Does Quicken 2007 work with Big Sur

NanB

Is there a way to get Quicken 2007 working on Big Sur? Currently still using Sierra, but considering getting a new Macbook Pro.

Quicken Francisco

Hello @NanB

Thank you for reaching out on the community and telling us about your issue. Quicken 2007 does not work with Big Sur or Catilina as both of these OS versions do not support 32 bit applications anymore. If you were to get a new Macbook I would recommend updating to the latest version of Quicken.

If you have any other questions please let us know.

Thanks,

Quicken Francisco

jacobs

Confirming what Francisco wrote above, Quicken 2007 works on macOS up to Mojave, but can't run on Catalina or Big Sur.

The only way to run Quicken 2007 is to acquire Virtual Machine software, such as Parallels, install and older versions of macOS in the VM, and then install Quicken 2007 there. I haven't read whether there are any issues running an older macOS in Parallels on a new Mac with the M1 chip; you're probably better looking on online forums for Parallels (or VMWare Fusion) for information about that.

That all said, unless there is a showstopper of an issue that prevents you from using the current Quicken Mac, I'd suggest upgrading to the current Quicken. Quicken 2007 has a database prone to occasional corruption and has limits to the number of transactions and other tables in its file. It's really old technology at this point. 

Some of the dwindling number of Quicken 2007 users have solid reasons for holding out, due to some crucial part of the program which the modern Quicken Mac does not offer. Some of those issues may still be addressed in the future. Others will never be addressed, as the developers have decided to go in a different direction or decided not to devote resources to making changes for a small and declining number of remaining Quicken 2007 users.

If you fall into the camp of those who have a crucial need not met by modern Quicken Mac, you can hang on for awhile longer with VM software; if not, its probably time to upgrade. The modern Quicken Mac does some things better, some things about the same, and some things not as well as Quicken 2007, but the vast majority of Quicken 2007 users have switched to the modern Quicken Mac and moved on.

smayer97

There currently are no VMs available that work on M1 Macs but they are in the works. But there is no time frame available at this time.

So if you need to get a new Mac that will have Big Sur on it, it needs to be Intel-based so you can run QM2007 in a VM.

For some guidance on this, take a look at:

Running Quicken for Mac 2007 in a Virtual Machine (VM)

jacobs

@smayer97 Actually, Parallels does have the "Parallels Desktop 16 for M1 Mac Technical Preview" version which runs on M1 Macs. It's obviously not their final released version yet, but people are using it, and it may be robust enough for some users.

It's also worth noting that some users who are also participants in Microsoft's Windows 10 Insider Preview for ARM have been able to get Windows running in Parallels on M1 Macs. One "technology preview" could be asking for trouble, two is surely not for the faint of heart! But the point is that these pre-final-release versions are working for people today, and are clear indications this will transition into mainstream releases in the future. 

smayer97

Like I said, they are in the works. So, ok, to be more precise... there are no final commercial VMs available.

NanB

Thank you both for responding. Although I'm quite proficient on my Mac and with Quicken 2007, I am totally unfamiliar with the inside workings of the computer. I'd like to try and find a solution since I am one of those dwindling 2007 users who has solid reasons for holding on. I did get Quicken Premier 2020 to try it out, but find it is really missing some important pieces for me.

If you know anyone in the Boston area who would be willing to work this through with me, I would be most appreciative.

jacobs

@NanB  I'd offer the opinion that based on your description of your skills and comfort level, I'd steer clear of trying to implement Virtual Machine software to install and run an older macOS in order to run Quicken 2007.

If you care to pursue it further, could you indicate any of the reasons you think the current Quicken can't meet your needs? I'm not trying to say your assessment is incorrect, but I've seen in some cases people reject the modern Quicken Mac because after a quick look they decided it couldn't do things it actually can do.

wab

there is a BIG SUR version using the intel chip. I want to know if it will let me use my quicken 2007. I have questions about the new quicken versions to be able to do what I need. Anyone available to chat?

smayer97

You can use QM2007 in a VM using Mojave or older as the guest macOS on top of the host macOS Big Sur (as long as you use Intel-based Mac, as you say you are and not an M1 Mac, as there is no final version of a VM that runs on M1 that supports macOS guests).

jacobs

@wab  So just to recap: you cannot run Quicken 2007 natively on Big Sur. Starting with macOS Catalina, all Mac apps must be modern 64-bit applications, and Quicken 2007 is an old 32-bit application, so it cannot run.

The way around that, as smayer97 correctly pointed out above, is that you can acquire virtual machine software, such as Parallels, then install macOS Mojave or High Sierra inside the virtual machine environment, and then move your Quicken application and data file there to run. It's not trivial to set up, but experienced Mac users should be able to do it.

