Category updates for downloaded transactions

Chfrat160

I downloaded all of my checking account transactions since 2019. None of them have categories assigned. Is it possible to enter a category for each separate payee and have Quicken automatically apply the category to all Payees with the same name? For example, If I apply the category Food: groceries to Kroger, how can I get it to apply Food: groceries to all of the other Kroger entries?

Tom Young

"Is it possible to enter a category for each separate payee and have Quicken automatically apply the category to all Payees with the same name? "

Yes, you can do that, and in a few different ways.

The most direct, in my way of thinking, is the use the Edit > Find/Replace tool.  On the "Find" line at the top you select "Payee" in the 1st drop-down box, select "Exact" in the 2nd drop down box, and type in "Kroger" in the last box.  Then click the "Find" button.

If all the items found should have the Category Food:groceries, then in the "Replace" line at the bottom of the screen you select "Category" and enter "Food:groceries" in the second box.

Chfrat160

Thank you. Looks like a good approach but I am not finding any Replace option. I do find the "Find" option and am able to pull up the transactions. My menu does not seem to offer a replace option or the drop down boxes that you refer to. I can click on a transaction and it will highlight the transaction with edits available but no replace option. I have also searched for "replace" in the help tab but nothing shows up. I am using Quicken Deluxe 6.6.1 for Mac. It has been awhile since I have used Quicken but I am familiar with the same type of function in Quickbooks. n

Chfrat160

Per the Community the Find/Replace has been removed for Mac users. (raised eyebrows). But you can search the Payee you want, then highlight the payee and select Command A and it will highlight all of the Payees. Then double click on one of the payees and edit with needed category or whatever. It will supposedly adjust all highlighted transactions. I can't believe they got rid of Find/Replace. It was a real time saver.

Chris_QPW

@Chfrat160 The reason you got @Tom Young's response is because you posted in a Windows thread.  Hopefully a moderator will change it to Mac so that it can get the attention of the Mac users.

But they didn't "remove it".  Quicken Mac was rewritten from scratch starting in 2007 and that is a feature that hasn't been added.

I'm not a Quicken Mac user, but I believe that you could sort by payee, select the all  of the transactions of with a given payee and change the category for them at the same time.  Note there is an All Transactions section if you need to do this across multiple accounts.

Chfrat160

Yes, I did not see an option for Mac for that particular issue. Hopefully they can get it updated. I do think I found a solution...Search by Payee, do a mass highlight with Command A, CLick on one of the transactions and change via edit category, then hit return. Seems to change all of the highlighted transactions.

Chris_QPW

It sounds like you found what I saw a Mac person mention, now that you have said it.

It also sounds like a good reason that the Find and Replace feature isn't a high priority on the Quicken Mac developer's list.  There several things like that where it is done differently, and people aren't use to it, but is totally useable.  And in fact there are cases where it is better.  For instance Quicken Mac's reconcile uses a "filter" over the register instead of a separate window which means the user can use the full power of the register without the developers having to put in the same functionality (which they never do, this in reference to how Quicken Windows does it, and applies to also how reviewing downloaded transaction is done in the old Downloaded Transactions tab) into other windows.