Upgrade? Switch to PC?

independentwomanBP

Was running Quicken Mac 2007 and Quickbooks Mac 2020. Need to upgrade for my laptop running Sierra. Was given Quicken PC 2017! Worth it to get PC just for accounting? Or better to stay Mac and just upgrade? I now have more investments...will QM 2019 adequately keep track for my knowledge and accounting/tax purposes?

MontanaKarl

Quicken is at version 2020 for both Mac and Windows. It would make no sense to run QM 2019, nor would it make any sense to run QW 2017 (which won't be supported anymore soon).

I guess the question is: why are you running Sierra (10.12) which is 4 years old? If your Mac is so old that it could not be upgraded to High Sierra (10.13) or Mojave (10.14)...much less the current Catalina (10.15) ... then getting a new Mac is probably in order. Much software will require a newer operating system than Sierra.

Quicken 2020 will require at least High Sierra, but at least Mojave recommended.

You say you were running QB Mac 2020 ... but it requires at least 10.14 Mojave, so not sure how you're doing that on Sierra...?

Anyway, if you have a system that can run Quicken 2020 Mac, it will properly track your investments and generate proper reports for tax and other purposes.

MontanaKarl

PS. If you are still running Quicken Mac 2007... you can convert your data file in Mojave or earlier. If you upgrade to Catalina first...not only won't QMac 2007 run... but the 32 bit file converter will not run either.

If you are running Catalina (which can NOT run any 32 bit apps), then you will need to use the Quicken Cloud Converter - uploading your data file and then having the converted file downloaded into QMac 2019 or 2020...

See:
https://www.quicken.com/support/update-quicken-mac-2007-support-policies-may-2016

Chris_QPW

Just so you know there isn't any direct conversion from Quicken 2007 Mac to Quicken Windows.  You would have to first convert to a newer version of Quicken Mac and then to Quicken Windows.  And even then you would lose your investment accounts is the import into Quicken Windows doesn't support it.

Chris_QPW

P.S. Even if you converted to the newest Quicken Mac and then to Quicken 2017 Windows you might find that the conversion even for non investment accounts might not convert right.  The import into Quicken Windows has been partly broken for years and only recently fixed in later versions of Quicken.

Quicken Mac subscription (the latest version of Quicken Mac) should be fine for most people's accounting/taxes.

smayer97

MontanaKarl said:

PS. If you are still running Quicken Mac 2007... you can convert your data file in Mojave or earlier. If you upgrade to Catalina first...not only won't QMac 2007 run... but the 32 bit file converter will not run either.

If you are running Catalina (which can NOT run any 32 bit apps), then you will need to use the Quicken Cloud Converter - uploading your data file and then having the converted file downloaded into QMac 2019 or 2020...

See:
https://www.quicken.com/support/update-quicken-mac-2007-support-policies-may-2016

Just to add that the cloud conversion from QM2007 to QM2020 is triggered from within QM2020 and is fully guided.

smayer97

Chris_QPW said:

Just so you know there isn't any direct conversion from Quicken 2007 Mac to Quicken Windows.  You would have to first convert to a newer version of Quicken Mac and then to Quicken Windows.  And even then you would lose your investment accounts is the import into Quicken Windows doesn't support it.

Chris_QPW said:

P.S. Even if you converted to the newest Quicken Mac and then to Quicken 2017 Windows you might find that the conversion even for non investment accounts might not convert right.  The import into Quicken Windows has been partly broken for years and only recently fixed in later versions of Quicken.

Quicken Mac subscription (the latest version of Quicken Mac) should be fine for most people's accounting/taxes.

Note that QM2007 still has QIF exports, which supports investment accounts, so you can convert from QM2007 to QWin that way to preserve investments.

Chris_QPW

Well yes exporting/importing a QIF file is possible, but it is far from easy to do.  In fact it is one of the hardest things you can do in Quicken Windows.

Here is what I did just for a Quicken Windows to Quicken Windows conversion.
http://www.quicknperlwiz.com/changetransfers.html

independentwomanBP

Thanks so much for helping me with this quandary. I spent a week looking into programs and the whole day reading all sorts of opinions and talking to one friend before posting here. I think I have read too much!
(I had a typo in my question...was running Quickbooks 2010 not 2020. Sorry about that.)

Neither program will work on my laptop, a late 2011 MacBook Pro which I upgraded this year both hardware and OS to Sierra, not High Sierra, in order to continue to use my adobe software. High Sierra won’t support it. So I need to upgrade my Quicken.
Yes, I am looking into a new computer but will be keeping this laptop as it is great as is for all my needs.
Adobe software is also now subscription and I don’t need it for business so am unwilling to pay monthly so I will be keeping the laptop for a while.
I am trying to get over the whole monthly/yearly payments, and feel like it’s worth it. I’ve had two small businesses and am very independent and frugal so the whole subscription/payments is hard to accept. I obviously keep my computers as long as possible with upgrades and hardware. Yet I have years of transactions in Quicken, and tons of inventory and customer data in Quickbooks ( I have a small vintage clothing business that has been on hiatus-will be relaunching it) So I’m looking at other programs too.
Though I’ve always been a Mac user(never had a PC ever) I’ve read about others who use Quicken PC for finances/accounting in addition to their Macs for everything else, and how much better it is so I was interested. I also read about Mac Banktivity, another friend uses Gnucash, which is free. After research I decided, before I asked this question, to stick with Quicken and Quickbooks. I am so used to it and it has worked for me and I get to preserve all the data. Though I don’t love the idea of never being able to switch programs.

Perhaps the new computer needs to happen this week, and then get new software.
The goal is to be up to date and have a tighter grasp on my finances and bookkeeping than I have in the past. If that means getting a PC, taking more classes, or upgrading and spending $ then so be it.

The gist of what you all seem to be saying is use the latest software, upgrade computer, stick with Quicken Mac for both reliable upgrading of data and because it’s more than enough for my needs. Correct?

Chris_QPW

independentwomanBP said:

The gist of what you all seem to be saying is use the latest software, upgrade computer, stick with Quicken Mac for both reliable upgrading of data and because it’s more than enough for my needs. Correct?

Given your situation, that is what I would do.