switching between quicken windows and quicken mac

Unknown

I have quicken for windows. I am purchasing quicken for mac. Once I migrate my files from windows to Mac, can I switch back and forth between the windows version and the Mac version by restoring files from my flash drive?  In other words, can I continue using my PC version, back up to a flash drive and then restore files to the Mac version if I want to work on my Mac and vice versa?

John_in_NC

No.

Both platforms use a different file format, and a conversion must take place to switch between each. To perform the conversion requires that the file is converted to a very low fidelity format, so things get lost in the translation. The conversion from PC to Mac has shown to be more reliable than from Mac to PC. The latter is usually fraught with corruption. 

smayer97

As mentioned above, the data file formats are not compatible. If you decide to migrate your data, you do need to convert. If your data is from QW2010 or newer, the mechanics are quite simple...copy data file over to Mac. Open data file with QM2017. The built-in conversion process will step you through but there are a few things you need to know; here is the entire process:
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/faq-converting-from-quicken-for-windows-includin...
Since you did not specify which version of QWin you are using, review all the prep and background info before:
https://www.quicken.com/support/things-do-converting-your-data-quicken-mac-2016

If you need to use an intermediary version, as mentioned on that page, instead of getting QW2010, you can try using QW2013 available from Quicken for FREE here: https://www.quicken.com/support/how-and-when-use-intermediate-version-convert-older-versions-quicken
(that first page needs to be updated  ;-)  )

NOTE: Be aware that at this time, it is very difficult to convert back from Mac to Windows, as there are many problems with the reverse conversion process.

I also suggest that you make sure that Quicken 2017 for Mac will meet your needs, since it was re-written from the ground up (starting in 2010 with Quicken Essentials) and is not the same product as the Windows version, so there are some features that are still not there e.g. full loan amortization*, 2-line display, QuickMath, or are not as fully developed yet, e.g. Customized Reports, investment lot management and performance reports and stats  (therefore some data may not carry over). You can start here:
http://www.quicken.com/mac/compare

*NOTE: Support for fixed rate loans has been released in v4.5.x but there is no announced timing for support for variable rate or simple daily interest loans.

You may want to review the List of Obstacles and Hindrances for Migrating from QM2007 or QWin to Quicken for Mac. Add your vote to any features that are missing for you. Your VOTES matter!

Be aware of data that will and will not carry forward: 
https://www.quicken.com/support/what-data-gets-carried-over
Then look at the updates since the original release here:
https://www.quicken.com/support/quicken-2017-mac-release-notes
Also read some of the Fixes and Improvements that are being released soon here:
http://www.quicken.com/upcoming-product-fixes-and-improvements
You will also want to look at a more detailed comparison done by a SuperUser which also identifies nuances not mentioned elsewhere (and read on for comments from other users too on that same discussion thread): 
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/can-anyone-who-has-switched-from-2007-to-2015-he...
Take a look at the following videos to give you a better idea:
https://www.youtube.com/user/QuickenMac

Note that there are many differences that are rather subtle, that are not necessarily identifiable via documentation, for example, the 12-month budget feature does not allow including transfers, including investment income, selecting specific accounts,  or have rollover capability.

If you find that QM2017 does not meet your needs, the alternative is to run Quicken for Windows in a virtual machine on your Mac. There are 5 popular products you can use: Parallels, VMWare Fusion, Oracle VirtualBox, Bootcamp or CrossOver. The first 4 require you to also buy a copy of Windows. The first 2 cost $50-80, the third and forth are free. CrossOver also costs about $50-$80 but does NOT require you to buy Windows.

If you plan to keep your PC & Mac, you could also run Quicken on the PC and use remote access (several free options, e.g. NoMachine and Teamviewer) to access Quicken from your Mac  (or even a tablet or phone) (see this great article for complete review of many options (most are free): http://machow2.com/rdp-for-mac/ ).

