Moving Quicken 2018 files to Dropbox to share between two Macs

Jay Zenitsky

I just purchased Quicken 2018 for the Mac. I plan to import my 22 years of data from my older Quicken 2007 file and then move that data file to Dropbox so I can access it from two different Macs (as I currently do now with my 2007 files). Is this possible?

Unknown

No.  First off, you may not be able to import your Quicken 2007 directly into Quicken Mac 2018.  You may need to download intermediate Quicken Windows versions first, convert your data file and then import into Quicken Mac.

Second, Quicken is not multi-user and does not support accessing the data file from a cloud based storage, an external drive (HDD or flash drive) or a networked configuration.  Data corruption will eventually occur.

Search on this forum for solutions on how to use Quicken on multiple computers (Mac or Windows).  The best solution is to backup your data file to Dropbox in a compressed file, then copy that file from Dropbox to Mac #2 and use there.  Repeat after each Quicken Mac use. 

jlgg

I recently imported my Quicken Mac 2007 data file to Quicken Mac 2018.  The data included 30+ accounts, including investment and brokerage accounts containing thousands of transactions dating from 1994. The import went perfectly with only 2 placeholder transactions to deal with. Hopefully your experience will be the same.

Unknown

jlgg said:

I recently imported my Quicken Mac 2007 data file to Quicken Mac 2018.  The data included 30+ accounts, including investment and brokerage accounts containing thousands of transactions dating from 1994. The import went perfectly with only 2 placeholder transactions to deal with. Hopefully your experience will be the same.

Note...you said Quicken Mac 2007 to Quicken Mac 2018.

I assumed the op was using Quicken Windows 2007 and converting to Quicken Mac 2018.

smayer97

B Hawks QWin and QMac 2017 said:

No.  First off, you may not be able to import your Quicken 2007 directly into Quicken Mac 2018.  You may need to download intermediate Quicken Windows versions first, convert your data file and then import into Quicken Mac.

Second, Quicken is not multi-user and does not support accessing the data file from a cloud based storage, an external drive (HDD or flash drive) or a networked configuration.  Data corruption will eventually occur.

Search on this forum for solutions on how to use Quicken on multiple computers (Mac or Windows).  The best solution is to backup your data file to Dropbox in a compressed file, then copy that file from Dropbox to Mac #2 and use there.  Repeat after each Quicken Mac use. 

QM2018 imports QM2007 data directly...no intermediary versions required.

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

smayer97

jlgg said:

I recently imported my Quicken Mac 2007 data file to Quicken Mac 2018.  The data included 30+ accounts, including investment and brokerage accounts containing thousands of transactions dating from 1994. The import went perfectly with only 2 placeholder transactions to deal with. Hopefully your experience will be the same.

Not sure how much you have researched the difference, so here is some background to consider. 

I suggest that you make sure that Quicken 2018 for Mac will meet your needs, since it is not an upgrade from QM2007 but rather from Quicken Essentials (which was re-written from the ground up, starting in 2010), 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, performance reports and stats (therefore some data may not carry over). You can start here:
https://www.quicken.com/mac/upgrader-compare

*NOTE: Support for fixed rate loans has been released as of  QM2017 v4.5.x but there is no announced timing for support for variable rate or simple daily interest loans.

Currently, the main advantages of QM2018 over QM2007 include the ability to sync cash, bank, and credit card accounts using Quicken Mobile for mobile devices (iOS and Android) and the ability to save receipts with transactions via computer or mobile device. There are a few other minor features that QM2007 does not have. Note that it has been announced that security fixes have ceased for QM2007 since QM2017 is released...see http://www.quicken.com/support/update-quicken-mac-2007-support-policies-may-2016 yet online access will continue as long as the FI/Bank supports it and their security updates don't prevent it.

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/2018-release-quicken-mac-release-notes
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, etc.

If you find that QM2018 does not meet your needs, the alternative is to continue to run QM2007 Lion Compatible (LC), which will run on Mac OS X 10.6.8 to 10.13 High Sierra (so far*). 

* See Is Quicken for Mac 2007 (QM2007) Compatible with High Sierra (macOS 10.13)? 
(Early reports suggest QM2007 works on High Sierra but automatic backups do not seem to work, at least when using the new APFS drive format... but is ok with the HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) format on the boot drive only, NOT on external drives)

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

smayer97

As for sharing your data file, if you are already doing this with QM2007 on dropbox, you may be aware of the risks, depending on how you have set it up. You should never place the working data file on a cloud-based location...that can lead to data corruption...there is also the issue of making sure only one user is using the data at once, or you get out of sync situations.

