Home Quicken for Mac Errors and Troubleshooting (Mac)

Quicken for mac slow to open

I recently converted over to Quicken for the Mac 2017.  When I attempt to start Quicken it takes over 6 minutes before the application is available to use.  This only seems to happen once each day.  If I close the application after waiting the long 6 minutes and re-open the application, it starts up in a few seconds.

Has anyone seen this issue and have a work-around for it?  This is pretty annoying.

I took a look in one of the log files and it looks like I'm getting some timeouts attempting to 
access the quotes and histquotes pages.  These timeouts seem to account for at least
4 minutes of the delay.
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Comments

  • John_in_NCJohn_in_NC SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2017
    It appears that you are having issues downloading quotes files. Whether this is temporary or related to your system, I do no know.

    You can always go into Preferences:General, and remove the checkmark from the "automatically download quotes" and see if this speeds up your launch. It should, as it will now only check for quotes when you update all your accounts (versus startup/every 15 minutes).
  • Unknown Member
    edited November 2016
    Thanks for the suggestion John, but I had already disabled the automatic download of quotes in an attempt to solve this problem.  I just checked and it's still unselected.
  • Unknown Member
    edited November 2016
    I found that by simply rebooting my Mac causes Quicken to take the 6 minutes to startup.  Still no  resolution.
  • Richard@[email protected] Member ✭✭
    edited March 2017
    Bob
    Recently my version of Mac 2017 started to take a long time to open.  Same symptoms as you have described.  Have you come across a solution to the problem yet?  Would appreciate any advice you can provide. 
    Thanks, Dick
  • Unknown Member
    edited January 2017
    Sorry, I ended up reverting back to Quicken for Windows.  There were just just too many shortcomings in the Mac version for me to tolerate.  The slow startup was just one of several issues I had.  This is the second time I've tries to switch from Windows to Mac.  I'm hoping that in another year, the third time will be the charm!
  • Unknown Member
    edited March 2017
    Richard said:

    Bob
    Recently my version of Mac 2017 started to take a long time to open.  Same symptoms as you have described.  Have you come across a solution to the problem yet?  Would appreciate any advice you can provide. 
    Thanks, Dick

    I'm experiencing the same issue - Quicken for Mac (2017) is taking too long to startup.  Also, the Quicken banner remains on screen during the startup, which is annoying if you try to do other things while Quicken starts up.
  • Bob@37[email protected] Member ✭✭
    edited November 2018
    To speed your whole Macintosh, may I suggest that you _consider_ getting a solid-state drive?

    I use a solid-state drive _&_ it's like having whole-new Mac.  No-more constantly spinning Hard Disk.

    It cost me less than $250, installed on-site, at-home.  Try it, you'll adore it.  :-)

    ["Made in China", but don't worry:  I won't go further!]
  • Unknown Member
    edited March 2017
    The delay in startup has nothing to do with disk speed or processor speed, so getting a faster hard drive is a waste of money.  The application is timing out waiting for a response from the network.  I verified this with OSX's instruments and the "top -o cpu" utility.
  • Robert WalterRobert Walter Member ✭✭
    edited April 2017
    I recently converted from QM2007 to QM2017 with 20+ years of transactions. My backup file is 24.1 MB in size.  It takes 53 seconds to launch QM2017 on my iMac.  When I launch QM2007 with the original data file, it takes 13 seconds to open.  The relative delay happens every time.  I don't have any other application that takes that long to open, not even graphics programs with very large image libraries.  I suspect QM2017 is just not as efficiently programmed as the earlier version.  This might be addressed with a software fix.
  • PaulPaul Member ✭✭
    edited August 2018
    I am also seeing the very slow startup of Quicken 2017 Mac v4.4.3 on a Late 2013 iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5 with 16GB of RAM.  My data file is 148.5MB and with data back to January 1992.  This file was imported from Quicken Mac 2007.

