Running Quicken Subscription (2020) for Windows on Mac Virtual Machine

chimikuina

Can anyone comment on their experience running Quicken Subscription for Windows on a Mac virtual machine? I have always used PC, but mine is about to die and I just got a Mac. I use Quicken Home & Business edition and this is not currently available for Mac.

If possible, can you share how to install a virtual machine? I have heard of it but have never done it myself. TIA!

smayer97

As long as your Mac has enough RAM and disk space (and if it is a new model it should be just fine), running a QWin in VM should be a decent experience, with things running similar to what you are used to.

The most beneficial way to install a Windows VM is to use the built-in 'copy an existing Windows drive' method. Parallels and Fusion both have such functionality and requires little set-up once the windows drive is duplicated into your new VM. This approach will replicate whatever you already have in your PC.

Overall, it is relatively simple but you will have to read up on it. But simply install the software, connect the Mac to your Windows PC then follow simple steps to replicate the Windows drive.

chitownhockey

I'm not running the subscription version yet...I run Quicken Windows 2017.

But the procedures are the same.

My setup:

Parallels Desktop 15 (annual subscription)
Windows 10 (you'll need to purchase a license).

As you can see, there are additional costs to running a virtual machine inside a Mac box.  

You can also use VMWare Fusion (subscription) or Oracle Virtual Box (which is free...but I couldn't get it to work...probably just me).

Another option is Crossover (which I also couldn't get to work).  Crossover does NOT require a Windows 10 license.  Crossover isn't a virtual machine...it just loads Quicken on to your Mac using the necessary drivers.  Once again, I tried, but couldn't get it to work.  Might just be non-techy me.  

Once you purchase Parallels or VMWare Fusion and install it, the instructions are very simple to install Windows 10 and create the virtual partition.  The software guides you through.  The biggest issue is that there are about a zillion updates to Windows 10, so you have to wade through hours upon hours of Windows updating their operating system before it's functional.  Don't expect to use your Mac for a while.

After the virtual machine is loaded, you just go to the Windows 10 icon in the Mac taskbar and load Quicken into the virtual machine.  What I do to get any Windows software there, is I copy the download file onto my Mac desktop, right click and copy, and then paste into Windows Explorer in the virtual machine.  Then from there, I click on the download file to install it to your virtual C: drive.  And of course, you'll need to copy your Quicken data file from your old PC to the new Windows 10 virtual machine.  

Sounds confusing at first, but the workflow is pretty standard once you do it the first time.  

smayer97

And if you are able to figure it out, copying your current Windows PC drive into your VM overcomes MANY of the issues and steps listed by @chitownhockey

smayer97

PKGuy323 said:

... I even use my file in OneDrive so I can access QWIN from my Mac or WinPC as well as back it up.

...

Thanks for sharing. Though a little off topic, one point you make needs to be addressed. It is ill advised to actively work on your live Quicken data file directly from a cloud-based storage location.

There are at least 2 problems that can arise. 1) Some cloud services put hidden locks on the individual files in the Quicken file.  These are called Access-Control List (ACL) permissions. 2) The file could be corrupted by the database being updated by a cloud service from one computer while the file was open on another.

Though QMac has added a warning mechanism for this type of usage, this is not the case in QWin. And though this can alert the user if a file is opened by another location (not by direct detection but rather a proxy mechanism) it is not intended as a foolproof way to prevent file corruption. Acknowledged and admitted by Quicken, there can be other factors outside Quicken's control that can also lead to unrecoverable file corruption in this set-up. And sometimes these issues do not appear soon enough and propagate even into backup files, so those files may not be used as a fallback.

So, this is still not a recommended approach. Use at your own risk.

smayer97

As long as your Mac has enough RAM and disk space (and if it is a new model it should be just fine), running a QWin in VM should be a decent experience, with things running similar to what you are used to.

