Permission problems - Quicken Mac

RWong

I have a NAS that has Active Directory installed. I am in the admin group as well as super user group. The super user has RW privileges. I can open the quicken data files but my wife cannot even though we both belong to the same super user group with RW privileges to the folders and files. The only difference I can see is that I am the owner of the quicken folders/files. When I change the ownership to my wife, we both can open the quicken files. It appears that quicken only will open files that you have sole ownership or admin privileges. Has anybody had any issues with permissions? Most users probably are single users unlike my situation with 2 users.

RWong

When my wife has issues with opening the data file, she makes a copy in the same folder and opens the copy version. This can create an issue if I open the other file not knowing she made a copy and I go use the old file (quicken will automatcially open the last file by the user.

jacobs

There can even be problems using Quicken from a NAS. My suggestion is to store a .zip copy of your Quicken data file (as well as your automatic Quicken backups) on your NAS. Each time you or your wife want to use Quicken, copy the .zip file to your local hard drive, decompress it, and double-click it to launch Quicken using that file. When you’re done using Quicken, quit, compress the data file, and copy the .zip file back to the NAS. Yes, this adds a few seconds each time you start and finish using Quicken, but once you’re used to it, it is literally just a few extra seconds — and it’s a safe way to use one Quicken Mac data file on multiple computers. 

jacobs

RickO said:

Another way to handle this is to set Quicken's backup file location to the NAS.

You should also be careful about filenames with this method, as each backup file has a new name (incorporating the date it was created). You have to be certain you select the latest backup to start from, or you can wipe out your most recent work. That's probably why I prefer creating and moving a .zip file; it doesn't involve messing with the backups, and you can rename the file as you move it to always have the same filename, so it will overwrite the existing file on the NAS of the local hard drive as you move it. But it's just personal preference and establishing a routine you both always follow. 

RWong

I have been storing the quicken file on the NAS for years ever since Quicken for the Mac was available and had no problems as the sole user. It's only when I started to give access to the wife. I did spend some time with the permissions on the file and determined that giving ownership of the quicken file to the group instead of me or wife works 100% now. For some reason quicken looks at the ownership of the file and if you are not the owner of the file, it will not let you open it but if you give ownership to the group which both of my wife and me is part of, it works. I can also confirm that the file is locked when it is opened by one of us so both cannot use the file at the same time. I know about the quicken file on the Mac is not one big file but is a container that contains folders and files. Thanks for all the input/comments.......

jacobs

RWong said:

I have been storing the quicken file on the NAS for years ever since Quicken for the Mac was available and had no problems as the sole user. It's only when I started to give access to the wife.

If you can get it to work for you, great. As long as you know people have had it work for a long time and then find themselves locked out, or experiencing odd problems. So if you choose to not compress the file between switching users or computers, just know that you're going against what Quicken officially supports and you are doing so at your own risk.