I can find StickiesDatabase on my internal drive (in Finder's Go menu, press Option to reveal Library - this contains the database), but how can I access StickiesDatabase (which contains Stickes I need) on an external hard drive? Spotlight is not able to reveal the file, but it's there somewhere, since the drive contains a bootable copy of the contents of another Mac.
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.6
It would likely be:
/Volumes/extdrive/Users/username/Library/Containers/com.apple.stickies/Data/Library/Stickies/
Each Stickie is an individual binary RTFD (directory) that is located in that last Stickies folder. Within each is a TXT.rtf stickie file.
It would likely be:
/Volumes/extdrive/Users/username/Library/Containers/com.apple.stickies/Data/Library/Stickies/
Each Stickie is an individual binary RTFD (directory) that is located in that last Stickies folder. Within each is a TXT.rtf stickie file.
I'm sure the StickiesDatabase is in the same location, but, as I said, it is not visible. It only reveals itself in a Mac by doing as I described (Option key, etc.). As the StickiesDatabase I want is on an external drive, there appears to be no way of revealing it.
If the StickiesDatabase on that external drive is from Mojave or earlier, it will be in an incompatible format to be read on Catalina or later. When upgrading from Mojave to a later operating system, the upgrade will automatically convert the older format to the current format. The old StickiesDatabase is in digest format (all the stickies in one file) and the new implementation is separate RTFD Stickie files in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.stickies hierarchy.
Luis Sequeira1 wrote:
In the Finder by pressing Command-Shift-Period, you can toggle the display of hidden files.
Thank you, that did the trick of revealing the hidden StickiesDatabase in my external hard disk. But now my question is: can I simply copy and paste that file into my Mac, do a restart and expect to find the Stickies of the other Mac? I ask, because I have just done that and there has been no change in the Stickies on my Mac.
VikingOSX wrote:
If the StickiesDatabase on that external drive is from Mojave or earlier, it will be in an incompatible format to be read on Catalina or later. When upgrading from Mojave to a later operating system, the upgrade will automatically convert the older format to the current format. The old StickiesDatabase is in digest format (all the stickies in one file) and the new implementation is separate RTFD Stickie files in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.stickies hierarchy.
Thanks, but both sets of Sticks are 11.6 (Big Sur)
dialabrain wrote:
FWIW, ~/Library/StickiesDatabase no longer exists after macOS Catalina.
?? Okaaay, so where are my Sickies stored, then? Are you saying that the StickiesDatabase file I find in my Big Sur OS is a left-over from the old days and is now doing nothing?
willywonty wrote:
dialabrain wrote:
FWIW, ~/Library/StickiesDatabase no longer exists after macOS Catalina.
?? Okaaay, so where are my Sickies stored, then? Are you saying that the StickiesDatabase file I find in my Big Sur OS is a left-over from the old days and is now doing nothing?
I believe that is the case as VikingOSX explained.
VikingOSX wrote:
If the StickiesDatabase on that external drive is from Mojave or earlier, it will be in an incompatible format to be read on Catalina or later. When upgrading from Mojave to a later operating system, the upgrade will automatically convert the older format to the current format. The old StickiesDatabase is in digest format (all the stickies in one file) and the new implementation is separate RTFD Stickie files in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.stickies hierarchy.
TBH I'm giving up! I cannot for the life of me find that path in my external drive, even by revealing the hidden files.
@VikingOSX
That did the trick. I followed your path to the letter, got there and was able to retrieve the data I wanted. Many thanks indeed.
Two observations:
The path was actually /Volumes/extdrive/Users/username/Library/Containers/Stickies/Data/Library/Stickies/
rather than:
/Volumes/extdrive/Users/username/Library/Containers/com.apple.stickies/Data/Library/Stickies/
and for the last four folders I had to Get Info each time and switch the privileges to Read and Write.
Have a good weekend. I know I will.
It will be in exactly the same location:
/Volumes/VolumeName/Users/UserName/Library/StickiesDatabase
(of course you have to substitute the actual volume name and user name)
In the Finder by pressing Command-Shift-Period, you can toggle the display of hidden files.
FWIW, ~/Library/StickiesDatabase no longer exists after macOS Catalina.
FWIW, the StickyDatabase doesn't exist in either of my two Big Sur installs.
You are welcome.
Where is StickiesDatabase on an external drive?
