What is wrong with the reference function?

For 20 years, I've hit the drop down on the "Reference Column" to, for example, transfer money between one Quicken account to another. Today, nothing allows a transfer. A program bug I assume?

Best Answer

  • UKR
    UKR SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    It is not required to use the Check # / Reference # column in order to create a transfer transaction between account registers in Quicken.
    It helps, but you can do without ...
    What counts is how you enter the Category. To make a new transaction a transfer, simply record the "transfer-to" account name as the category, surrounded by [square brackets], e.g., [My Savings]
    A quick keyboard shortcut to create a new transfer transaction is to press CTRL-Shift-T from the register of the "transfer-from" account.

Answers

  • Boatnmaniac
    Boatnmaniac SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2021
    I've been a Quicken user for the last 13 yrs and I do not recall seeing any drop downs for the Reference column.  Reference columns are mostly for entering confirmation numbers or other types of reference.  Can you take a screen shot of an example of what you have done in the past so I can better understand what your issue is?  Obscure or black out any confidential information in the screen shot and save the file.  Then you can click and drag that file to your reply here.
    BTW, transfers between Quicken accounts are accomplished in the transaction Category field...the name of the account the transfer is made to or comes from is enclosed in brackets.

    (Quicken Classic Premier Subscription: R54.16 on Windows 11)

  • LG_44
    LG_44 Member
    Sorry: It's called "Check" on a some accounts (not Reference)...and there's always a drop down menu on the "Check" that allows you to transfer a payment to another account. That drop down wouldn't come up today. (The third time I closed Quicken and re-started it, it once again gave me the drop down to record a transfer...maybe a temporary glitch?) Thanks for your response.
  • Boatnmaniac
    Boatnmaniac SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    OK, that makes sense to me now.  Sometimes a memory malfunction occurs and when that happens rebooting the program or the computer can free up and refresh that memory resolving the issue.  If you see this happening more in the future be sure to post back here.  For now I agree with you and would chalk it up as a temporary glitch.

    (Quicken Classic Premier Subscription: R54.16 on Windows 11)

  • Chris_QPW
    Chris_QPW Member ✭✭✭✭
    Looking at my accounts where is is called reference # I'm no longer getting a pulldown menu, but for all the accounts that have check # it has it.  I don't use the reference # field, but this does seem like something new to me too.  Note that Typing in Txfr in the Reference # field still locks the category field to just transfers.
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  • UKR
    UKR SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    It is not required to use the Check # / Reference # column in order to create a transfer transaction between account registers in Quicken.
    It helps, but you can do without ...
    What counts is how you enter the Category. To make a new transaction a transfer, simply record the "transfer-to" account name as the category, surrounded by [square brackets], e.g., [My Savings]
    A quick keyboard shortcut to create a new transfer transaction is to press CTRL-Shift-T from the register of the "transfer-from" account.