How do I download data from PayPal to Quicken Starter 2020 for Mac?

drgaryse

Hello:

PayPal allows me to export files, including QIF. I have followed instructions to start a new Quicken file (File -> New). Then selected Start from a .QIF file exported from another application -> Next -> Import the .QIF file Select file to convert -> selected the file from its download -> Next -> Don't use Quicken Mobile or Web -> Next -> Quicken then indicates it's importing the file and you see a transaction count running. Next I get a pop-up that says Successfully Imported File and I can select to Show Logs or OK. Selecting Show Logs indicates a log file that I open and it says it imported the file. The last line of the log is" Number of transactions created for each account:" Nothing further is displayed. If I select OK. I get an overview window. There are no accounts and no transactions. Where's my data? I'm completely at a loss. PayPal is so widely used and Quicken for Mac is so widely used you would think this could be done, right?

John_in_NC

I don't suggest you try this tonight (8/26/2020) as Quicken is in a offline maintenance window. Try again tomorrow.

But, when you do, you won't import via QIF-that is for importing from other financial software applications. You will want to File:New and create a new file from scratch. Then, you will be presented with the ability to add new accounts, and that is where you will add your accounts, including PayPal.

Do note that PayPal might not support all account types for transaction import, so you will have to try to see if your account is supported. But, using the new account method is what you want to do in any case. QIF is not what you want.

drgaryse

Thank you, John. I am not uploading to Quicken in the cloud, only downloading to my Mac, so I don't see a reason to wait until Quicken is online.

PayPal will also export CSV and tab files, but none of those are a Quicken format, and I don't have Quickbooks. So, if I add PayPal as an account, what do I export from PayPal?

drgaryse

Also, in case it's any use, and from your answer it may not be, the extension of the file Quicken converted from .QIF is .Quicken. I don't know if I can open that file.

jacobs

@drgaryse  Not all companies provide a downloadable file in the format that Quicken requires: QFX. You may be able to see while logged into your PayPal account whether it provides a QFX download -- I don't believe it does, but I might be wrong. 

You will need to create a new account in Quicken, as John said, and then Quicken will show what option(s) PayPal supports. If it will allow you to import a QFX file, you'll have the option to select Web Connect. If it offers only Quicken Connect instead, that means you'll set up Quicken's server to log in to PayPal once a day to download your transactions, which will download to your Quicken the next time you tell it to update the account.

John_in_NC

You won't be able to import transactions (regularly) from PayPal via QIF. Trust me on this.

You will have to setup PayPal in a new, blank Quicken file. This might be automated transaction import, or via a manually downloaded file. (This depends on account type.) That's the way Quicken works.

The only transaction files you can import for manual import (on a regular basis) will be web connect, or .qfx files. Your PayPal account type will dictate whether this format is supported.

Be aware that Quicken will verify upon import if a particular financial institution is a supported partner. (In your case, this is PayPal.) If it isn't then Quicken won't import. So, yes, you must be online for this verification to occur. It has nothing to do with enabling Mobile or uploading your data to the cloud. (Well, your data is already in the cloud, otherwise you wouldn't be able to download it-PayPal is putting it out there if you can download QIF or CSV files.)

If you want no automation/ fear anything in Quicken's cloud, then you will want to create a new blank file (mobile disabled) for PP, and manually enter every transaction.

drgaryse

Thanks John and Jacobs,

You're helping me think about how to do this. I've put in a chat support request with PayPal and will let you know what I learn and am able to implement, if anything.

NotACPA

I have a PayPal account ... but there's no money in it.

Instead, PayPal sends a charge to my primary checking account.

REALLY, much simpler.

jacobs

@drgaryse  Is there are reason you're not wanting to do this the "normal" way as John and I have suggested above for connecting to PayPal?

I was able to log into my PayPal account and as I expected, I do not see the download format for Quicken, QFX. But I do see that PayPal supports Quicken connect for downloads to Quicken.  

drgaryse

Quicken Connect may be the way to go.

drgaryse

> @NotACPA said:
> I have a PayPal account ... but there's no money in it.Instead, PayPal sends a charge to my primary checking account.REALLY, much simpler.

I am receiving payments, not must sending them. But certainly this option is worth considering.

NotACPA

I have a single monthly payment via PayPal.  Just not worth setting up and managing another account in reality or Q.

drgaryse

I was able to connect Quicken via web connect and download transactions starting with 5/30/20. But so far I have been unable to download earlier transactions.

BTW the Quicken chat representative initially had no answer, saying that I can only download what Quicken offers and did not mention web connect.

I've made a follow-up inquiry through chat. Eyes crossed. At the least I can sync transactions from here forward. But now, how do I import this new account to my Quicken file that contains all of my other accounts?

drgaryse

I was able to export from the new PayPal Account ("Account" is here because that's what Quicken named it) in Quicken to a Windows transfer file, (.QFX) and to import the new PayPal Account to my usual Quicken database. However, I do not know how to integrate the PayPal account in that database where I was manually entering transactions with the new PayPal Account. This is very non-intuitive. I tried duplicating transactions in the new PayPal Account but then I don't see a way to paste them into the old PayPal account, that is just called "PayPal."

jacobs

@drgaryse  In terms of downloading older transactions, that's probably not going to be possible. Quicken downloads all that the financial institution provides, which in most cases is typically 90 days -- which appears to be what you received. 

