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moving-data

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Moving Unify's main data folder

Unify keeps nearly all of its data in a single main data folder, and uses an entry in the Unify.settings file to keep track of where that folder is located. If you ever need to move the Unify data folder to a different location (e.g., on a different drive with more free space), there are basically just two steps:

  1. Move the actual files to the new location
  2. Change the path to the main data folder in Unify's Settings view

As with many things, the trick is getting all the details just right, so here we present a more detailed step-by-step sequence.

Step 1: Locate the existing data folder

  • Open Unify (preferably the stand-alone app, but you can do this in the plug-in as well)
  • Click the gear icon at the bottom right, to open the Settings view
  • Locate the “Data folder” line about half-way down; it looks like this:

  • Click the Open… button, to open the current Unify data folder in Windows Explorer / Mac Finder
  • Leave the Explorer/Finder window open while you move on to the next step

Step 2: Create the new folder

  • Open a new Explorer/Finder window, and navigate to wherever you want to move the Unify data
  • Create a new folder, and give it a suitable name, e.g. “Unify data”
  • Double-click the new folder, to open it.

Step 3: Move/Copy the Unify data

  • In the first Finder/Explorer window, select (highlight) all the contents
    • At the very least, there will be sub-folders called Libraries and Presets, but if you have been using Unify for some time, there may be several other folders.
  • Drag all the selected sub-folders to the other Explorer/Finder window
    • If you created your new Unify data folder on a different drive, the files will be copied, and will thus exist in both places. You will delete the old ones in Step 5 below.
    • If you created your new Unify data folder on the same drive as the old one, the files will be moved, and you'll see them disappear from the old location. If this isn't what you expected, drag them back.

Step 4: Select the new folder in Unify's Settings view

  • In the Unify Settings view, click the Change… button
    • This will open a “folder browser” window, whose appearance will depend on your specific operating system
  • In the file browser window, navigate to the new folder you just made, select it, and click OK (Windows) or Open (Mac)
    • The folder browser window will close.
    • If you accidentally selected the wrong folder, you may see an error pop-up like this:

  • This is Unify trying to be helpful, by warning you that you might be choosing the wrong folder.
  • Click OK to dismiss the dialog, and go back as many steps as necessary to make sure you choose the correct folder.
  • Once you have selected the correct folder, the folder path shown just to the right of the Open… button will change accordingly.
  • Leave the second Explorer/Finder window open as well; you might need it.

Step 5: Load some patches

  • Close the Settings view by clicking on the green Close button at the top right
  • Open the Unify patch browser by clicking the Browse button
  • Select one or two patches, to make sure they are loading correctly
    • Patches should load as usual. If they do not, you might not have correctly copied all of Unify's files to the new location. Check your two Explorer/Finder windows to make sure. Drag over any folders you might have missed, then try loading patches in Unify again.

Step 6: Delete the old folder

  • At this point, you can safely remove the old Unify data folder entirely.
    • In your first Explorer/Finder window, navigate up one level, and drag the entire old folder (it will typically be called Unify) to the Trash, then empty the Trash.
  • Now you can close both Explorer/Finder windows; you're done.

Step 7: Close and re-open Unify

  • Unify won't actually update its Settings file until you close it, so close it now.
  • Run Unify again, open the patch browser, and test loading patches, just to be sure.
  • OK, now you're really done.
moving-data.1600221822.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/05/08 18:59 (external edit)