    From the time I click the Quicken icon to the time the program is usable is nearly 2 minutes.  I see this in the console.log:

    5/12/17 7:10:25.656 PM Quicken 2017[87736]: Requesting new bank list.5/12/17 7:10:26.223 PM Quicken 2017[87736]: We received 14780 records in the bank list.
    5/12/17 7:12:08.314 PM Quicken 2017[87736]: We received 14777 records in the bank list.

    About 15 seconds later the Quicken window actually appears and I get the "Updating 203 securities" dialog, which takes another 30 seconds to complete.
  • smayer97smayer97 SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2018
    Paul said:

    I am also seeing the very slow startup of Quicken 2017 Mac v4.4.3 on a Late 2013 iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5 with 16GB of RAM.  My data file is 148.5MB and with data back to January 1992.  This file was imported from Quicken Mac 2007.

    From the time I click the Quicken icon to the time the program is usable is nearly 2 minutes.  I see this in the console.log:

    5/12/17 7:10:25.656 PM Quicken 2017[87736]: Requesting new bank list.5/12/17 7:10:26.223 PM Quicken 2017[87736]: We received 14780 records in the bank list.
    5/12/17 7:12:08.314 PM Quicken 2017[87736]: We received 14777 records in the bank list.

    About 15 seconds later the Quicken window actually appears and I get the "Updating 203 securities" dialog, which takes another 30 seconds to complete.

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    (
    Canadian Q user since '92, STILL using QM2007)

  • Craig in ERCraig in ER Member ✭✭
    edited November 2017
    I also find Quicken for Mac 2017 version 4.5.4 to be very slow to open (1-2 minutes) the first time I launch it after starting my iMac (OS version 12.5) for the day or after a restart of the iMac.  If I quit and then re-launch Quicken it opens within just a few seconds - maybe 5-10 seconds.  So, clearly there is some form of communication going on between the iMac OS and  Quicken on the first launch after starting or re-starting your Mac.  BTW, if you right click on the Quicken icon in the Dock while Quicken is launching the right click menu says "Quicken Not Responding" and the "Force Quit" menu item is available.  After Quicken opens those menu items go away.  Hope this helps the Quicken team resolve this behavior.
  • Unknown Member
    edited May 2017
    I am experiencing the same issue. I would suggest that the time lag can be longer than 1-2 minutes. Thanks for posting your comment.
  • Unknown Member
    edited May 2017
    I too have Quicken 2017 for Windows which is slow to open.  I did not have this problem with the 2014 edition.  Why?
  • jacobsjacobs SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2017

    I too have Quicken 2017 for Windows which is slow to open.  I did not have this problem with the 2014 edition.  Why?

    Paul, this older thread was about Quicken for Mac. I suggest you start a NEW question about what you're experiencing with Quicken for Windows being slow to open, so the Windows experienced users will see it and respond.
    QMac 2007 & QMac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • Unknown Member
    edited June 2017
    I have the same problem.  Quicken for Mac (v 4.5.8) is extremely slow to launch.  It usually takes 3 to 5 minutes.  The strange thing is that this problem only occurs the first time I launch Quicken after starting the computer.  If I quit and re-lauch Quicken, it starts right away.  This is an infuriating problem.  The Apple support folks tried hard to find the issue, but were unsuccessful.  Has anyone made progress solving this problem?
  • Randy_mRandy_m Member ✭✭
    edited June 2017
    I'm also experiencing this problem on Quicken for Mac 4.5.8. Here's hoping the developers can remedy the situation.
  • BillBill Member ✭✭
    edited June 2017
    Same problem here. Quicken for Mac 2017 has always been maddeningly slow to open, but even slower with this latest release (4.5.8).
  • Unknown Member
    edited June 2017
    My Quicken for Mac 2017 (all software up to date) take 10 minutes to open on a mid-2010 2.8Ghz i7
  • HenrythHenryth Member ✭✭
    edited July 2017
    Have the same issue. My QM2017 file is 116MB and takes anywhere from 90-120 seconds to open, except when I don't make changes, then it opens in about 10 seconds. Is there a relationship?
  • Unknown Member
    edited September 2017
    I see lots of complaints about this same problem with Quicken 2017 for Mac taking a long time to load.  In my case, it can take several minutes (1-3) to prompt for the password, then up to another minute to load data and present a usable screen for transactions.  


