Syncing between 2 computers

jumbo777

Hi, I live 2 locations. I have 2 computers, one at each house. One computer already has Quicken (subscription Windows) installed. I would like to install the software on my other computer and sync my accounts between them. I do my finances on one computer, but would like the ability to do them on the other as well and keep them synced. Any help would be appreciated.

splasher

All you need to do is install Quicken on the second computer and move the data file back and forth between the two computers as needed.

NOTE: There is no way to sync/merge the information between the two files if you make changes to an out of date copy of the file.  Also, Quicken does not support accessing the data file on a shared / network drive (that includes DropBox, OneDrive, etc).

jumbo777

How do I get the data file?

volvogirl

In Windows the data file ends in .qdf and .qdf-backup and should be in your Documents in a Quicken folder.  But be very careful copying it back and forth.  It's easy to get messed up which is the actual current file.

jfclague

I keep my Quicken Data Folder under Microsoft OneDrive and just pause syncing while using Quicken. This allows me to access it from both home & work computers.

I know Quicken doesn't recommend this solution but I (and many other users on this forum) have done this for years with no issues.

splasher

jumbo777 said:

How do I get the data file?

On the File menu, there is a show this file selection.

splasher

jfclague said:

I keep my Quicken Data Folder under Microsoft OneDrive and just pause syncing while using Quicken. This allows me to access it from both home & work computers.

I know Quicken doesn't recommend this solution but I (and many other users on this forum) have done this for years with no issues.

@jfclague While your process will do the trick and prevent the potential data file corruption that Quicken warns about, you have to remember to do the "pause", since it is not automatic, it can be forgotten and it only takes one time for the corruption to happen.
Now, if you could wrap that all up in a command file that would do the pause, run Quicken and then unpause, it would be a great solution.

jumbo777

How about if I do a backup, then transfer that backup file to the other computer and update by the restore feature? I’m a little leery about extracting a file from the system and putting it on another computer.

splasher

@jumbo777
We used to advise users to use the backup/restore process, BUT, Quicken has changed something in the background and keeps track of the # of datasets associated with a file.  Once you exceed some maximum #, you have to contact Quicken Tech Support to get it unlocked, but it only undoes it by one, so the next time you do a backup/restore, you will have the problem again.
Using Windows copy does not cause this to happen, so it is now being suggested to do copies and NOT backup/restore.

jfclague

splasher said:

@jfclague While your process will do the trick and prevent the potential data file corruption that Quicken warns about, you have to remember to do the "pause", since it is not automatic, it can be forgotten and it only takes one time for the corruption to happen.  Now, if you could wrap that all up in a command file that would do the pause, run Quicken and then unpause, it would be a great solution.

@splasher As I said in my statement, I pause before I use Quicken. I do it every time so it is in my normal process. Also, if there ever is an issue, OneDrive has versioning & I can restore to the previous version.

I don't know why anyone would want to go thru the process of backup & restore. Makes no sense when you have OneDrive or Dropbox.

Just my opinion.

jumbo777

@splasher thanks. Why in the world would Quicken make it so difficult to sync 2 computers? I’m sure there’s a lot more people like me that have more than one residence. I guess I will have to stay in one computer. I really wanted to input transactions from the other home. Shame on Quicken, if I would have known I would have gone with another program. That being said, I don’t need to have this online. I use the software to record my transactions and compare with my bank. That’s all. I used an Excel spreadsheet for many years and syncing them was a matter of just copying the file, putting on a flash drive and putting on the other computer. Thanks again. I might be on the hunt for another program.

splasher

@jumbo777 Copying/moving the Quicken data file is no different than what you did with your Excel spreadsheet.  

Chris_QPW

Assuming one is using OneDrive and the Documents folder is synced to the OneDrive, they could around not having to do the pause by putting their *.QDF file in C:\Quicken, and using this script.

set DATA_FILE=Current.qdf

set DATA_DIR=c:\Quicken

set QUICKEN_ONEDRIVE_DIR=%USERPROFILE%\OneDrive\Quicken

copy "%QUICKEN_ONEDRIVE_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%" "%DATA_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%"

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Quicken\qw.exe" "%DATA_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%"

copy "%DATA_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%" "%QUICKEN_ONEDRIVE_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%"

Use Notepad to put this in a file, but change the file suffix/type from .txt to cmd.
You can put that file anywhere you like and create a shortcut to it by right clicking on it and selecting Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut).

You can also further change that shortcut so that the command window running the script comes up minimized.
Right click on the Desktop shortcut and select Properties, and select Minimized for the "Run:".

One nice thing about running this way is the say it mess up in Quicken and don't want the data file copied back to your OneDrive folder you can just kill the script window and as such when you exit Quicken there won't be anything to do the copy back.
While running:


If I open the command window:


Notice that it did the copy of the my QDF files (Current.QDF) and then started Quicken with it as an argument.
And it is waiting.  As soon as I close Quicken it will do the copy back.

EDIT note you could easily change the "QUICKEN_ONE_DIR" from you documents folder to say a USB drive or Dropbox or whatever is going to be used to get the file to the other machine.

Here is is a slight rewrite of it to make it look more generic.

set DATA_FILE=Current.qdf

set TMP_DIR=c:\Quicken

set QUICKEN_DATA_DIR=%USERPROFILE%\OneDrive\Quicken

copy "%QUICKEN_DATA_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%" "%TMP_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%"

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Quicken\qw.exe" "%TMP_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%"

copy "%TMP_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%" "%QUICKEN_DATA_DIR%\%DATA_FILE%"

jumbo777

@splasher: true. I’ll give it a shot but with the utmost caution.

Office girl

Can I get help but using apple instead? I have no idea what you are talking about when trasnfering etc, but would like to use quicken on both my laptop and desktop
HELP please

Quicken Anja

Hello @Office girl,

Thank you for taking the time to visit the Community, however, since this is an older post that was originally created back in May 2021, it is less likely to receive an answer now.

I would suggest creating a new post in the appropriate Mac category to receive responses from other Mac users and users who may currently be experiencing the same problem on the same platform. Doing so will also assist us with better tracking ability in the event that this issue may result in an escalation being required.

Please be sure to include a description of the issue, any error messages you may be receiving (if applicable) as well as the version of Quicken you have currently running (Quicken > About Quicken). The more information you are able to provide will help the Community to better understand and assist.

Thank you!