There are alternatives to consider. First, you need to understand that Quicken is not designed for multi-user usage, so, the options to "share" a data file are work-arounds.  Even sharing a data file between computers with the "same" user is seen by the OS as separate users. Since you did not specify the level of access you are wanting to achieve, here are a number of options:

• the first option is to move the data back and forth between users. In your case, you could move a copy of the data to a shared location, e.g. Drop Box, and each take turns updating the data. You would have to develop a sign-out process to make sure you do not both update a copy and overwrite each other's work. However, do not store and use the data file stored online directly. This often leads to a corrupted data file. Best practice is to compress the data file before moving it to a cloud based storage to prevent problems with file permissions.
• you can create a new user on your computer and use and store the data file in user (no not store the data file in a shared folder)
• If you have mobile devices (iOS or Android) and if all you want to sync is cash, bank, and credit card accounts (i.e. non-investment transactions), consider using Quicken Mobile on a mobile device. You can sync more than one mobile to the same data file located on one of your computers, as long as you use the same Intuit ID associated to the data file. Note that this is limited to sync 24 months plus new transactions.
• use remote access software (several free options, e.g. NoMachine and Teamviewer) to access Quicken on one computer from the other, or even mobile devices (see this great article for complete review of many options (most are free): http://machow2.com/rdp-for-mac/ ). Though this article was written primarily with Macs in mind, there are many solutions offered that work for Windows too. The advantage of these solutions is that you retain access to all the features of Quicken, unlike Quicken Mobile. The trade-off is that the host computer cannot really be used for anything else while using Quicken with these remote solutions. 
• use VPN software, a little more complicated to set up but more versatile. You will need to research options for this.

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

Jay Zenitsky

B Hawks QWin and QMac 2017 said:

No.  First off, you may not be able to import your Quicken 2007 directly into Quicken Mac 2018.  You may need to download intermediate Quicken Windows versions first, convert your data file and then import into Quicken Mac.

Second, Quicken is not multi-user and does not support accessing the data file from a cloud based storage, an external drive (HDD or flash drive) or a networked configuration.  Data corruption will eventually occur.

Search on this forum for solutions on how to use Quicken on multiple computers (Mac or Windows).  The best solution is to backup your data file to Dropbox in a compressed file, then copy that file from Dropbox to Mac #2 and use there.  Repeat after each Quicken Mac use. 

When launching Quicken for Mac 2018 a window pops up with options to import data from previous versions of Quicken (including 2007). The two times I attempted to import my old data the 2018 application either froze or remained unstable. So, now I am starting over and wondering how to do this. Fortunately, I can still use Q-2007 after upgrading to High Sierra last week. 

For years I've had my 2007 data file on Dropbox allowing me access my data from either my iMac or MacBook. I was hoping the 2018 version would allow me to do that. I am very aware of the risk of having Quicken open concurrently on my two Macs. 

smayer97

B Hawks QWin and QMac 2017 said:

No.  First off, you may not be able to import your Quicken 2007 directly into Quicken Mac 2018.  You may need to download intermediate Quicken Windows versions first, convert your data file and then import into Quicken Mac.

Second, Quicken is not multi-user and does not support accessing the data file from a cloud based storage, an external drive (HDD or flash drive) or a networked configuration.  Data corruption will eventually occur.

Search on this forum for solutions on how to use Quicken on multiple computers (Mac or Windows).  The best solution is to backup your data file to Dropbox in a compressed file, then copy that file from Dropbox to Mac #2 and use there.  Repeat after each Quicken Mac use. 

Glad it has worked out up until now. Quicken simply does not support either QM2007 nor QM2018 being directly on any non-local storage. It is use at your own risk. 

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

Unknown

B Hawks QWin and QMac 2017 said:

No.  First off, you may not be able to import your Quicken 2007 directly into Quicken Mac 2018.  You may need to download intermediate Quicken Windows versions first, convert your data file and then import into Quicken Mac.

Second, Quicken is not multi-user and does not support accessing the data file from a cloud based storage, an external drive (HDD or flash drive) or a networked configuration.  Data corruption will eventually occur.

Search on this forum for solutions on how to use Quicken on multiple computers (Mac or Windows).  The best solution is to backup your data file to Dropbox in a compressed file, then copy that file from Dropbox to Mac #2 and use there.  Repeat after each Quicken Mac use. 

It's not just an issue with BOTH Macs being open at the same time.

It's an issue with your Quicken data being read/written to Dropbox...and the time it takes to do that and access your data.

Thus, data corruption WILL occur using your method.  Good luck.