FAQ - Can I have two different versions (years) of Quicken for Windows installed on my computer?

splasher

How can I have two different versions (years) of Quicken for Windows installed on the same computer?

splasher

Yes, you can, but it is not advised.  There are lots of little quirks that you have to deal with when you have more than one version installed.
For the sake of this example, I'll use the situation where you have QW2016 installed and then "add" QW2010, I do it this way on purpose because of the confusion it will cause.

•     First off, you can only run one version at a time.
•     The versions will share some common ".ini" (info and settings) files and the last version installed takes precedence.
•     Information like last file used is one such piece of common information.  It is used when you start Quicken, it opens the last file used.
•     If the last version you used was QW2016 and then decided to use QW2010, it would try to open the 2016 file and fail stating you can not open a prior version file.
•     Likewise, if you last used QW2010 and changed to QW2016, Quicken would open the 2010 file and convert it to 2016, not something you probably want to happen.
•     The installation of 2010 secondarily causes the association of all the Quicken type files (.QDF, .QFX, .QXF, etc) to be associated with QW2010 (these are Windows settings), not QW2016  (this is one reason for my selected install sequence).

An alternative to having two versions on the same computer, you might consider running some Virtual Machine software like Oracle VM VirtualBox and install a copy of Windows in it and then the QW2010 in it, so that the two versions would essentially be installed on different computers and would not have a chance of causing cross version problems.


Now, if you still feel you have to have two versions installed on the same computer, here is how to do it.

•     Double-click your program download (the .EXE file), or Insert your install CD to begin the installation process.
•     Before clicking the Next button on the first install-wizard screen, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys then click the Next button on the screen.
•     Click OK on the pop-up message, "Quicken will no longer search for prior installations."
•     Be sure to Browse on the Install Directory confirmation window to select a directory other than your prior/existing install directory.

NOTE: If at any point, your configuration becomes unusable, you will need to run the QCleanUI process to remove both Quicken installations and then you should start the install process again.  https://www.quicken.com/support/how-do-i-install-quicken-for-windows