Quicken names each new account "Account", but you can easily rename it what you want by Control-clicking on the name in the left sidebar and selecting Rename from the drop-down menu.

If I understand your last question correctly, you have two accounts for PayPal now in Quicken: your older account with manual entries and the new account with downloaded entries. To move all the entries from one account to the other:

• click the account you want to move from in the left sidebar
• click the first transaction in the register, scroll to the bottom of the register and Shift-click the last transaction -- OR do Edit > Select All (or Command-A) -- so all the transactions are highlighted
• click-and-drag on any transaction from the register over to the name of the account you want to move to in the left sidebar, and release 

This drag-and-drop allows you to move transactions, whether one, selected, or all, from one account to another.

But before you do that…

I'm not clear from your post why you created the new account in a separate Quicken file, exported to Quicken Windows format, and imported into a different Quicken file, your "live" data file. Is it just because you were just testing the PayPal download? If so, you will now want to set up downloading in your live Quicken data file to use going forward. When you do that, Quicken will again download all that PayPal offers -- so it will likely duplicate what you've already done. So you may not want to merge in those downloaded transactions, because they'll be duplicated. If this s your goal, set up PayPal to download in your live file, let it download, and then just delete the "Account" account you previously imported. 

drgaryse

Thanks, Jacobs.

"I'm not clear from your post why you created the new account in a separate Quicken file, exported to Quicken Windows format, and imported into a different Quicken file, your "live" data file."

That was because I thought I was required to create a new Quicken file to be able to create a new PayPal account. Apparently not. Oh well.

So, I tried to sync the "PayPal" (old account) in Quicken with PayPal. That doesn't work. I had the old account register open and went to Accounts -> Set up transaction download. I was then prompted to enter my username, password, and two factor authentication, which I did. Quicken looked like it was interacting with PayPal. Then I found myself looking at the new "PayPal Account." The transactions were not copied into the old account. Fortunately the transactions were not duplicated in the new account. From what I am seeing it appears that "PayPal Account" in my usual Quicken database is syncing with PayPal.

In this case it may be easier to keep the old "PayPal" account and the new "PayPal Account," and sync new transactions to the new one. For tax prep purposes, I know what I was paid in total in 2019 from the records given to me by my biller, who recorded gross receipts. I was able to download my 2019 PayPal data into Excel and from there I was able to sum up the transaction fees to know that expense.

All of this is a head scratcher, but maybe I've kludged together a solution.

Thanks for your wise help.

drgaryse

Here's another thing that should be easy, and I don't know how to do it. People pay into PayPal using their real name. I download into Quicken, but I use code numbers to conceal the client name. I don't see a way to change all transactions from a particular person to the code name. I see a way to tell Quicken to substitute the code name in the future, but for the 90 days of transactions I downloaded today? I'm stumped.

jacobs

If you have your old PayPal account that you entered manually and the new account which is set up for downloading, you can drag-and-drop all the transactions from the old account into the new one, then get rid of the old account. You shouldn't need to deal with two separate accounts.

As for translating downloaded transaction payee names to code numbers, I'm not sure how you'd expect Quicken to know what real name should become what code number. I suppose if you built all the Payee renaming rules in Quicken, then created a new PayPal account and re-download the transactions, you could have them renamed upon creation.  I don't know how many transactions you have, and whether it's worth the time to do this, versus just editing the transactions you've already downloaded.

drgaryse

> @jacobs said:
> If you have your old PayPal account that you entered manually and the new account which is set up for downloading, you can drag-and-drop all the transactions from the old account into the new one, then get rid of the old account. You shouldn't need to deal with two separate accounts.
>

Good idea.
> As for translating downloaded transaction payee names to code numbers, I'm not sure how you'd expect Quicken to know what real name should become what code number.
>

When I highlight the payee name and type a replacement, Quicken pops up a small window with a box I can check to substitute the new name in the future. There’s a similar small window with a check box for substituting the transaction category for that payee. Perhaps these replacements will autofill when I sync or import new transactions.

drgaryse

Here is an example of PayPal offering to set up an autofill. This example is for the category. It also offers one fo the payee.

Also I don't see a way to drag and drop a transaction between one register and another.

jacobs

@drgaryse  I'm not sure I understand. Above, you wrote that you were stumped about how to rename the Payuees in 90 days of transactions you had already downloaded. If you rename the Payees now, and allow Quicken to save the renaming rules for each one, then it will automatically rename future transactions -- but it won't help with the ones you already downloaded, unless you have multiple transactions for specific payees.

For instance, if you have a Payee called 1234 which should be renamed ABCD, when you rename it in one transaction, you can check the box to tell Quicken to similarly rename any other transactions for Payee 1234.

Also I don't see a way to drag and drop a transaction between one register and another.

Open a register. Click and drag a transaction to a different account name in the left sidebar. the transaction will move to the new account. The same works if you select multiple transactions, then drag to the new account. (This works for banking accounts, but not for investment accounts.)