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

jacobs

Debra, here's a tangential point, if you haven't yet purchased Quicken for Mac. Fall is when Quicken typically announces and releases new versions of its Quicken products -- almost always in late-September to mid-October. So before you buy Quicken Mac 2017, you might want to consider if you'd want to wait a month to see what Quicken 2018 brings. (There is typically no "upgrade" for existing users; you have to purchase the new version at full price.)

This year is more complicated than years past, because Quicken has said it is moving to an annual subscription program instead of the previous buy-it-and-use-it-for-three-years model. A lot of questions were raised about the details of the subscription program, and Quicken has said they listened to user concerns -- but they haven't released any details about how the new subscription program will work, nor how it will be priced. So the thing to be aware of if you wait until Quicken 2018 is on sale, it *might* be something you want -- but if it isn't, you may find it hard to still buy Quicken 2017; some stores might still have the retail version for a short time, but there's a risk you're only option would be Quicken 2018. (You could also purchase Quicken 2017 for Mac now, and return it within 60 days for a full refund, if you decide to purchase Quicken 2018 to replace it.)

The flip side of this is that until Quicken announces the details of the subscription plan, no one can calculate if it will be advantageous to their needs. There are a lot of Windows-to-Mac switchers nowadays, but Quicken has always made people purchase the two programs separately; whether they make any accommodation to cross-platform/platform-switching users as part of the subscription is yet to be revealed.

So there are some pros and cons about possibly waiting for a month or so until the curtain is pulled back on the new pricing scheme.

In any case, as others have written above, you can't move back and forth between Windows and Mac data files. You can move from Quicken Windows to Mac, with some caveats about features which don't yet exist int he Mac product, but you pretty much can't move from Mac to Windows.

Unknown

i appreciate everyone's input.  It sounds rather complicate to continue using Quicken on both the PC and the MAC.  The windows version I have is Quicken Deluxe 2014.  I have always backed up my files onto a flash drive, but also have it backed up onto Carbonite.  I haven't tried to move the files over to I-cloud but can try.  My question is....will inserting my flash drive into the Mac, once I have installed the Mac version of Quicken, automatically transfer the files?  Will it do so, if I try to install it from Carbonite?  If I succeed in moving the files over to i-cloud, will it transfer that way?  I'm not quite sure how to do that though.  

volvogirl

Debra Fouts said:

i appreciate everyone's input.  It sounds rather complicate to continue using Quicken on both the PC and the MAC.  The windows version I have is Quicken Deluxe 2014.  I have always backed up my files onto a flash drive, but also have it backed up onto Carbonite.  I haven't tried to move the files over to I-cloud but can try.  My question is....will inserting my flash drive into the Mac, once I have installed the Mac version of Quicken, automatically transfer the files?  Will it do so, if I try to install it from Carbonite?  If I succeed in moving the files over to i-cloud, will it transfer that way?  I'm not quite sure how to do that though.  

Read the links posted above for how to convert from Windows to Mac Quicken. The Mac Quicken is a totally different program and works very differently than Windows Quicken.

smayer97

Debra Fouts said:

i appreciate everyone's input.  It sounds rather complicate to continue using Quicken on both the PC and the MAC.  The windows version I have is Quicken Deluxe 2014.  I have always backed up my files onto a flash drive, but also have it backed up onto Carbonite.  I haven't tried to move the files over to I-cloud but can try.  My question is....will inserting my flash drive into the Mac, once I have installed the Mac version of Quicken, automatically transfer the files?  Will it do so, if I try to install it from Carbonite?  If I succeed in moving the files over to i-cloud, will it transfer that way?  I'm not quite sure how to do that though.  

Bottom line is that no matter how you get the data over to your Mac, QM2017 will read and convert your data; built-in conversion will work for you since you are using QW2014. But it is a one-way conversion. And the features in QM2017 are different. SO, read up so you do not have any surprises.

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

jacobs

Debra Fouts said:

i appreciate everyone's input.  It sounds rather complicate to continue using Quicken on both the PC and the MAC.  The windows version I have is Quicken Deluxe 2014.  I have always backed up my files onto a flash drive, but also have it backed up onto Carbonite.  I haven't tried to move the files over to I-cloud but can try.  My question is....will inserting my flash drive into the Mac, once I have installed the Mac version of Quicken, automatically transfer the files?  Will it do so, if I try to install it from Carbonite?  If I succeed in moving the files over to i-cloud, will it transfer that way?  I'm not quite sure how to do that though.  

