Can I have the same Quicken account data appear on two Macs?

figlio

I track all our finances on one mac. My wife would like to see all and on her mac. Is this possible?

jacobs

There are a few ways to approach this...

Quicken is a desktop based program, so the only way to use the Quicken program with all its features on two Macs is to pass a data file back and forth. That must be done carefully, by only moving either a compressed .backup file or a compressed .zip file (created by clicking on your data file in the Finder and selecting File > Compress); never move an uncompressed .quicken file between Macs. It's okay to use a cloud service like iCloud or Dropbox to move the compressed files back and forth, but never try to put your data file on inCloud or Dropbox so both machines can run it from the same location. (You can also move the copies of the file via a flash drive, via Airdrop, via local file sharing on one of the Macs, or even by emailing the file to each other.)

Moving the data file constantly is obviously a bit of a hassle, and you have to be certain you always know where the current file is.  But there are some alternatives. If your wife mostly wants to view recent transactions, you may want to use Quicken's built-in syncing to Quicken Cloud, which enables you to use Quicken's browser-based web login. The web interface doesn't give you all the features of desktop Quicken, and your Cloud file doesn't contain the entire financial history in your data file, but for light use, the may best suit your needs.

Now, here's my caveat about using the web interface (and/or the mobile app, which works the same way): it seems that users who use the Sync functionality between the desktop data file and Quicken Cloud have significantly more data problems than users who leave Sync turned off. (I never have Sync turned on for my data file, even though it would occasionally be useful to be able to access my data remotely; I'm just not willing to risk any data corruption issues from using this feature. Many of the experienced longtime users here seem to take the same approach.) I'm not saying not to use it, because this could be the solution you're looking for, and it's designed for this purpose; I'm just warning you it might lead to problems.

One more possible solution, depending on how and when your usage and your wife's overlap: if your Mac is a desktop Mac which is always on, perhaps simple built-in screen sharing would allow your wife to connect to your computer and view your Quicken without any syncing or moving of data. Of course, she can't do this while you're actively using your computer, but if it might happen at other times, having her connect to your computer and share its screen might accomplish what you need.