Is there a way to "lock" my opening balance in my bank register?

chefjoanne

Somehow I delete it all the time. No idea how/why this happens. All of a sudden, it's gone. Thanks

Sherlock

We may not prevent a transaction from being deleted.

If you haven’t already, you may want to verify the register is sorted appropriately and there aren’t any unexpected filters being applied:  open the register, select the Date column header (you want the small triangle to right of Date to point up) and Reset.

Rocket J Squirrel

There's a learning curve to any new application, of course. Hang in there and don't get discouraged (at least not right away ).

There are a couple of ways to prevent yourself from accidentally deleting the opening balance transaction.

1. Mark the opening balance transaction as Reconciled.
2. Go to Edit > Preferences > Notify and check "Before changing reconciled transactions".
3. This will cause Quicken to warn you.

I personally like that preference. Once a transaction is reconciled, you don't want to change it accidentally.

Or, for something slightly more heavy duty,

1. Go to File > Set Password to modify transactions...
2. This will prompt for a password and a date prior to which the password will be enforced. As long as your opening balance is on or before that date, you will be prevented from accidentally deleting it without supplying the password.
3. As you proceed and are happy with your results, you may bring the date forward in the Set Password dialog so you don't accidentally alter past transactions.
   

Frankx

Hi @Joanne,

I agree with what @Rocket J Squirrel has described above, so I suggest you follow that guidance.

I've been an accountant for longer than I'd like to say, so I can relate to your situation. But, while Quicken isn't necessarily a proverbial "double entry" bookkeeping system, it still is a bookkeeping system, and once you get familiar with how it works, I think you'll rapidly get the hang of it (to use an expression).  In fact, once you get used to it, I think you'll find it to have features that go beyond what a basic bookkeeping system can do.

You might want to consult some of the guidance available under > Help > "How To Videos" or the "Getting Started Guide".

We are here to help you, so please don't give up on Quicken.

Frankx

Frankx

Hi again @Joanne,

Seems like we are missing each other...

Maybe you could give us a little more specific data on what you are trying to do and how we ca help you through it, and then we'll be bteter able to assist you.

Frankx

Sherlock

We may not prevent a transaction from being deleted.

If you haven’t already, you may want to verify the register is sorted appropriately and there aren’t any unexpected filters being applied:  open the register, select the Date column header (you want the small triangle to right of Date to point up) and Reset.

chefjoanne

Im used to doing bookkeeping with pencil and paper. This is all new to me and hard to follow. I thought hooking up my bank and credit card accounts would be a good idea but it created a mess that I couldn't figure out.

I undid all of my reconciliations and am manually entering and reconciling every month until I see how this works. I'm working with my checking account now. I want to begin with January 1st 2020 which means I need to enter the ending balance as at Dec 31 2019 as my opening balance for Jan 1 2020. I've entered it but I keep accidentally deleting it as I enter new transactions. I don't even know how I'm deleting it. All of a sudden, it's GONE! Thanks for your interest.

Rocket J Squirrel

There's a learning curve to any new application, of course. Hang in there and don't get discouraged (at least not right away ).

There are a couple of ways to prevent yourself from accidentally deleting the opening balance transaction.

1. Mark the opening balance transaction as Reconciled.
2. Go to Edit > Preferences > Notify and check "Before changing reconciled transactions".
3. This will cause Quicken to warn you.

I personally like that preference. Once a transaction is reconciled, you don't want to change it accidentally.

Or, for something slightly more heavy duty,

1. Go to File > Set Password to modify transactions...
2. This will prompt for a password and a date prior to which the password will be enforced. As long as your opening balance is on or before that date, you will be prevented from accidentally deleting it without supplying the password.
3. As you proceed and are happy with your results, you may bring the date forward in the Set Password dialog so you don't accidentally alter past transactions.
   

Frankx

Hi @Joanne,

I agree with what @Rocket J Squirrel has described above, so I suggest you follow that guidance.

I've been an accountant for longer than I'd like to say, so I can relate to your situation. But, while Quicken isn't necessarily a proverbial "double entry" bookkeeping system, it still is a bookkeeping system, and once you get familiar with how it works, I think you'll rapidly get the hang of it (to use an expression).  In fact, once you get used to it, I think you'll find it to have features that go beyond what a basic bookkeeping system can do.

You might want to consult some of the guidance available under > Help > "How To Videos" or the "Getting Started Guide".

We are here to help you, so please don't give up on Quicken.

Frankx

chefjoanne

Thank you very much for your words of encouragement. I refuse to let the defeat me.