Where apps hide your files

Finding the OmniFocus database and backups

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

The OmniFocus database is a package called OmniFocus.ofocus, and the app can show you where it is. Backups are saved automatically every two hours into a separate folder you can open from the File menu.

Let OmniFocus show you

The quickest route is inside the app. Omni's support page says to hold ⌥ (Option) while opening the File menu, then choose Show "OmniFocus.ofocus" in Finder. That reveals the live database package, whichever build you run.

Omni does not publish the package's full path, but it sits inside the app's sandbox. This read-only search prints it for OmniFocus 4 without opening anything:

find ~/Library/Containers/com.omnigroup.OmniFocus4 ~/Library/Group\ Containers/34YW5XSRB7.com.omnigroup.OmniFocus -maxdepth 6 -name '*.ofocus' 2>/dev/null

The database is a package: a folder that Finder displays as a single file. Do not open or edit anything inside it. Quit OmniFocus before copying it.

The backups folder

For OmniFocus 4 (Omni Store and Mac App Store builds alike), Omni Group's support page gives one path:

~/Library/Containers/com.omnigroup.OmniFocus4/Data/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus/Backups

From the app, choose File > Show Backups in Finder. From Terminal:

open ~/Library/Containers/com.omnigroup.OmniFocus4/Data/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/Backups

OmniFocus 3 used different container names. The Omni Store build used com.omnigroup.OmniFocus3, and the Mac App Store build used com.omnigroup.OmniFocus3.MacAppStore, with the same Data/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus/Backups ending.

To see what is installed without opening anything:

ls ~/Library/Containers | grep -i omnifocus

Why Finder shows a different Backups folder

The OmniFocus 4 manual says Finder shows a special OmniFocus folder inside Documents that holds a Backups folder, and that it lives in a special location inside OmniFocus's own storage. If you sync Desktop and Documents with iCloud, it appears under On My Mac instead (add that to the Finder sidebar in Finder Settings).

Omni staff confirmed on the Omni forum in 2025 that this folder is not really in ~/Documents as far as the file system is concerned: Finder is showing a folder from the app's sandbox, which they named as ~/Library/Containers/com.omnigroup.OmniFocus4/Data/Documents. That differs from the path in Omni's restore article, so check your own Mac: drag the Backups folder Finder shows into a Terminal window to see its real path, or run this read-only search:

find ~/Library/Containers/com.omnigroup.OmniFocus4/Data -maxdepth 5 -type d -name Backups

File > Show Backups in Finder always opens the folder in use.

What the backups are

Per the OmniFocus 4 manual:

• OmniFocus backs up your data once every two hours, and keeps up to 100 backups at a time, which the manual puts at about two weeks of continuous use.
• Backups only happen while OmniFocus is running. They are also made before you change sync accounts, migrate data or restore from a backup.

Backups follow the time OmniFocus is open, not how much you edit, so a week with the app closed makes none. Before a big change, such as a mass reorganisation, make one yourself with File > Export… and Backup Document (OmniFocus).

Restoring

Omni's revert steps run with OmniFocus open. Choose File > Show Backups in Finder and double-click the backup from the time you want; it opens in its own window with a yellow bar. Click Revert to This Backup and confirm. Anything entered after that backup is lost, and if you sync, the server and your other devices are overwritten too. To recover only a few items, drag or copy them from the backup window into your main window instead.

Sync and the live database

When you are online, per the manual, OmniFocus sends changes to the sync server about a minute after you make them, as well as when you open or close the app, and checks the server at least every hour. Sync is set up in Settings (⌘,) under the Sync pane. Sync is not a backup: a deleted project is deleted everywhere.

Space

Backups are copies of your database, and up to 100 are kept, so the folder can add up, especially if you use attachments. Check before deleting:

du -sh ~/Library/Containers/com.omnigroup.OmniFocus4/Data/Library/Application\ Support/OmniFocus/Backups

Removing old backups only costs you restore points. Do it in Finder with OmniFocus quit, and keep the newest few.

Checking which build you run

OmniFocus 3 and 4 can sit on the same Mac, each with its own container, so a leftover OmniFocus 3 folder does not mean your current data is there. Look at the container names from the ls command above: OmniFocus4 is the current one, and the newest modification date on the Backups folder inside it tells you which version has been running lately. Your live data is whatever the Show OmniFocus.ofocus command opens, so use that as the final answer when two folders disagree.

Moving to a new Mac

If you sync, install OmniFocus on the new Mac, sign in to the same sync account and let it download, then check that projects, tags and perspectives all appear before retiring the old Mac.

Without sync, use a backup file. The manual's upgrade steps (written for moving from OmniFocus 3 to 4, and noted as useful when changing devices) are: choose File > Export…, pick Backup Document (OmniFocus) and save the .ofocus-backup file; on the new Mac, finish setup without sync, drag that file onto the OmniFocus app icon, and click Revert to This Backup.

Why Spotlight does not help

The container sits under ~/Library, and Spotlight and Finder searches leave ~/Library results out. The database is also one package, not a file per task, so there are no task files to find.

Finding it next time

Typing OmniFocus.ofocus into Everywhere finds the database package by name, ofocus-backup lists the backup files, and omnigroup lists the Containers folders for each Omni app. Containers are among the folders macOS protects, so Everywhere includes them once it has Full Disk Access. It matches file names only, and it will not look inside backups to tell you which one has a given task. Press ⌘↵ to reveal a result in Finder.

Common questions

Where does OmniFocus 4 store backups on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Containers/com.omnigroup.OmniFocus4/Data/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus/Backups. Choose File > Show Backups in Finder to open it.

How do I find the OmniFocus database file?

Hold Option while opening the File menu and choose Show "OmniFocus.ofocus" in Finder. The database is a package named OmniFocus.ofocus inside the app's sandbox container.

How often does OmniFocus back up?

The OmniFocus 4 manual says every two hours while the app is running, keeping up to 100 backups. Extra backups are made before sync account changes, migration and restores.

Why is my OmniFocus Backups folder in Documents?

The OmniFocus 4 manual says Finder shows backups in a special OmniFocus folder under Documents (or On My Mac with iCloud Desktop and Documents). Omni staff say it is a Finder view of a folder inside the app's container, not a real folder in ~/Documents.