The most beneficial way to install a Windows VM is to use the built-in 'copy an existing Windows drive' method. Parallels and Fusion both have such functionality and requires little set-up once the windows drive is duplicated into your new VM. This approach will replicate whatever you already have in your PC.

Overall, it is relatively simple but you will have to read up on it. But simply install the software, connect the Mac to your Windows PC then follow simple steps to replicate the Windows drive.

chitownhockey

I'm not running the subscription version yet...I run Quicken Windows 2017.

But the procedures are the same.

My setup:

Parallels Desktop 15 (annual subscription)
Windows 10 (you'll need to purchase a license).

As you can see, there are additional costs to running a virtual machine inside a Mac box.  

You can also use VMWare Fusion (subscription) or Oracle Virtual Box (which is free...but I couldn't get it to work...probably just me).

Another option is Crossover (which I also couldn't get to work).  Crossover does NOT require a Windows 10 license.  Crossover isn't a virtual machine...it just loads Quicken on to your Mac using the necessary drivers.  Once again, I tried, but couldn't get it to work.  Might just be non-techy me.  

Once you purchase Parallels or VMWare Fusion and install it, the instructions are very simple to install Windows 10 and create the virtual partition.  The software guides you through.  The biggest issue is that there are about a zillion updates to Windows 10, so you have to wade through hours upon hours of Windows updating their operating system before it's functional.  Don't expect to use your Mac for a while.

After the virtual machine is loaded, you just go to the Windows 10 icon in the Mac taskbar and load Quicken into the virtual machine.  What I do to get any Windows software there, is I copy the download file onto my Mac desktop, right click and copy, and then paste into Windows Explorer in the virtual machine.  Then from there, I click on the download file to install it to your virtual C: drive.  And of course, you'll need to copy your Quicken data file from your old PC to the new Windows 10 virtual machine.  

Sounds confusing at first, but the workflow is pretty standard once you do it the first time.  

smayer97

And if you are able to figure it out, copying your current Windows PC drive into your VM overcomes MANY of the issues and steps listed by @chitownhockey

tjloft

I run VmWare Fusion 11.5 on my iMac and run Quicken Subscription (and other PC software) on a Windows 10 virtual machine. I run both Mac and Windows simultaneously and I highly recommend it.

As noted above, there are costs involved since your Windows license is probably tied to the hardware on which it was purchased and is not transferable to your Mac. A Windows license and VmWare Fusion ($80) both require purchase.

I have not tried Parallels so can't compare. Boot Camp isn't a useful option since it requires restart when switching OS. vbox is probably best left to technically savvy users familiar with open source software.

I always recommend a clean install and moving data over from old PC and not inheriting problems from your old PC.

Make sure you have plenty of RAM and disk space to run both "computers" simultaneously.

chimikuina

I appreciate all your input. Will definitely consult a friend who is a bit more techy than I am in order to get it all operational.

@tjloft how much RAM do you think would be necessary to run both "computers" simultaneously?

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smayer97

PKGuy323 said:

... I even use my file in OneDrive so I can access QWIN from my Mac or WinPC as well as back it up.

...

Thanks for sharing. Though a little off topic, one point you make needs to be addressed. It is ill advised to actively work on your live Quicken data file directly from a cloud-based storage location.

There are at least 2 problems that can arise. 1) Some cloud services put hidden locks on the individual files in the Quicken file.  These are called Access-Control List (ACL) permissions. 2) The file could be corrupted by the database being updated by a cloud service from one computer while the file was open on another.

Though QMac has added a warning mechanism for this type of usage, this is not the case in QWin. And though this can alert the user if a file is opened by another location (not by direct detection but rather a proxy mechanism) it is not intended as a foolproof way to prevent file corruption. Acknowledged and admitted by Quicken, there can be other factors outside Quicken's control that can also lead to unrecoverable file corruption in this set-up. And sometimes these issues do not appear soon enough and propagate even into backup files, so those files may not be used as a fallback.

So, this is still not a recommended approach. Use at your own risk.