space in the directory name
> "Application Support", the space must be escaped by a backslash, which is
> why the autofill added that character.
>
> On Mon, Sep 8, 2025 at 1:13 PM Edwin Booth <elybeedle at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Thank you for the iMac info. I’d like to know how to get to that screen
>> level on my MacBook. I’ve only recently switched from a PC to this MacBook
>> and I don’t yet know how to get down to the level where I am able to get to
>> the $HOME file. Sorta basic I know, but… Google isn’t helping me right now
>> because I guess I don’t even know the right questions to ask.
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM R Losey <rlosey at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On my iMac, the .gcm file is in $HOME/Library/Application
>>> Support/GnuCash/books
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 3:03 PM Edwin Booth <elybeedle at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Thank you so much!!! Not sure if I’m savvy enough to do that but I shall
>>>> try.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks again,
>>>>
>>>> Edwin
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM Stephen M. Butler <kg7je at arrl.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> > Looks like the Down Arrow is only on the ACCOUNTS register -- sorry
>>>> about
>>>> > that.  My mistake.
>>>> >
>>>> > You need to located GNC_DATA_HOME for your box and edit the file in
>>>> > books/your-book-name.gnucash.gcm.  For me on Ubuntu that is in
>>>> > $HOME/.local/share/gnucash/books.
>>>> >
>>>> > Look  for a liine:  balance_width=0 and change that to something like
>>>> > balance_width=94.
>>>> >
>>>> > You can find this info at:
>>>> >
>>>> https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/151095/gnucash-checkbook-columns-shrunk-too-far-cannot-get-them-back
>>>> >
>>>> > I did a search for:  gnucash zero width column
>>>> >
>>>> > Following info came from
>>>> >
>>>> https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#GNC_DATA_HOME
>>>> > (while looking for GNC_DATA_DIR referenced in above article).
>>>> > GNC_DATA_HOME
>>>> >
>>>> > *Versions:* 3.x and more recent
>>>> >
>>>> > This is the subdirectory in USER_DATA_HOME
>>>> > <
>>>> https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#USER_DATA_HOME
>>>> >
>>>> > that GnuCash uses exclusively for its *user specific* data. The
>>>> default
>>>> > locations:
>>>> > Linux pristine USER_DATA_HOME
>>>> > <
>>>> https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#USER_DATA_HOME
>>>> >
>>>> > /gnucash Flatpak $HOME
>>>> > <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME>
>>>> > /.var/app/org.gnucash.GnuCash/data/gnucash Windows %APPDATA%
>>>> > <
>>>> https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#Environment_variables_LOCALAPPDATA_and_APPDATA
>>>> >
>>>> > \GnuCash macOS HOME
>>>> > <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME
>>>> >/Library/Application
>>>> > Support/GnuCash
>>>> >
>>>> > Note that on Windows the base directory is *APPDATA
>>>> > <
>>>> https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#Environment_variables_LOCALAPPDATA_and_APPDATA
>>>> >*
>>>> > and on macOS this is *HOME
>>>> > <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME
>>>> >/Library/Application
>>>> > Support*. The base directories will be different for the next relevant
>>>> > directory:
>>>> >
>>>> > USER_DATA_HOME
>>>> >
>>>> > This directory can be used by *applications* to store data that can't
>>>> be
>>>> > stored in the user's data file for some reason. For example gnucash
>>>> will
>>>> > store saved reports here, or some metadata such as which register
>>>> tabs were
>>>> > open for your books last time you closed them. The default locations:
>>>> > Linux pristine $HOME
>>>> > <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME>
>>>> > /.local/share Flatpak <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Flatpak>
>>>> $HOME
>>>> > <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME>
>>>> > /.var/app/org.gnucash.GnuCash/data Windows On this platform there are
>>>> > actually two directories for this kind of data: Local—machine specific
>>>> >
>>>> >    - The machine is no member of a Windows domain *or*
>>>> >    - the user has choosen a (machine) local profile on login:
>>>> >
>>>> > HOME <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME>
>>>> > \AppData\Local, often referred to as %LOCALAPPDATA%
>>>> > <
>>>> https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#Environment_variables_LOCALAPPDATA_and_:APPDATA>
>>>> Roaming—domain
>>>> > wide
>>>> >
>>>> >    - The machine is member of a Windows domain *and*
>>>> >    - the user has choosen a domain wide profile on login:
>>>> >
>>>> > HOME <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME>
>>>> > \AppData\Roaming, often referred to as %APPDATA%
>>>> > <
>>>> https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#Environment_variables_LOCALAPPDATA_and_APPDATA
>>>> >
>>>> > macOS On this platform there are actually two directories for this
>>>> kind
>>>> > of data: native current HOME
>>>> > <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME
>>>> >/Library/Application
>>>> > Support OS X 10.6 and older HOME/Library/Applications Defaults by
>>>> ported
>>>> > software HOME
>>>> > <https://www.wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Configuration_Locations#HOME>
>>>> > /.local/share The former is native to macOS (and will be used by
>>>
>>>
>>>> > GnuCash), the latter is often used by software that's ported from
>>>> linux
>>>> > (like GTK3). The difference will get clearer further down.
>>>> >
>>>> > It's important to understand this directory is shared by all
>>>> applications
>>>> > you run on your system. So aside from GnuCash, applications like
>>>> Firefox,
>>>> > Microsoft Office, LibreOffice and so on will also write here. To avoid
>>>> > clutter, most applications have the courtesy to create their own
>>>> > subdirectory here and only write in that subdirectory. This leads
>>>> > seamlessly to the next couple of important directories:
>>>> >
>>>> >
>>>> > On 9/7/25 11:38, Edwin Booth wrote:
>>>> >
>>>> > Thank you! I have tried your No. 2 suggestion countless times and just
>>>> > does not reappear. I’m not sure what you mean by the down arrow on the
>>>> > column headers (I’m using a MacBook). I only get the side-to-side
>>>> arrows as
>>>> > well as the regular cursor. I’m keen to try your No. 3 but have no
>>>> idea how
>>>> > to do that.
>>>> >
>>>> > Thanks so much for the reply!
>>>> >
>>>> > Edwin
>>>> >
>>>> > On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 1:17 PM Steve Butler <
>>>> stephen.m.butler51 at gmail.com>
>>>> > wrote:
>>>> >
>>>> >> Create the new account.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Delete the old account and check the box to transfer all
>>>> transactions to
>>>> >> the new account.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> It may be that your balance column was either:
>>>> >> 1.  Turned off -- check the down arrow on the column headers.
>>>> >> 2.  Pushed off the page by wider columns.  Double click the
>>>> Description
>>>> >> column headers to see if columns suddenly appear(and description
>>>> column
>>>> >> shrinks)
>>>> >> 3.  Width of Balance column set to zero pixels.  There is a file you
>>>> need
>>>> >> to edit to fix that.  Not sure which one nor where it is located.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> On Sun, Sep 7, 2025, 11:11 Edwin Booth <elybeedle at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> >>
>>>> >>> Hi. I’m having trouble with one of my accounts. I have lost the
>>>> Balance
>>>> >>> column and I think I need to make a new account. Is it possible to
>>>> copy
>>>> >>> and
>>>> >>> paste a whole account into a new account window?
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>> Thanks, Edwin
>>>> >>>
>>>> >> _______________________________________________
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>>>> >>>
>>>> >>
>>>> >
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> _________________________________
>>> Richard Losey
>>> rlosey at gmail.com
>>> Micah 6:8
>>>
>>
>
> --
> _________________________________
> Richard Losey
> rlosey at gmail.com
> Micah 6:8
>