Upgrade from Ver. 2007

Steven Reiss

If I upgrade from Quicken 7 For Mac, can I input the data from Ver. 7 so I don't have to manually start all over again? I'm limited now to my late 2012 Mac Mini running El Capitan and really would prefer to stay on that OS.......My mini has 16 Gigs of RAM and an 500 Gig SSD.

smayer97

Not sure how techie you are, at least with macOS X+ (you allude to past techie experience) but do consider virtualization as a possible option to bridge the gap, temporarily or longer term.

John_in_NC

Yes, the latest version of Quicken for Mac will convert your 2007 data. You won't have to start over.

The latest version will run under El Capitan.

jacobs

I am guessing that you are referring to Quicken 2007 when you say "version 7" and "Quicken 7"?

If so, yes the current Quicken Mac run run on El Capitan, and it will import and convert your Quicken 2007 data file. There are lots of differences between Quicken 2007, some for the better, some for the worse, and some neither better nor worse, but you should know it will take awhile to learn and get used to the new user interface and way of doing some things. You should also know that Quicken's support for El Capitan is not likely to last too much longer, and you will need to upgrade at some point to continue working with Quicken updates. But it should work fine for now. (Also, you might find upgrading to newer -- but not latest -- macOS at some point buys you compatibility without complications. Upgrading to High Sierra, for instance, will still run on your Mac and generally doesn't knock out most older software from running.)

smayer97

BUT be aware that some things will NOT import into the new QMac, namely saved reports, budgets, for examples.

I suggest that you make sure that the subscription for Quicken 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, then continued with QM2015 onward), 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).

*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, nor the built-in ability to track you as a lender.

Currently, the main advantages of subscription to Quicken for Mac 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 online access is supposed to continue as long as the FI/Bank supports it and their security updates don't prevent it.

Please note that Quicken for Mac is now a subscription-based product currently available for 1 year directly from Quicken or 2 yrs from retailers (which are often cheaper than Quicken). (If you are able to find QM2017 which is a pre-subscription product, it is supported until April 2020), whereas currently QM2007 will continue to work as long as your FIs/Banks support it, so keep that in mind.

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://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/17308705#Comment_17308705
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 subscription to Quicken for Mac does not meet your needs, the alternative is to obtain and run QM2007 Lion Compatible (LC), which will run on Mac OS X 10.6.8 to 10.14 Mojave (*).

(Since you plan on sticking with Mac OS X 10.11, the rest below won't apply to you, yet but I provide it for info.)

* If you still want to QM2007 built-in automatic backups, BOTH the data file AND the backups must be located on a HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) drive or partition, not the new APFS drive format that is used by macOS 10.13 (High Sierra; SSDs only) and 10.14 (Mojave; all drives).

See Is Quicken for Mac 2007 (QM2007) Compatible with High Sierra (macOS 10.13)? and Is Quicken for Mac 2007 Compatible with Mojave (macOS 10.14)?
for reference.

Also, be aware of this announcement about loss of connected services of QM2007 and that it will not run on macOS Catalina:
Update on Quicken for Mac 2007 Support Policies (July 2019)

So either you do not upgrade macOS to Catalina or if you need/want to, you can try running QM2007 in a VM (Virtual Machine). This is not for everyone. But if you do venture there, a free one is Oracle VirtualBox, or a few commercial ones include VMWare Fusion and Parallels.

Others have been successful but if you go this route, please post your experience here:
Share your experience running QM2007 in a Virtual Machine (VM)

jacobs

I agree with the line the post from @smayer97 above: "I suggest that you make sure that the subscription for Quicken for Mac will meet your needs."

But I prefer to suggest that rather than trying to read dozens of links and getting overwhelmed or confused, you simply try the current Quicken Mac. You can get your money back form Quicken within 30 days of purchase should you determine there is a show-stopping issue for you in using it.

Since we all use Quicken so differently and depend on different features in the program, I find most users can determine within a few weeks of experimentation whether they can be satisfied with the current Quicken Mac. Although there's a bit of a learning curve, the overwhelming majority of Quicken 2007 users have made that migration successfully, while a smaller number continue to use Quicken 2007 while waiting for additional functionality to be built into the current version.

Steven Reiss

My thanks to you all for your clear and concise explanations of the contemplated upgrade as well as the pros and cons of such a change.......all I have to do now is decide which direction to take this. The reason I asked is because to continue with my Adobe AI CC subscription appls. and get the add'l features that the newer AI CC offers, I'd have to upgrade my Mini to the newest one with more video RAM and this, in turn, would, I was told, make my Quicken 7 no longer functional, due to the latest OS that the new Mini has.....so your information is priceless. I have much to consider now....many thanks to you all!

jacobs

@Steven Reiss  Yes, hardware and software updates can be like dominos: an update to one thing triggers forced updates -- often not desired -- in lots of other places.