    But so far, there is no comment from Quicken, no hint about the source of the problem and no fix proposed.  Are we all just barking into space?
  • jacobsjacobs SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2017

    I see lots of complaints about this same problem with Quicken 2017 for Mac taking a long time to load.  In my case, it can take several minutes (1-3) to prompt for the password, then up to another minute to load data and present a usable screen for transactions.  


    But so far, there is no comment from Quicken, no hint about the source of the problem and no fix proposed.  Are we all just barking into space?

    Comments on this forum are, very likely, barking into space. This forum is mostly a user-to-user forum which is not really monitored by the Quicken development team, except on rare occasion. It might be more effective to send a message which will reach the developers (or at least their triage group) by using the Help > Report a Problem screen within Quicken 2017. If enough people do this, it may get attention from the developers.
    QMac 2007 & QMac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • Robert WalterRobert Walter Member ✭✭
    edited September 2017
    I'm one of the earlier posters on this thread.  I recently upgraded to a new iMac from an earlier 2007 model, and I have found that problem I had with the QFM launching delay no longer occurs.  I have a large QFM data file (20+ years), and I wonder if my old Mac didn't have enough RAM or some other hardware deficiency that slowed down the Quicken launch.

      I agree that Quicken has been very silent on this issue.  It would be helpful if they would describe a useful set of system requirements that would solve this problem.
  • jacobsjacobs SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2017

    I'm one of the earlier posters on this thread.  I recently upgraded to a new iMac from an earlier 2007 model, and I have found that problem I had with the QFM launching delay no longer occurs.  I have a large QFM data file (20+ years), and I wonder if my old Mac didn't have enough RAM or some other hardware deficiency that slowed down the Quicken launch.

      I agree that Quicken has been very silent on this issue.  It would be helpful if they would describe a useful set of system requirements that would solve this problem.

    A new iMac may have either a solid state (non-volatile, or flash, RAM) hard drive or a fusion drive (which is partly flash RAM); an older Mac almost certainly has a traditional spinning hard drive, and probably a pretty slow one at that. (Apple inexplicably uses cheap 5400 RPM drives instead of much faster 7200 RPM drives, which really limits performance.)

    Quicken upon launch has to read through the entire data file to build account balances and other data it needs in RAM, so a slow spinning hard drive is *much* slower to launch with a large Quicken data file than a fast solid state or fusion drive. I would guess that this is a large part of the speed-up you've experienced.

    Of course, replacing a 5 or 7 year-old Mac with a new one also means a much faster processor, RAM and other components, so all the faster hardware helps Quicken's startup -- but the type of hard drive makes the most significant difference.
    QMac 2007 & QMac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • Unknown Member
    edited September 2017

    I'm one of the earlier posters on this thread.  I recently upgraded to a new iMac from an earlier 2007 model, and I have found that problem I had with the QFM launching delay no longer occurs.  I have a large QFM data file (20+ years), and I wonder if my old Mac didn't have enough RAM or some other hardware deficiency that slowed down the Quicken launch.

      I agree that Quicken has been very silent on this issue.  It would be helpful if they would describe a useful set of system requirements that would solve this problem.

    Your comment was extremely helpful. I have been waiting 5-6 minutes for QFM 17 to load and also a long delay for individual accounts to load. I'm using a Mac Mini with a HD and a solid state drive. I have it formatted with all my apps on the ss drive and all my user files on the HD. I moved my QFM file (located in User/Library/Applications support/Quicken 2017) to the solid state drive. The difference is remarkable. No more delays! Thanks.
  • Unknown Member
    edited September 2017

    I'm one of the earlier posters on this thread.  I recently upgraded to a new iMac from an earlier 2007 model, and I have found that problem I had with the QFM launching delay no longer occurs.  I have a large QFM data file (20+ years), and I wonder if my old Mac didn't have enough RAM or some other hardware deficiency that slowed down the Quicken launch.

      I agree that Quicken has been very silent on this issue.  It would be helpful if they would describe a useful set of system requirements that would solve this problem.

