[GNC] GNUCash 4.14 on MacOS 10.13 very slow to save

[Michael Weber]

GR—

Interesting.  I know sqlite was an option in the past, but are you suggesting it is now the preferred file structure over XML?  I’m fine to convert if I need to do so.  I’ll just have to check the pros and cons of moving to sqlite.

Thoughts?

Best,
MW

> On Feb 17, 2026, at 2:08 PM, G R Hewitt <hewittgr at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Perhaps, when the program has loaded and before entering any transactions, you might try 'saving as' an sqlite file and also an xml file.
> Then close Gnucash, then open one of the saved as files, I'd choose the sqlite file first. 
> I don't know if this will make any difference, but when I am stuck with something like this I try lots of things - even if they seem counter-intuitive
> and often it turns out to be the unexpected..
> 
> Good luck
> 
> GRH
> 
> On Tue, 17 Feb 2026 at 19:40, Michael Weber <mweberjunk01 at gmail.com <mailto:mweberjunk01 at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Jim—
> 
> I let it sit yesterday after adding that one simple transaction, and it was over 12 hours before it finished and returned back.  I now added two more transactions, clicked Save, and it’s churning again.  Letting it sit and finish has done nothing.
> 
> My storage location is 100% local, not distributed or shared anywhere.  It’s on my local NVMe drive, which is working fine elsewhere.
> 
> I’ve also restarted the machine several times, but still nothing.
> 
> I’m thinking I may revert back to a previous version from my last 4.9 run since I do save for 30 days and let it try again.  If that doesn’t work, I’m at a loss.  Perhaps I’ll setup 4.14 on my new laptop arriving today which I will setup with Linux and see what happens.
> 
> All—
> 
> If anyone else has any recommendations, I’m all ears since I don’t want to have to abandon my data file or be stuck on 4.9!
> 
> Best,
> Michael Weber
> 
> > Hello, Michael:
> > 
> > On 2026-02-16 07:37, Michael Weber wrote:
> > > I have been using GNUCash for many years and had been using 4.9 for quite some time.  In preparing for a computer migration from MacOS to Linux, I decided I would upgrade, taking the migration path suggested of the latest v4 build (4.14) and then migrating to the latest v5 build.
> > >
> > > I installed the 4.14 version and ran the repair of all my transactions, which was very fast and did not require a save.  I believe everything was fine.
> > >
> > > However, now when I make any change and click the Save button, saving takes minutes…  a lot of minutes…  and CPU at 100%.  Moments ago, I added one transaction and clicked save, and I’m currently at 24 minutes and counting, and the save has not finished....
> > 
> > I too have been using GnuCash on macOS for quite some time. I am now on 
> > the nearly-current version 5.12, but I was using GnuCash 4.x on macOS 
> > while it was the latest version. I do not recall having a problem of 
> > very slow saving.
> > 
> > Some suggestions for troubleshooting, based on my macOS experience.
> > 
> >  1. Patiently let the current save finish, before taking further
> >     troubleshooting steps. If you end up with a file partially saved,
> >     that just gives you another obstacle to overcome.
> >  2. See if the storage location for your book file might be an issue.
> >     Are you storing it on a cloud drive of some sort?  If so, try
> >     quitting GnuCash, moving the book file to the home storage volume of
> >     your Mac, and then running GnuCash and opening that file from its
> >     new location.
> >  3. I do have experience of some part or another of the macOS system
> >     getting wedged. Quitting the app, and if trouble persists,
> >     restarting macOS, are a hassle but clear up many slowdowns.
> > 
> > I hope this helps.
> > 
> > I think you are doing well to upgrade first from your previous 4.x 
> > version of GnuCash to version 4.14, before upgrading GnuCash to version 
> > 5.x.
> > 
> > Best regards,
> >       —Jim DeLaHunt
> 
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