My suggestion, though, is to fully evaluate whether the modern Quicken Mac will meet your needs, as that would be preferable to jumping through hoops to continue to run Quicken 2007. I'm a longtime Quicken Mac user, and I loved Quicken 2007 -- but it has some shortcomings. The database in Quicken 2007 is rather ancient, and it is prone to corruption at times, corruption which in some cases can be easily repaired and which at other times can lead to loss of data or being unable to run. And, of course, the software is not supported if you run into a problem in the future. For now, there is a path forward to import Quicken 2007 data files into the modern Quicken Mac, but there is no guarantee that Quicken will maintain that import process indefinitely. So I believe taking tangible steps to continue to run Quicken 2007 is living on borrowed time; it might work fine for you for the next 5 years or more, or might bite you someday in an unpleasant way.

So for those reasons, I think continuing with Quicken 2007 should be done as a last resort -- if you determine there's something about modern Quicken Mac which makes it incapable of serving your needs -- rather than as the next logical step forward. Yes, there is a cost to moving to the modern Quicken subscription software, but there is also peace of mind that you are not tempting the fates, that you have reliable software for now and the future, along with support, bug fixes, and enhancements over time.

You said you have questions about the modern Quicken Mac, so my advice is to pursue those questions to see if the software will work for you or not. I'd suggest starting a new question on this forum rather than adding to this topic, and ask about what questions you have. Better still, if you already have a Mac running Big Sur, try modern Quicken Mac; you have to buy it, but you can get your money back within 30 days of purchase if you determine it's not suitable for you. The look and some operations are different than what you're used to, and many Quicken 2007 users have an initial knee-jerk reaction that they don't like it because of its differences, but I'd encourage you to look past the aesthetic differences to focus on how you use Quicken to determine if there's anything you do which modern Quicken Mac simply cannot currently do. Ask questions here if you run into an apparent roadblock, as the optimal way to do something in modern Quicken Mac is not always immediately obvious to someone moving from Quicken 2007.

Your goal in such an evaluation is only to determine if there is some showstopper issue for you preventing you from moving to modern Quicken Mac.  We all use Quicken differently, so people have different results and issues as they try moving to Quicken Mac. A small percentage of Quicken 2007 users use some combination of features in Quicken 2007 which can't be replicated in modern Quicken Mac and therefore find themselves unable to move forward. But a very large percentage of Quicken 2007 users have successfully moved to modern Quicken Mac in recent years, so the assumption going into this is that it will probably work for you just fine. 

As someone who stuck with Quicken 2007 from late 2006 until 2020, I can tell you that (a) I'm happy I waited a few years for some important features to be added to Quicken Mac, (b) there are still a few things I miss from Quicken 2007 and hope will some day be added to Quicken Mac, and (c) overall, I like Quicken Mac and I'm thrilled to be off Quicken 2007 and migrated smoothly to a version of Quicken I believe will serve me for many years to come. 

JHallQu

My main reason for sticking with 2007 is that I rely heavily on graphs and reports, and last time I tested the new Quicken (probably 2018 or so) it imported my data OK, but was completely lacking in its report and graphing capability, something I really don't want to lose. I have a pretty powerful Macbook Pro that I still have on Mojave for this reason, but now have other software I can't run unless I upgrade, so really have to find a solution. Even thinking of taking one of my kids older MacBook Airs, and putting Mojave on it, and making it just my Quicken machine. Seems ridiculous, but I have yet to find anything that has anything close to the graphing and report capability of Quicken 2007.

jacobs

@JHallQu  The reporting functionality of Quicken has been improved pretty significantly over the past three years. There are still features we're waiting for, but reporting is much better than it was before. (After years of dabbling with modern Quicken Mac but using Quicken 2007 for my real work, I finally made the final switch to new Quicken Mac last year due to improvements in report, QuickFill, and other areas of the program.) That said, there is no new graphing functionality. (I personally prefer tabular text reports to charts, so this doesn't hinder me.) You can now export all reports to open in Excel or Numbers if you want to create graphs, but the developers have not yet moved adding graphing options in the program to the top of the priority list.

I can't tell you whether Quicken today would or wouldn't meet your needs; you might consider buying a subscription, trying it for a few weeks, and requesting a refund within 30 days if you determine it does not meet your needs well enough.

smayer97

If you are willing to venture there, you can use QM2007 in a VM using Mojave or older as the guest macOS on top of the host macOS Big Sur or newer (as long as you continue to use an Intel-based Mac, at this point in time).

Note that the latest version (of a top quality VM, VMWare Fusion v12, has been made FREE (for personal use), so you can give it a try even before upgrading your Mac to see how it can work for you.

(CAVEAT: v12 only works on Catalina (10.15) or newer, but a free 30 day trial is available for v11.x. However, one way to try v12 is to use another drive or partition your existing one and install Catalina or newer on it.)

For some guidance on this, take a look at:

Running Quicken for Mac 2007 in a Virtual Machine (VM)