Multiple users using same data file on same computer?

jlmarr

With older versions of Quicken my wife could access it when she was logged in without any problem. Now the Quicken2020.quicken directory and all files within it are owned by me and she can't access our accounts. We are in the same Unix group (gid) but have different userids (uid) as per normal. If this isn't doable with 5.18 it should be high on the Enhancement Request list.

MontanaKarl

Where is your Quicken2020.quicken data file located? If that is indeed your data file - it is not a directory (although from a UNIX file system standpoint it is - but you'll confuse most users and probably even support if you call it that) ... but is a MacOS "package". The contents should never be modified individually, even though in Finder you can right-click it and "Show Package Contents".

The default location where QMac 2020 creates data files, which would prevent sharing, is inside your personal ~/Library/Application Support/Quicken folder - which should be inaccessible to any other user regardless of group membership when running a single license, vs multi-user mode.

Even though Quicken Mac 2020 creates a data file in such a default location, you can move the data file to an accessible folder (with group access permissions) and then use the File > Open command to open it from there the first time... and it will continue to open from the new location after that. You may have to modify permissions (through the MacOS File Info interface - not Unix commands to be safe) to allow group write access to all content within the data file package. No idea if the permissions will "stick" after one user modifies the file...

PS When you say you had no issues with 'older' versions... do you mean QMac 2020 versions older than version 5.18? Or QMac 2007 etc?

jacobs

Just to add to MontanaKarl's comments above, I'd note that some users have reported file permission problems trying to access a Quicken data file from a different user account. You can try it -- make regular backups! -- and see if it works for you. But the different UIDs may get in the way. As noted above, the Quicken data file isn't a single file; it's a wrapper around a number of files and folders, and problems sometimes show up with Quicken files moved or accessed between user accounts.

One approach some people use is to make a new macOS user for your Quicken, and you and your wife switch to that shared user account for running Quicken. Some people don't like this because they want to access their bills and info in their email in their own user account.

The other option is to always do a backup (or compress a .zip file) at the end of your Quicken session, place the backup in a place that you and your wife have access to, and always start a Quicken session by copying the backup to your local user (Desktop, Documents, or wherever) and doubleclicking it to open it. It's an extra step to compress and decompress before and after each Quicken session, but once you establish the pattern, you'll probably find it adds only a few seconds at each end.

jlmarr

> @MontanaKarl said:
> Where is your Quicken2020.quicken data file located? If that is indeed your data file - it is not a directory (although from a UNIX file system standpoint it is - but you'll confuse most users and probably even support if you call it that) ... but is a MacOS "package". The contents should never be modified individually, even though in Finder you can right-click it and "Show Package Contents".

Correct, it's definitely not a macOS folder.

> The default location where QMac 2020 creates data files, which would prevent sharing, is inside your personal ~/Library/Application Support/Quicken folder - which should be inaccessible to any other user regardless of group membership when running a single license, vs multi-user mode.

Agreed.

> Even though Quicken Mac 2020 creates a data file in such a default location, you can move the data file to an accessible folder (with group access permissions) and then use the File > Open command to open it from there the first time... and it will continue to open from the new location after that. You may have to modify permissions (through the MacOS File Info interface - not Unix commands to be safe) to allow group write access to all content within the data file package. No idea if the permissions will "stick" after one user modifies the file...

Yes, it's in /Documents/QuickenFolder and the actual data file is /Documents/QuickenFolder/Quicken2020.quicken/data. Seems like I tried permission fiddling before. As I remember, the successful user will become the new owner of all the files, with the other user(s) unable to use it until chmod fixes things again. Will verify that's the situation when time permits. This is really unacceptable unless all users are 'system savvy' and patient.

> PS When you say you had no issues with 'older' versions... do you mean QMac 2020 versions older than version 5.18? Or QMac 2007 etc?

QMac 2007 and 2002 and who-knows-what before that.

> @jacobs said:
> One approach some people use is to make a new macOS user for your Quicken, and you and your wife switch to that shared user account for running Quicken. Some people don't like this because they want to access their bills and info in their email in their own user account.
>
> The other option is to always do a backup (or compress a .zip file) at the end of your Quicken session, place the backup in a place that you and your wife have access to, and always start a Quicken session by copying the backup to your local user (Desktop, Documents, or wherever) and doubleclicking it to open it. It's an extra step to compress and decompress before and after each Quicken session, but once you establish the pattern, you'll probably find it adds only a few seconds at each end.

I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible for my wife, so option #2 is out. I'm considering the dedicated Quicken user approach.

This is all frustrating though, since it was seamless with the earlier versions. I'll play further and report back. Still wondering if there is an active Enhancement Request for Quicken Inc to make things seamless again.

jacobs

@jlmarr  I think it's a function of the architecture of macOS and the Quicken data file; I'm not sure Quicken can do something to 'fix' the permission issues which arise across multiple macOS accounts accessing all the files and folders Quicken uses. Quick USer Switching to a different account may be your simplest path forward.

MontanaKarl

> @jlmarr said:
> Yes, it's in /Documents/QuickenFolder and the actual data file is /Documents/QuickenFolder/Quicken2020.quicken/data. Seems like I tried permission fiddling before. As I remember, the successful user will become the

There should be no subfolder "data". The quicken package should be <something>.quicken

I'm guessing that your permission fiddling messed things up...(again, use Finder, not Terminal/chmod if you must change permissions to avoid messing up any of the many other flags attached to things by MacOS).

Had you enabled file sharing from System Preferences > Sharing and shared your ~/DocumentsQuickenFolder with full access with your wife's user account? (More likely to work) Or were you trying to brute force a manual share via permissions modifications (less likely to work)?

MontanaKarl

@jlmarr Sorry I didn't tag you properly in the reply above so you may not have gotten a notification... Have you tried using File Sharing to share the folder between yourself and your wife's account?

jlmarr

> @MontanaKarl said:
> @jlmarr Sorry I didn't tag you properly in the reply above so you may not have gotten a notification... Have you tried using File Sharing to share the folder between yourself and your wife's account?

I hadn't tried that tactic. Just did and got the same result. Sorry I've been busy.

jlmarr

So I'll call it quits. Thanks for your interest @MontanaKarl!