Sync problems between 2 computers

mcalkins2QcknHelp

I have Quicken on 2 computers - office desktop from which I do most of my electronic banking, and a laptop at home from which I print checks. I have both computers set up with mobile syncing, but I cannot get the two computers to sync completely with each other -- sometimes checks only show up in the laptop version, and some electronic bills paid on the desktop computer don't show up on the laptop, after I can synced both. I have tried going into preferences and retset the cloud (from 1 computer, with the other one off) but they still won't sync to have the same balances and transactions.

Chris_QPW

Quicken isn't designed to sync between two computers.

You need to physically copy the data file from one computer to the other after every change to that file.

Chris_QPW

Quicken isn't designed to sync between two computers.

You need to physically copy the data file from one computer to the other after every change to that file.

mcalkins2QcknHelp

Thank you for the information-- but it's a real disappointment that Quicken does not have that capability. I can't be the only person with this issue.

Chris_QPW

You are certainly not the only one with the problem, but it would be such a fundamental change from the "single user, single machine" foundation that Quicken was built on, I doubt it will ever be changed.

Rich_M

I'm in agreement with @Chris_QPW, however my understanding is that you are the sole user of this data file and you can only use it on one device at a time, depending on where you are.

If that is absolutely true, you could use a cloud service such as Google Drive or OneDrive to store your data file and keep it synchronized between the two computers.

I currently store my data file on OneDrive and don't have any issues with it.

As @Chris_QPW said, Quicken does not support concurrent updating of the data file.

volvogirl

If you need to access the same data on different computers or have multiple users you should look into [removed - solicitation].

jfclague

Rich_M said:

I'm in agreement with @Chris_QPW, however my understanding is that you are the sole user of this data file and you can only use it on one device at a time, depending on where you are.

If that is absolutely true, you could use a cloud service such as Google Drive or OneDrive to store your data file and keep it synchronized between the two computers.

I currently store my data file on OneDrive and don't have any issues with it.

As @Chris_QPW said, Quicken does not support concurrent updating of the data file.

i also use OneDrive with no issues.

Chris_QPW

Just to clarify what I meant by "physically copy" I didn't mean that it had to be on a USB disk or something.  I meant that the file had to be copied not "synced" by some action in Quicken (i.e. Quicken cloud sync).

Quicken Hugh

@jfclague, @Rich_M, 
To be clear - Quicken has deliberately been expressly designed to run both the software, and your data file, from your local computer (not off of a network, not from a cloud service).

It's both a matter of the underlying architecture of the software, and also a security concern. Quicken has absolutely no idea how your cloud service and/or network has been configured; it might be set up extremely well; it might be some shockingly unsecure/unstable configuration.
(There have been cases when someone tried to run their Quicken data file off of some cloud service, and they introduced irreparable damage to the data file. Please don't be that guy.)

You can save a copy of your data file to whatever cloud service/network that you trust to keep your data secure (ie: DropBox, iCloud, OneDrive). But please do not try to run the Quicken software off of the cloud/network, nor run your data file off a cloud/network.

For example: Working from your office on Computer A, running the installed Quicken software, you complete your tasks of the moment. You can save your data file to your favorite trusted Secure-Cloud-Service.
Then, when you get home, working on Computer B, also running the installed Quicken software, you then download from your Secure-Cloud-Service the entire working data file onto your local hard drive on Computer B. Then open and run your data file and the Quicken software from your local hard drive on Computer B to complete your tasks for the day.

The 'Sync to the Quicken Cloud' - by design - only saves parts of your data file to the Quicken Cloud so that parts of your data file can be available for the Web App (App.Quicken.com) and/or your smart phone Quicken app. Syncing to the Quicken Cloud does not create a full backup of your entire data file.

Chris_QPW

The biggest problem with someone stating that they are using a network or cloud service for storing their data file is that these terms are ambiguous.

They really tell you nothing about the configuration used.  And as you said the configuration can be quite robust or very bad.

But there is a general misconception about "cloud services" like Dropbox and OneDrive.  I'm not grouping iCloud here because from what I have heard there are know problems with the permissions using it.

Dropbox/OneDrive folders are local folders.  They aren't "network drives".

These are service that monitor changes in these folders and "sync them to the cloud/other machines".

The biggest threat of a corruption from such a service would be is they did "partial syncs", since a Quicken data file can be in a inconsistent state at any given time while it is open.  But both Dropbox and OneDrive do not work that way.

When Quicken opens the data file there is a lock put on it, and both Dropbox and OneDrive will respect that lock and not try to copy it until it is closed and the lock is released.

So it would seem that there is no chance of a problem with this setup, but there is, from a few sources.  One would be if two people have the same data file open on different machines clearly only one copy will "win".  But there is another problem and that has to do with some operations that Quicken does, like backing up, Validate & Repair, moving investment transactions, ...

When it does these operations it closes the data file, in that instant one of these cloud service or a backup program for that matter can jump in open the file/lock the file to copy it to the cloud server.  This can block Quicken from accessing the file and error message will be the result.  Most likely no damage will be done to the data file, but if people don't know what is going on...

So this last part is why even using your active data file in the Dropbox/OneDrive folder isn't recommended.

Rich_M

To all, to be clear I am only talking about storing the data file in cloud storage, I do this myself using OneDrive.

These cloud services keep a local copy of your file on your computer and a remote copy in the cloud, so you always have a backup of your file.

When I launch Quicken and open my data file, Windows locks the file until I close it or exit the program.

Afterwards, OneDrive uploads a copy to the cloud to synchronize it with my local copy.

Since the OP has stated he only accesses his data file from one device at a time there is no danger of corruption.

If the OP updates his data file on his work computer, this copy will be transferred to his laptop at home, and vice versa.

The process is equivalent to copying the data file at work to an external disk, and then copying it from that disk to the laptop at home.

The big difference is that this process is seamless.

Stubbles

What??!! What??!! Quicken cannot sync between two privately owned computers which are not networked, using Quicken Cloud Sync? Outrageous! What are we, in the 20th century??!!

Chris_QPW

Stubbles said:

What??!! What??!! Quicken cannot sync between two privately owned computers which are not networked, using Quicken Cloud Sync? Outrageous! What are we, in the 20th century??!!

And Quicken was created over 30 years ago.  It was never designed to be anything other than a "personal financial program".  As in one person, one Desktop.  They have tried to kludge on syncing to a cloud account, but in my opinion that has never worked right because of the very fact that Quicken was never designed from the beginning for it.

People hear the word "Software" and figure anything can be changed in it with little trouble.  That isn't how it works.  Software is very much like constructing a building.
You put in a framework and then build on it.  If you put in a framework for a single family home no one would expect that you could put a 100 story office building on that framework, but for some reason bring in the term "Software" and people think it is possible.

The database that Quicken Windows uses is at least 25 years old and is missing several critical features, not mention there is most likely other components like it.  The tax planner/lifetime planner/business forms are using "web forms APIs" that predate the year 2000.

The database very much "not supported" any more and so basically can't get any new features.  To replace it is probably a complete rewrite of Quicken.  They did that on Quicken Mac starting in 2007.  It has yet have the same feature set as Quicken Windows Deluxe.