Navigating Quicken 2020 for Mac?

Steven Reiss

Jacob, I hope that you're still here on the community support. Basically, I'm still not conversant on Quicken 2020. I have tried many times to simply add "income" to the Quicken file but, after doing "new transaction" on "income", adding the income amount, and hitting "Enter", the amount shows up on the "spending" side of the web page (with a negative notation) and on the "income" page, a window saying "Transaction Recorded, the transaction is not shown in this filtered view". [removed-rant]

All I want to do is very basic income payments to us and payments out debited with a "reconcile" after the income and spending are recorded. Not using any of Quicken's other features. Please, keep this simple. I'm no genius with new apple.

[edited for readability]

jacobs

Steve,

Out of curiosity, how did you get that first screenshot, where everything is preceded by "Open"? I'm not familiar with that.

I was talking about the left sidebar of Quicken Mac, where you should see something like this:



From the second and third screenshots, it looks like you have collapsed the left sidebar, so you're only seeing the thin blue bar like this:



You need to click the ">" icon at the top of the blue bar to re-expand the left sidebar so you can see your accounts.

Now, if you want to rename "ABC Bank Checking" into "Steve's Checking", you Control-Click on "ABC Bank Checking" to display the drop-down menu:



When you select Rename, you can simply type in the space where the account name is highlighted in the left sidebar:



When you press return or click somewhere else, the account name change is complete:



You delete an account the same way, Control-clicking on the name in the left sidebar. Alternatively, you can also delete an account by selecting it in the left sidebar, and when the register shows for the account you want to delete, select Accounts > Delete Account. In either case, you'll get a warning to make sure you're deleting the account you intend to:



Post back with how it goes.

Steven Reiss

I'm just wanting to come as close to the old but trusty Quicken for Mac 2007 with its old "checkbook" interface........

jacobs

Hi, Steven. First, I'd suggest not clicking on the Income tab at the top of your register; click on Transactions instead. That way, you see all your transactions, and there's no "filtered view" from which transactions can disappear.

In each of your registers, do you have an Amount column? In a checking account, payments from the account (checks or automated payments) are negative values, and deposits to your account are positive values. Quicken is usually pretty good about know which you intend, but you can always force the issue by typing a minus sign or plus sign in front of the amount you're entering.

But you might prefer a solution I like better: hide the Amount column and instead enable the Payment and Deposit columns. This takes up a little more space so your window has to be a little wider, but it makes it easy to always enter positive values and be sure you're putting them in the column you intend: a payment or a deposit.

You control which columns are visible by clicking on the Columns icon on the toolbar at the bottom of the register.

Note that you have to set your columns on each account register (e.g. credit cards, savings account, etc.); there is no way to make a change to columns across all accounts.

Steven Reiss

Hello again jacobs!

Many thanks for answering me yet again (and more thanks for your endless patience). I'll try your steps and see what that brings. The online "help" from Intuit directly starts at a much higher level of Quicken use than I would ever try. Once you strip away the banking, mortgage and bill pay features, what I want to have left is total manual inputs by me..........if I can get the new Quicken to function similarly to the 2007 version, I'm really a happy camper.

I'll start my attempt using your suggestions and report back pronto....

Stay well and safe, looks like it's going to be another long winter.....

Steve

Steven Reiss

Aha! I think that I may have gotten Quicken set up as you suggested......."Transactions" is selected, "Amounts" has been hidden and Payment and Deposit columns are selected and visible, side by side.....I'll try this for a couple of days and get back to you to confirm that I haven't mucked things up?

I presently have BOTH the newer Quicken (2020 Starter) and my old 2007 Quicken on my old Mini........once I can transfer some of the newer actions from the 2007 Q to the 2020 Quicken, I should be able to then install 2020 on my new Mini running Catalina......

My mistake was installing Quicken 2020 on the new Mini and then trying to get it set up as I just did on the old Mini.........probably better if I just de-install it on the new Mini and start fresh?

One last question: due to the several attempts that I made importing from 2007 to 2020 Q on my old Mini, the name of the account (there's only one account that I need to get Q to function on, no credit cards, etc.), is: Reiss Design Associates "Checking 3".........is there anyway that I can remove any other accounts that might have caused the "Checking 3" to have been added to the name of the functioning account?

I'll start playing with the newly revised Quicken 2020 account and report back in.......ashamed that I'm at this low level of competence in Quicken.

Steve

Steven Reiss

IT WORKS!!!!! Just as you promised. Perfect! If I can adjust the name of the checking account, I think I'm home free, thanks to you. I'll try the "reconcile" phase in several days when my bank provides the monthly statement for my balancing process.......if that happens, I'm completely set up and back in some degree of control. Annually, I print put a "ledger" view at the end of the calendar year and use that for my pre0accountant tax year...all manual and very constipated, but, after all, I AM sorta old and constipated...mentally.

As soon as I transfer the balanced Quicken 2020 to the new Mini, I can start working directly on the new system.........and, of course, am in your debt as you know.....

Steve

jacobs

Steve, I'm glad you're making progress. If you have only the checking account and want to change its name, simply Control-click on the name in the left sidebar, and select Rename from the dropdown menu that appears. If there are any other accounts that got created which you're sure you do not need, you can delete them the same way, by Control-clicking the account name and selecting Delete from the drop-down menu. (It's always a good idea to make a backup before you delete accounts, in case you find out the deletion has unintended side effects.)

There's nothing wrong with entering all your transactions manually. I have generally done that myself over the years — partly from longtime habit, partly because I can enter the memo/notes and splits I need as I go, and partly because there are so many glitches with downloading over time. Some Quicken users who run businesses or otherwise have lots of transactions say they wouldn't use it if they had to enter transactions manually, but for many individuals with a modest number of transactions, it's not burdensome and takes not much more time than downloading, checking, and editing transactions. So there's no need to feel you aren't using Quicken as intended.

