Changing categories

d.gerety.

I want to change some category names, combine others and delete some, but I don't want the changes to affect my 2021 and earlier data.

If I create a new File for 2022 and make the changes, will they be independent of 2021 and earlier files? I wish I had tried this years ago.

Many thanks in advance for the help.
DG

Quicken Jasmine

Hi @d.gerety.

Thank you for contacting the community regarding this question. 

Yes, the new 2022 file would only contain the Quicken default categories, none of your custom categories from the other files would transfer and vice versa. 

I hope this helps,
Quicken Jasmine

jacobs

Alternatively, you could create your new categories in your existing file. There isn't yet a way to hide old categories — it's been requested but the developers haven't implemented it yet — but if you don't want to see some of your old categories when entering a new transaction, you can edit them to have a "z" prefix to push them to the bottom of any pop-up list.

For example, you could change your old phone service categories "Home Phone" and "Mobile Phone" to "z-Home Phone" and "z-Mobile Phone" and create a new category called "Phone". The "z" prefix means they will be at the bottom of any pop-up list of possible categories, and it will also signal you that this is an old category you've flagged as "do not use".

Or, in at least some cases, you might decide you don't care about the distinction between "Home Phone" and "Mobile Phone" in your transaction history, so you could Merge these two categories into one called "Phone". Or if you had old categories you used for your kids when they were growing up — Dance Lessons, Skating Lessons, Scout expenses, etc. — you might want to merge them all into one, more generic "Kids Activities" or "z-Kids Activities"

I generally encourage people to stick with one data file, because then you have all your history in one place; if you start a new file, then for years to come, you'll need to hop back into the old file to look up old transactions. Cleaning up Categories by renaming and merging can make this viable for many people. 

Quicken Jasmine

Hi @d.gerety.

Thank you for contacting the community regarding this question. 

Yes, the new 2022 file would only contain the Quicken default categories, none of your custom categories from the other files would transfer and vice versa. 

I hope this helps,
Quicken Jasmine

d.gerety.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jasmine! You've made my taxes much simpler for next year.

Quicken Jasmine

Hi @d.gerety.,

Thank you for the response! I am so so glad that I could help!

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out!
Quicken Jasmine

jacobs

Alternatively, you could create your new categories in your existing file. There isn't yet a way to hide old categories — it's been requested but the developers haven't implemented it yet — but if you don't want to see some of your old categories when entering a new transaction, you can edit them to have a "z" prefix to push them to the bottom of any pop-up list.

For example, you could change your old phone service categories "Home Phone" and "Mobile Phone" to "z-Home Phone" and "z-Mobile Phone" and create a new category called "Phone". The "z" prefix means they will be at the bottom of any pop-up list of possible categories, and it will also signal you that this is an old category you've flagged as "do not use".

Or, in at least some cases, you might decide you don't care about the distinction between "Home Phone" and "Mobile Phone" in your transaction history, so you could Merge these two categories into one called "Phone". Or if you had old categories you used for your kids when they were growing up — Dance Lessons, Skating Lessons, Scout expenses, etc. — you might want to merge them all into one, more generic "Kids Activities" or "z-Kids Activities"

I generally encourage people to stick with one data file, because then you have all your history in one place; if you start a new file, then for years to come, you'll need to hop back into the old file to look up old transactions. Cleaning up Categories by renaming and merging can make this viable for many people. 

d.gerety.

Thanks, Jacobs, but I'd rather create a new, clean file with the correct categories for our tax purposes. I don't mind going back to an older file now and then to find something. I'll create a new 2022-> (and newer) file, edit the categories and download entries from our financial accounts. Thanks again.

jacobs

@d.gerety. Whether you need information from the old file or not, please remember to open it periodically (once a year) so it is always updated to the current Quicken Mac format. There are many example on this forum of people who have old data files from 10, 15, or 20 years ago who suddenly need something in those files, and it can be difficult or impossible to migrate such old date to the current format. Don't get caught like that! Opening your old file once a year and allowing it to update to the latest format will prevent that.

However, once your new file is set up, you'll want to make some edits in your old file to prevent it from actually updating data whenever you open it. For starters, open every single account in your old file and make sure each one is disconnected from downloading (e.g. only manual entry). You should also edit any scheduled transactions to delete all future instances.