How to duplicate information

Siestafun

I bought, installed and created accounts with Quicken subscription on my Mac laptop. No problem. How do I duplicate all of this on my desktop? Can the 2 be synced together

jacobs

@volvogirl  This question was asked about Quicken Mac.

@Siestafun  You cannot sync Quicken Mac files across two computers; you need to move the data file back and forth between the two computers. This sounds worse than it is, though.

The essential thing to know is to never move the actual data file; instead, you must move either a backup copy (.quickenbackup) or a compressed copy (in the Finder: File > Compress, which creates a .zip file). Both of these file formats protect against file permission problems which can come up if you move the live data file. (And definitely never try placing your live data file on a cloud service like iCloud or Dropbox, because problems will come up.)

To move the compressed file, you can use iCloud or Dropbox, use a flash drive, email it to yourself, use Airdrop if the computer are nearby, or network the computers together -- anything you would do to move any other file from one computer to the other.

If you use Dropbox or iCloud, pick a spot where you always copy your compressed Quicken file to after each session. When you go to use Quicken, copy the compressed file from the shared location to your desktop, double click it to use it, and when you're done, quit Quicken and copy the compressed file back to the sharing location. This way, whichever computer you use next, you'll be sure of starting with the current copy of the data file.

If you use a flash drive, consider always copying the compressed file to the flash drive after each Quicken session, and starting your next Quicken session by copying the compressed file from the flash drive to your desktop. Again, this insures you don't have to think or track which computer has the latest version; you're always starting from the copy on the flash drive, which is the latest file.

volvogirl

Is the Desktop also a Mac?  You have to copy the .qdf data file to the other computer.  Did you install Quicken on the Desktop?  You can not sync them.  You have 1 data file.  You have to move it back and forth between computers.  But you can mess it up doing that if you accidentally work or save in the wrong copy.

jacobs

@volvogirl  This question was asked about Quicken Mac.

@Siestafun  You cannot sync Quicken Mac files across two computers; you need to move the data file back and forth between the two computers. This sounds worse than it is, though.

The essential thing to know is to never move the actual data file; instead, you must move either a backup copy (.quickenbackup) or a compressed copy (in the Finder: File > Compress, which creates a .zip file). Both of these file formats protect against file permission problems which can come up if you move the live data file. (And definitely never try placing your live data file on a cloud service like iCloud or Dropbox, because problems will come up.)

To move the compressed file, you can use iCloud or Dropbox, use a flash drive, email it to yourself, use Airdrop if the computer are nearby, or network the computers together -- anything you would do to move any other file from one computer to the other.

If you use Dropbox or iCloud, pick a spot where you always copy your compressed Quicken file to after each session. When you go to use Quicken, copy the compressed file from the shared location to your desktop, double click it to use it, and when you're done, quit Quicken and copy the compressed file back to the sharing location. This way, whichever computer you use next, you'll be sure of starting with the current copy of the data file.

If you use a flash drive, consider always copying the compressed file to the flash drive after each Quicken session, and starting your next Quicken session by copying the compressed file from the flash drive to your desktop. Again, this insures you don't have to think or track which computer has the latest version; you're always starting from the copy on the flash drive, which is the latest file.