I do suggest you move your data file via a flash drive rather than backing up to Carbonite and restoring to the Mac. And definitely do NOT do it if the file is on iCloud. You could possibly transfer the file to iCloud (if your Windows machine can talk to iCloud?) then download it to your Mac. The key is that your Windows data file should be firmly on your Mac's hard drive, not on a flash drive or in the cloud anywhere, when you open it in Quicken Mac for conversion.

smayer97

smayer97 (QM2007, CDN user since '92) said:

As mentioned above, the data file formats are not compatible. If you decide to migrate your data, you do need to convert. If your data is from QW2010 or newer, the mechanics are quite simple...copy data file over to Mac. Open data file with QM2017. The built-in conversion process will step you through but there are a few things you need to know; here is the entire process:
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/faq-converting-from-quicken-for-windows-includin...
Since you did not specify which version of QWin you are using, review all the prep and background info before:
https://www.quicken.com/support/things-do-converting-your-data-quicken-mac-2016

If you need to use an intermediary version, as mentioned on that page, instead of getting QW2010, you can try using QW2013 available from Quicken for FREE here: https://www.quicken.com/support/how-and-when-use-intermediate-version-convert-older-versions-quicken
(that first page needs to be updated  ;-)  )

NOTE: Be aware that at this time, it is very difficult to convert back from Mac to Windows, as there are many problems with the reverse conversion process.

I also suggest that you make sure that Quicken 2017 for Mac will meet your needs, since it was re-written from the ground up (starting in 2010 with Quicken Essentials) and is not the same product as the Windows version, so there are some features that are still not there e.g. full loan amortization*, 2-line display, QuickMath, or are not as fully developed yet, e.g. Customized Reports, investment lot management and performance reports and stats  (therefore some data may not carry over). You can start here:
http://www.quicken.com/mac/compare

*NOTE: Support for fixed rate loans has been released in v4.5.x but there is no announced timing for support for variable rate or simple daily interest loans.

You may want to review the List of Obstacles and Hindrances for Migrating from QM2007 or QWin to Quicken for Mac. Add your vote to any features that are missing for you. Your VOTES matter!

Be aware of data that will and will not carry forward: 
https://www.quicken.com/support/what-data-gets-carried-over
Then look at the updates since the original release here:
https://www.quicken.com/support/quicken-2017-mac-release-notes
Also read some of the Fixes and Improvements that are being released soon here:
http://www.quicken.com/upcoming-product-fixes-and-improvements
You will also want to look at a more detailed comparison done by a SuperUser which also identifies nuances not mentioned elsewhere (and read on for comments from other users too on that same discussion thread): 
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/can-anyone-who-has-switched-from-2007-to-2015-he...
Take a look at the following videos to give you a better idea:
https://www.youtube.com/user/QuickenMac

Note that there are many differences that are rather subtle, that are not necessarily identifiable via documentation, for example, the 12-month budget feature does not allow including transfers, including investment income, selecting specific accounts,  or have rollover capability.

If you find that QM2017 does not meet your needs, the alternative is to run Quicken for Windows in a virtual machine on your Mac. There are 5 popular products you can use: Parallels, VMWare Fusion, Oracle VirtualBox, Bootcamp or CrossOver. The first 4 require you to also buy a copy of Windows. The first 2 cost $50-80, the third and forth are free. CrossOver also costs about $50-$80 but does NOT require you to buy Windows.

If you plan to keep your PC & Mac, you could also run Quicken on the PC and use remote access (several free options, e.g. NoMachine and Teamviewer) to access Quicken from your Mac  (or even a tablet or phone) (see this great article for complete review of many options (most are free): http://machow2.com/rdp-for-mac/ ).

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Just discovered that the link above to the "List of Obstacles and Hindrances for Migrating from QM2007 or QWin..." was broken. It is now fixed.