I believe Adobe Illustrator CC still supports macOS High Sierra, and the GPU (video RAM) support is optional. So you might find you could run the current Illustrator and the old Quicken 2007, on your current Mac Mini, using macOS High Sierra. That will likely buy you only a year, since Adobe will likely drop support for High Sierra with their 2021 software releases -- but it might give you a little more time before you replace your Mac Mini. Or you could decide not to fight the inevitable, and purchase a new Mac Mini, upgrade to Quicken Subscription, and upgrade to Illustrator 2020 -- it's only a matter of money and time!

Steven Reiss

Hello Jacob:

Thanks to you for the explanation. One last detail that colors my decision to upgrade to a higher level OS.....I'm 72+ and my need to keep up with the latest and best is slowly dissipating.......I'm still working as a product designer in 2D and I could have continued on with my CS5.5 suite until I updated to CS6 AI which is where the fiasco with Adobe started....after that, I had done 3 years of work in CS6 and could no longer step back and revise files in 5.5....so I put myself, with Adobe's "help" into the present situation........

Think I'll hold for the foreseeable future BUT so appreciate your help and suggestions......I used to be a Mac "geek" but that was just before the OS 10 intro years ago and my need to "tweak" the OS was still a daily thing.

Steve

jacobs

@Steven Reiss  I completely understand your reluctance to topple the dominos and have to learn what't new/different/changed in the OS as well as applications. And yes, increasing age makes many of us more reluctant to mess with the status quo.

Here's the only question I'll leave you with: if you stay pat now, do you think it will be as easy to adapt to a round of upgrades a few years from now when you're that much older? It's inevitable that at some point that your existing Mac will fail and you'll need a new Mac. Or that websites you use refuse to work with the old web browser(s) on your old macOS. Or that your employer/clients insist on AI files in a format newer than CS6. Or that Quicken will no longer be able to import Quicken 2007 data files. Perhaps you feel you can stay where you are with hardware and software indefinitely, and perhaps you can -- but I'd say the odds are that something will eventually force you to modernize, and you should weigh the benefits of not making changes now against what it will entail to do those upgrades when you're 3 or 5 or more years older. Only you can make that determination for yourself; I'm just giving you that side of things to think about.

Steven Reiss

Ha, good points all, Jacob! I don't have an easy answer for you, either. It won't be easier to upgrade several years from now BUT, to be painfully honest, I hope to get back to my aviation art using acrylics in several years and AI will be for "fun" not work any longer. I'm a product designer, specifically a toy designer, by experience and education, used to be in charge of the Hasbro Boys' design group back in the 1980s and now design RC car bodies.......I also work in 3d using Xenon, ported for the Apple since it was known as "Vellum"......it will run on any of the newer OSs so upgrading to a newer Mac then won't be the issue that it would be now while I'm still relevant to the business. It's really only AI that concerns me.......since in that future, I won't need Quicken to balance our corp. ledger as I imagine that I'll be done working professionally.......Your points are all valid and thought-worthy. I guess I'll have to ponder the next steps, whatever they might be and come to some sort of a viable and appropriate decision.........I THANK YOU so much for laying out the potential options for me. The possibilities make my head spin and I needed to hear from a dispassionate digital artist like you and the others in the community. Thanks, Jacob, long life and good health to you!!!

smayer97

Not sure how techie you are, at least with macOS X+ (you allude to past techie experience) but do consider virtualization as a possible option to bridge the gap, temporarily or longer term.

Steven Reiss

I was far more involved with the OS pre-OSX (HAD to be!). There was a frequent need to tweak preferences and extensions, things that all become almost rock solid stable once the migration to OS X was implemented......by "virtulization", what are you referring to if I may ask? I'm interested in at least being familiar with aspects of the OS X even if I never explore them......

Thanks for your response, smayer97!!

jacobs

Virtualization refers to using software to set up a "virtual machine" (VM) within a computer. This is most frequently used to run a different operating system, such as running Windows in virtual machine software on a Mac. But it's also possible to set up a virtual machine environment with an older version of macOS installed -- that is, your Mac runs macOS 10.15 and you run software like Parallels in which you set up a virtual machine with macOS 10.11 installed.

Since you're wary about doing the relatively straightforward upgrade of your macOS and Adobe and Quicken software, going down the road of installing and configuring virtual machine software is something I would not recommend.

Steven Reiss

Of course! I am aware of, but have NOT tried this except when my 2015 MacBook Pro was set up to run Parallels and Solidworks 3D modeling software. It worked okay but it dragged, very slow in the Mac laptop. I think Apple used to provide Bootcamp as an emulator for these purposes but, to be sure, I agree with you about trying that option. I'm starting to think seriously about biting the bullet and upgrading to the newest Mini running what the OS as installed. Have heard of some "issues" with that new OS so I may run as is until the summer when I can see if the new OS has matured a bit more.....then, I'll have to address Quicken at that point, one way or the other. Thanks so much for your time and suggestions......very valuable......Best to you! Steve