Running Quicken 2020 on two Macs

debax

I've recently upgraded my Q2007 to Q2020, and have it loaded on two networked Macs at home. I'm getting familiar with the new Quicken and beginning to like it (although I do like reconciling my checking acct. better on Q2007). My question: How do I make sure each Mac is using the same data file so that a change to my financial data on one Mac is reflected on the other? I assume the shared data file needs to be on the Cloud, but not sure how/where to put it??

I realize (to keep my data synched) I should not be running Quicken on both Macs at the same time

Quicken Francisco

Hello @debax

Thank you for reaching out on the community and telling us about your issue. While we generally don't recommend storing your main file you generally would do this by using a cloud storage such as dropbox, google drive, or Icloud. You'd need to move the folder into a folder that is cloud synced. You can move files easily by going in the top left and selecting file > Move to. From here you should be able to select the location that will sync between both computers.

Again it's not recommended as it could cause some issues within the files. If you do want to try it just make sure to save plenty of backups for security. If you have any other questions let us know!

Thanks,

Quicken Francisco

jacobs

@debax It's not recommended because file permissions inside your Quicken data file can get corrupted moving between two machines. It may work fine for quite a while, and suddenly you'll find yourself locked out of your data.

The recommended safe procedure is to move only compressed copies of the data file. This would be either (a) do Save a Backup from with Quicken, or (b) do File > Compress on your Quicken data file after you have quit Quicken. After each Quicken session, copy the compressed file (either the .quickenbackup or .zip file) to anywhere you want to use for sharing. This could be Dropbox, iCloud, or in a folder on one of your Macs with File Sharing turned on. The next time you want to use Quicken on either machine, copy the latest compressed copy to the Mac, and double-click to open and then launch Quicken. Yes, this takes a few seconds each time to make the backup and copy it to your shared location, and a few seconds to copy it back and open it -- but it's the only truly safe way to do this.