[ONGOING] 2/3/25: Restored Categories - How to Handle

Coach Natalie

We’re working on a fix for a number of customers who have category corruption that has resulted in some of their categories disappearing.  We have implemented a fix by restoring these categories, however, users will need to make some adjustments on their end to resolve the restored categories.

If you are one of the small number of customers with this issue, you will be notified via a pop-up in Quicken Simplifi.

Managing Restored Categories in Quicken Simplifi

What Happened:

On Monday, February 3rd, we restored a few missing categories that had invalid parent or child categories. These restored categories are now at the top of the category tree with “(RESTORED)” added to their names for easy identification. If there are duplicates, you’ll see a number after “(RESTORED)” (e.g., “Category (RESTORED 2)”).

Why Were Categories Restored Instead of Deleted?

We restored the categories to preserve any transactions still assigned to them, ensuring your data remains intact.

How to Find and Reassign Categories:

Web App

1. Go to Transactions: Select Transactions from the sidebar.
2. Search for Restored Categories: Type “Restored” in the search box.
3. Sort by Category: Click “Category” in the header to sort transactions by category.
4. Find Specific Categories: For each restored category (e.g., “Auto & Transport (RESTORED)“), type part of the original name (like “Auto”) in the search box to find related transactions.

Mobile App

1. Go to Transactions: Select Transactions from the menu.
2. Search for Restored Categories: Type “Restored” in the search box.
3. Filter by Category: Use the Filter options to filter your transactions by category.
4. Find Specific Categories: For each restored category (e.g., “Auto & Transport (RESTORED)“), type part of the original name (like “Auto”) in the search box to find related transactions.

If the Restored Category is Unique:

In some cases, the restored category will be unique. In other cases, there might be existing categories with a similar name that you might have created when the original one was hidden.

Web App

1. Go to Settings > Categories & Tags.
2. Search for the restored category.
3. Click the category to edit.
   1. Rename the Category: Remove “(RESTORED)” and any numbers.
   2. Reassign the Parent Category: Click “Subcategory of” and choose the correct parent category.
4. Save your changes—your category is now fully restored.

Mobile App

1. Go to Settings > Categories.
2. Search for the restored category.
3. Click the category to edit.
   1. Rename the Category: Remove “(RESTORED)” and any numbers.
   2. Reassign the Parent Category: Click “Subcategory of” and choose the correct parent category.
4. Save your changes—your category is now fully restored.

If You Created a New Category with a Similar Name:

Web App

1. Identify Duplicate Categories: In the Transactions list, see which category has fewer transactions.
2. Select Transactions to Reassign: Check the boxes next to these transactions.
3. Click the Pencil Icon to open the multi-edit screen.
4. Check the box next to Category, then select the category to reassign transactions (usually the restored one).
5. Clean Up Categories:
   • Go to Settings > Categories & Tags.
   • Delete the duplicate category by clicking the three dots next to it and selecting Delete.
   • Rename and reposition the restored category as needed.
   • Repeat these steps for any other restored categories to keep your clean up your category list.

Mobile App

1. Identify Duplicate Categories: In the Transactions list, see which category has fewer transactions.
2. Reassign Categories: Edit each transaction to reassign the category (usually the restored one).
3. Clean Up Categories:
   • Go to Settings > Categories & Tags.
   • Delete the duplicate category by clicking the three dots next to it and selecting Delete.
   • Rename and reposition the restored category as needed.
   • Repeat these steps for any other restored categories to keep your clean up your category list.

We have also seen instances where a parent category got deleted, and the subcategories are misplaced (one becomes the parent and the original parent is missing). For example, the original category of "Utilities" and its subcategories now look like this:

To resolve this (using the "Utilities" example):

1. Create a new subcategory called "Electric" under the existing parent category of "Electric".
2. Rename the existing parent "Electric" to "Utilities".
3. Review transactions assigned to "Utilities" and move them to the new "Electric" if needed.

If you experience any trouble handling Restored Categories, our Support Team is happy to help!

QCS-20214