    I have a late 2009 "old" MacBook white clamshell laptop.

    Years ago I maxed out the RAM to 8 GB and replaced the old hard drive with a 500 GB solid state drive (SSD).

    I'd venture to guess that my almost 9 year old MacBook is almost as fast as the newest ones.

    The SSD made a huge difference in loading all software on it.  
  • HenrythHenryth Member ✭✭
    edited November 2017
    I have a late 2015 iMac with a 3.2 GHZ Intel Core i5 and 8GB of memory and my QM17 file is about 123 MB and it takes 3-5 minutes to open the file. If I don't make any changes to the file, it will open the next time in less than one minute. Why????

    I also have an 2010 Airbook with solid state drive and it also takes me 3-5 minutes to open a file! Why that long??
  • jacobsjacobs SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2017

    I'm one of the earlier posters on this thread.  I recently upgraded to a new iMac from an earlier 2007 model, and I have found that problem I had with the QFM launching delay no longer occurs.  I have a large QFM data file (20+ years), and I wonder if my old Mac didn't have enough RAM or some other hardware deficiency that slowed down the Quicken launch.

      I agree that Quicken has been very silent on this issue.  It would be helpful if they would describe a useful set of system requirements that would solve this problem.

    The old Macbook is nowhere near as fast as the new ones. But, as you note, switching to a solid state drive from a rotating hard drive makes an incredible difference. For Quicken, which relies on a lot of disk activity, the drive matters a lot. But a much faster processor, faster RAM, faster bus, etc. also adds up to a performance difference. My 3 year-old iMac is much faster at launching and running Quicken than my 6 year-old MacBook Pro, which has a similar (replaced) hard drive. 
    QMac 2007 & QMac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • jacobsjacobs SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2017
    Henryth said:

    I have a late 2015 iMac with a 3.2 GHZ Intel Core i5 and 8GB of memory and my QM17 file is about 123 MB and it takes 3-5 minutes to open the file. If I don't make any changes to the file, it will open the next time in less than one minute. Why????

    I also have an 2010 Airbook with solid state drive and it also takes me 3-5 minutes to open a file! Why that long??

    A 123 MB data file is pretty large. Do you have a lot of saved attachments, or is that just all transactions?

    I don't know, and no one here really does, why Quicken takes as long as it does to launch for users with large data files. It appears Quicken must read through all the records in the database to build its running balances for accounts and other data it builds on the fly each time it's launched. Only a Quicken engineer could answer definitively -- and they almost never are let loose to read and respond here. ;)

    I can speculate, though. The reason an immediate relaunch is fast on your iMac could be due to your hard drive. The 2015 3.2   GHz iMacs had a choice between a fusion drive and a 7200 RPM hard drive. I'm guessing you have the fusion drive. When you launch Quicken the first time, as it reads your data file, some of your data is being moved from the rotating hard drive portion of your drive onto the solid state portion. If you quit and relaunch quickly, some of your data is still on the solid state memory, so it's read much faster. If you use some other programs in between Quicken launches, your data file is relocated back to the lower-speed rotating disk.

    Why is the much older Macbook Air is about the same speed as the newer iMac? The Air has a much, much slower processor, memory and bus -- but it has a solid state drive which helps Quicken immensely. The newer iMac is faster all around -- except it probably has a much slower spinning hard drive or fusion drive. 
    QMac 2007 & QMac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • HenrythHenryth Member ✭✭
    edited September 2017
    Henryth said:

    I have a late 2015 iMac with a 3.2 GHZ Intel Core i5 and 8GB of memory and my QM17 file is about 123 MB and it takes 3-5 minutes to open the file. If I don't make any changes to the file, it will open the next time in less than one minute. Why????

    I also have an 2010 Airbook with solid state drive and it also takes me 3-5 minutes to open a file! Why that long??

    My datafile is 20 years old and probably has a lot of stock quote information. The old Quicken 2007 alerted you when it was too much and you could go in and delete the oldest stock quotes. Don't know how to do this with QM2017 and if it is necessary?
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