Stickies disappeared when reinstalling OSX Ventura after log in issues.

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ganzoltd

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All of my stickies have disappeared. I searched the database here and there were similar issues in 2012 for OSX 10.5 to 10.6 upgrade. It mentioned user/library/ stickies.database but there is no LIBRARY in my HD under my user name. I looked at every file I could for that database and it is nowhere to be found. I even did a spotlight search. I have Time Machine backups but when the tech at the Apple Store did the restore for me they chose specific folders, not a full restore due to the possibility of something in the backup having caused the initial problems with the computer not recognizing my account password after successfully logging in with the correct password! So now I can't find my old stickies. Can anyone help? My MacBook Air, M1 chip is now running OSX Ventura 13.3
 
I'm not clear what you mean by "sped the disk"? The Apple Store techs erased the hard drive and did a clean install of Ventura 13.3. Then they restored from my latest Time Machine backup but not a full restore, just choosing specific folders so as not to re-install any corrupt files or data.
 
IF your Stickies are indeed in TM backup, then you can search for them. However, you need to know what they are called (which I do not) and, hopefully, where they might be located.
 
I have done a spotlight search on the backup disk and many "files and folders" come up but nothing seems to contain the old stickie notes. There are PDFs of the ones that were made into PDFs, but not the active ones. Would .plist be correct, as there are several called that?
 
ganzoltd said:
I have done a spotlight search on the backup disk and many "files and folders" come up but nothing seems to contain the old stickie notes. There are PDFs of the ones that were made into PDFs, but not the active ones. Would .plist be correct, as there are several called that?
Click to expand...
No, those .plist's are most likely preferences for various apps.
I don't use stickies, so I'm not going to be of much further help.
 
StackOverflow tells me "Stickies are typically stored in a DB under ~/Library/StickiesDatabase.". Checked that I have such a file in my machine.

Good luck.
 
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Try going to /Users/[user]/Library/Containers/Stickies/Data/Library/Stickies. The stickies should be in separate .rtfd files. That's what I'm seeing within Ventura.
 
That would be great BUT for some reason when I go to User/my name/ there is no Library folder, only these:Screenshot 2023-04-10 at 10.02.36.png
so I am very confused where to turn. I have looked at every single folder for Library and nothing has Container or anything to do with Stickies.
 
When you're in Users/my name, go under the View menu on your menu bar, choose Show View Options, then choose Show Library Folder, which should be toward the bottom.
 
Thank you, wow, deep dive to find that. Unfortunately the only stickie note there is the new one that I created since the reinstall. Should I be able to find the old data on my Time Machine Backup? Do you know how to find it on the last good backup?
 
Yeah, plug in your backup drive, navigate to the folder above, then choose to enter your Time Machine. A machine I have that's on Big Sur shows the same location of stickies, so Ventura wasn't the OS where things got moved — meaning that backups should exist in this location.
 
I tried it like you wrote but there is no Library folder under Users in the Time Machine backup and it doesn't have Library in Show View Options on the backups. None of the Backups except the one done today have the Library option. I feel like I've hit dead end other than restoring my user file but that might risk losing data that I've entered since that backup?
 
What version of the OS did you upgrade from? If it was pre-Big Sur, you might try the earlier person's suggestion of looking in Users/[your name]/Library/StickiesDatabase. Navigate to that Library folder, enter into Time Machine again, go back a few backups, and see if StickiesDatabase exists.
 
I had Ventura 13.1 on the MacBook when it refused my user PW for software updates. Mac tech couldn't figure it out and the Apple Store couldn't either so they erased the entire computer and reinstalled Ventura with the update to 13.3. My latest backups before the restore were in Ventura 13.1 so I can't understand why none of the backups have a Library under my user name and the View options doesn't offer Show Library Folder.
 
I would think that you have to check the Show Library Folder box prior to being in Time Machine. If it shows up in your current view, surely it'll also show up in the backups.
 
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