Changing from Windows to Mac

antonio.abadia

I'm a long time user of Quicken for Windows, switching over to Mac. At present I'm subscribed to Windows Premier service and up for renewal in February. Do I need to change to Quicken for Mac subscription or are they the same?
Thank you

Greg_the_Geek

You get both versions of Quicken (Windows and Mac) with your subscription. FWIW, the Quicken databases are not compatible between Windows and Mac. You can convert your Windows file to Mac.

Greg_the_Geek

You get both versions of Quicken (Windows and Mac) with your subscription. FWIW, the Quicken databases are not compatible between Windows and Mac. You can convert your Windows file to Mac.

dlwester

You can convert your database from Windows to Mac, which is fairly simple.

However, one warning. I am a long-time user of Quicken for Windows (probably 30 years), and just recently decided to start using a Mac instead of Windows.

The Mac version of Quicken is very dissimilar to the Windows version, they almost seem to be totally different software packages to me. The Mac version seems to me like a beta version, it is nowhere near as usable or useful as the Windows version. When I download transactions from my bank, it's impossible to tell if it's actually doing anything at all. I ended up clicking the button several times just to make sure it went through. Windows gave you totals for your accounts at the bottom of the register - current balance, online balance, total balance.

I've been rather disappointed in it, actually. I was naive to think the program would be the same except for maybe Mac icons as opposed to Windows ones. Unfortunately, my decision to move to Mac has made my choice for me, so I am going to stick with it. I hope in the future they consider making the Mac version more useful like the Windows one.

jfclague

dlwester said:

You can convert your database from Windows to Mac, which is fairly simple.

However, one warning. I am a long-time user of Quicken for Windows (probably 30 years), and just recently decided to start using a Mac instead of Windows.

The Mac version of Quicken is very dissimilar to the Windows version, they almost seem to be totally different software packages to me. The Mac version seems to me like a beta version, it is nowhere near as usable or useful as the Windows version. When I download transactions from my bank, it's impossible to tell if it's actually doing anything at all. I ended up clicking the button several times just to make sure it went through. Windows gave you totals for your accounts at the bottom of the register - current balance, online balance, total balance.

I've been rather disappointed in it, actually. I was naive to think the program would be the same except for maybe Mac icons as opposed to Windows ones. Unfortunately, my decision to move to Mac has made my choice for me, so I am going to stick with it. I hope in the future they consider making the Mac version more useful like the Windows one.

You could also run Parallels or VMWare on your Mac and still use the Windows version. That is what I did because I didn't want to give up on all the greater Windows options with Quicken (the Mac version seems more like a competitor to Mint).

seafun

When converting to the Mac version from the PC version, how do the files look? Are the bank files, investment files and reports similar?

jacobs

@seafun Yes, fundamentally the accounts and reports are similar. The details differ in many ways, both large and small. The user interface has a different look, as you might expect moving between platforms. you can see some screen shots on the Quicken.com website.

There are hundreds of posts on this site about moving from Windows to Mac and the differences between the two. But those posts can be overwhelming, and can lead you to false conclusions about how well Quicken Mac will fit your needs. We all use Quicken differently, and a minor issue for some is a major issue for others; a missing feature is a non-issue for some and a show-stopper for others. The best way to determine how well Quicken Mac would meet your needs is to give it a try. If you have a current subscription for Windows, you can download the Mac version for free; if you do not have a current subscription, you can buy one and get a refund within 30 days if you determine it does not meet your needs.