And there's also no reason to knock your own abilities as you adapt to the new Quicken. While the concepts are mostly all the same as Quicken 2007, there are a lot of changes in the interface and procedures, and it takes time to (a) learn them, and (b) retrain your brain to do things the new way instead of the old way. Be patient, give yourself time to get acclimated, and continue asking questions when you bump into a new wall. 

Best wishes!

Steven Reiss

...and, of course, renaming couldn't be THAT simple, right. See the attached images demoing my action. "control" clicking on the correct act name (Reiss Design Assoc., LLC) does NOT bring a drop down up........in fact, I can only see a "rename" command in the "File" drop down from the menu bar, top of the screen. It than offers me a chance to rename as shown......but where to place the renamed file? All I want to do is get rid of ALL of the other accts and names, leaving behind just Reiss Design Assoc. LLC........AND, while we're at it, please repeat the "make a backup BEFORE...." process. Finally, and this one will wear out my welcome if I haven't already done so, what is the best way to copy this now-perfect Quicken 2020 over to my new Mini? Delete the Q2020 appl. that I downloaded and installed on the new Mini that I was never able to figure out?

So embarrassed to have to ask these infantile questions, jacobs. Wish that we could share a brew someday post pandemic........

Steve

jacobs

Steve,

Out of curiosity, how did you get that first screenshot, where everything is preceded by "Open"? I'm not familiar with that.

I was talking about the left sidebar of Quicken Mac, where you should see something like this:



From the second and third screenshots, it looks like you have collapsed the left sidebar, so you're only seeing the thin blue bar like this:



You need to click the ">" icon at the top of the blue bar to re-expand the left sidebar so you can see your accounts.

Now, if you want to rename "ABC Bank Checking" into "Steve's Checking", you Control-Click on "ABC Bank Checking" to display the drop-down menu:



When you select Rename, you can simply type in the space where the account name is highlighted in the left sidebar:



When you press return or click somewhere else, the account name change is complete:



You delete an account the same way, Control-clicking on the name in the left sidebar. Alternatively, you can also delete an account by selecting it in the left sidebar, and when the register shows for the account you want to delete, select Accounts > Delete Account. In either case, you'll get a warning to make sure you're deleting the account you intend to:



Post back with how it goes.

Steven Reiss

Bless you!!! It works, this is what I mean about not trying things too much before playing it safe/stalling........like "expanding" the side bar. A metaphor for me as I get older (but getting older STILL beats the alternative)....

Last thing and I'll let you go: what to do to get the Q2020 acct onto my new Mini.....delete the appl. that I set up and then copy over from my old Mini to the new one? Originally downloaded and opened Q2020 on the new Mini but stalled after several attempts to figure the new interface out w/o annoying you........since my old mini Q 2020 now is updated and up to date, I'd like to just copy it over to the new Mini and start entering on BOTH Minis until I make the final swap out in favor of the new Mini whenever the 3D appl. is finally rewritten for 64 bit.....now promised for Nov.

....and, of course, THANK YOU!

jacobs

Steve,

There are only two simple pieces for moving Quicken between computers: (1) the Quicken application, and (2) your Quicken data file. Both can simply be moved from one Mac to another; there is no need to use any special software installer.

If you already have the Quicken application on your new Mac Mini, then all you need to copy over is your Quicken data file. The key thing about moving data files is that you should always move a compressed version, which you can create either of two ways: (1) While running Quicken, use File > Save a Backup in Quicken. This will create a file ending with.quickenbackup and may be safely moved. (2) Quit Quicken, and in the Finder, click on the data file and do File > Compress. This will create a .zip file which may be safely moved. (For the latter, you need to know where your data file currently lives. If you don't check out this post on the Quicken website for a how-to.) The key of either compressed version is not because the file size is smaller, but because it creates a "wrapper" around all the components inside your data file to insure file permissions can't get messed up in the move.

To actually move the file, you can use a flash drive, use Airdrop between the computers if they are in the same room, use file sharing between the computers, or simply email the file to yourself from one computer and download it from your email on the other computer.

It really shouldn't be necessary to double enter everything on two computers; that sounds like a bit of extra work, and is potentially error-prone. I'm not sure why you don't simply use it on one and when you're ready to move to the other Mac, move the data file to it and don't look back.

Steven Reiss

Hi Jacobs!

believe it or not, I remember some of your copy compressed advice….so perhaps all is NOT lost….yet!

I understand your suggestions and will follow them, of course. I'm also not sure why I ever thought that double entering on BOTH systems was a good idea......I'll put that down to the effects of self-quarantining for 10 months or so....

Best route for me is to keep updating Q2020 on the old mini until the final swap over when the 3D appl. is available as 64 bit so I can finally get the two systems separated….

In several days, I’ll try using the “reconcile” option which is the last step that I have to do to know that I can continue to use Q2020….

So: thank you so much for explaining things so clearly that I could understand and adopt! If I develop any other questions, I’ll be back for sure…..

I hope that you and yours stay well and safe………winter is settling in here in NH and we awoke to our first snow!

Steve

Steven Reiss

Hi Jacobs: Thanks to you, GOOD NEWS! I did my first "reconcile" in Q2020 so I've completed the entire cycle of steps that I used in Q2007 for our business checkbook balancing.........and the reconcile was successful. All due to your help and patience.

Hopefully this month, I'll be getting the 64 bit version of my 3D appl. so I can complete the swap of systems.......

Thank you so much for being available to me.

Stay well and safe, jacobs!

Steve