I have quicken deluxe for me. Can I put it on my wife's laptop too?

Fast1

Wife wants to be able to open quicken deluxe account on her MacBook air. Can that occur at same time? Or only one of us can use account at a time.

Fast1

[Removed - Duplicate]

volvogirl

You can both run Quicken at the same time.  Will she have her own data file or do you want to use the same data file?  Your data is kept in a separate file and not in the program.  It is not recommended to share the same data file.  

Boatnmaniac

Your subscription allows you to install and run Quicken on multiple computers.  Note that all installations will need to sign into Quicken using the subscriber's Quicken ID and PW which would give them access to your online Quicken.com and Quicken Community accounts as well.

Each installation can be run independently of each other at the same time provided there is a unique data file (not copies of the same file) on each computer.  If each computer has it's own unique data file set up then there should be no issues encountered and both installations can be run at the same time.

However, if you are going to share the same data file you should not be running it at the same time because it will cause data corruption.  And the shared data file should never be run from anywhere but the local drive...never from a Cloud storage site or non-local networked drive...to avoid risk of data corruption.  If you plan to share the same data file you need to be careful and may want to review the following Support Articles: 

• Quicken Subscription Membership FAQs [Support Article]
• https://www.quicken.com/support/can-i-share-my-quicken-file-between-multiple-computers-using-dropbox.
  

BK

You can install Quicken on multiple computers Mac/Win and Virtual Machines.  The license key is not required but rather when you login with your Quicken ID, they will recognize that you have a valid subscription with an expiration date.

You can create many Quicken data files if you want (there is a limit but you won't reach it).  I have five, one called Test so I can get creative, etc.  Some have 20 files.

You may use the "same" Quicken data file by copying it from one Mac to another (or from one Win to another) but be VERY careful to not get them out of sync or you will have data issues and potential corruptions.  Therefore do not open them at the same time, not even to view it.  If you want to share the file, I suggest to use it on one machine and once done, exit and immediately copy the file to the other machine so that the two files are the same.  Someone who does this regularly once wrote to avoid making a forgotten mistake, once he copies it to the second computer, he deletes it from the first one to ensure there is only one file (and many backups of course).

Using your data file on the cloud will not work properly due to file-lock features of the cloud systems - so keep it on your local drive.  Of course you can (and should) back it up to the cloud.

Hope this helps.

volvogirl

See more complete answers in your other post....
https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7918315/i-have-quicken-deluxe-for-me-can-i-put-it-on-my-wifes-laptop-too

jacobs

The other crucial thing to add is that when moving the data file, you must move a compressed copy and not just the Quicken data file. This initially sounds bad, but you'll find you can set up a routine that adds only a few seconds each time you use Quicken. Here's a more long-winded discussion of the topics brought up above...

Quicken is designed as single-user personal finance software. That said, there are certainly users who want to use their file from two different Macs, or to allow a spouse to access Quicken on a different computer. And doing so is definitely possible, but it requires a little work on your part. Quicken is built to have your data file on your local computer; while it can sync some information for use with the mobile app or web interface, it is not designed to fully sync your entire data file between multiple computers. (And that sync to Quicken Cloud is notorious for sometimes causing data corruption issues.) So to safely use your data on two computers, you need to move your Quicken data file back and forth between the two computers. You can use a cloud storage service to make this pretty easy — as long as you do it correctly — or you can use File Sharing on one computer to allow the other computer to connect and pull or push a data file, or Airdrop if the computers are close enough, or a flash memory drive.

Some basic do's and don'ts about moving a Quicken Mac data file around...

Do not store your Quicken data file on any cloud service, such as Dropbox or iCloud. It will likely lead to problems. Storing Quicken backup files on cloud storage is fine, but your live data file needs to be resident on your local computer. 

Do not use File Sharing to connect to another computer, and launch the Quicken data file on that other computer. Your Quicken data file needs to be resident on your local computer's hard drive during the period you're using it.

Do move only a compressed copy of a data file between computers/servers/cloud storage. A compressed file is either (a) one you create by selecting the file in the Finder and doing File > Compress, creating a .zip file, or (b) a backup file created by Quicken, which ends in .quickenbackup. Why? A Quicken data file is actually not a single file; it's a Mac "package" file, which is a wrapper around a collection of files and folders to make it appear to users like a single file. (Control-click on your data file and select "Show Package Contents" if you want to peek inside the wrapper.) Every Mac user account has a unique User ID number, and when you move files and folders around, permissions can be changed — the result of which can be getting locked out of your data. Moving a compressed file and opening it on a different Mac won't result in permission problems. (As mentioned above, moving a compressed file can be either via a cloud service like Dropbox or iCloud, a local network, Airdrop, or a flash drive.) 

This may sound like a pain, but it needn't be. After each time you use Quicken, move your backup or compressed file to a location — on cloud storage or a physical flash drive — which you'll start from the next time you use Quicken on either computer. Use the data file, quit Quicken, and again save the compressed file back to the same location. As long as both of you always start from the same location and replace a file to the same location -- which takes just a few extra seconds -- you will always be assured of working on the most current file and not having permission problems. 

If you use Dropbox, one relatively easy workflow is to set your Quicken backup location to Dropbox. So every time you quit Quicken, it creates a backup in a location both computers can access on Dropbox. The only manual step is that to start your next Quicken session, from either computer, you need to drag the backup file from Dropbox to your Mac desktop and double-click it to launch it. When you quit Quicken, a new backup is created in the same place. (You also have to delete the working copy from your desktop, and make sure you always grab the most recent backup file on Dropbox.)

If you don't use Dropbox, you could turn on file sharing on one computer, and then use your "Public Folder" (which exists by default in macOS) to store the .zip copy of your Quicken data file between sessions. Either computer could access the shared Public Folder on your computer to copy the .zip file to the Desktop (or Documents folder), delete the copy on the Public folder (to keep there from being multiple versions around which could cause confusion), and use the file; then quit Quicken, compress the file, copy it to the Public Folder, and delete the copy on your Desktop (or Documents folder). It sounds like a lot of things to do, but once you see the flow back and forth, you'll hopefully find it pretty easy to keep track of. Compressing a copy and copying it after using will take only a few seconds, as will copying the compressed file to the Desktop to use it the next time. 

I know that's a long-winded answer to a seemingly simple question. The need to move your data file back and forth may seem a bit daunting, but once you set-up a system that works for you, and get the workflow worked out, I think you'll find you can make this work spending only a few extra seconds each time you use Quicken.

(There are a few other alternatives. One is to keep Quicken on one computer, and use a screen sharing utility on the other computer to access Quicken on the primary computer. Of course, that only works if the base computer is typically accessible and you both don't need to work at the same time. The other alternative is to use Quicken only on one of your computers, turn on Sync for Quicken mobile, and on the other computer, log in via the available web interface. The web interface isn't full-fledged Quicken, but it lets you see, edit and enter transactions. Quicken should smoothly handle syncing between the desktop data file and the Quicken Cloud. I know some people use this without problems, but I've also seen too many problem reports here on this forum to comfortably recommend it to fellow users. Most of the long-time "super users" here on the forum do not use the cloud sync.) 

BK

As always a great writeup by @jacobs

RE: ... but I've also seen too many problem reports here on this forum to comfortably recommend it to fellow users. Most of the long-time "super users" here on the forum do not use the cloud sync.

I don't know about the Mac, but on the Windows platform I stay clear from Quicken's cloud sync and have it disabled.

Fast1

Thank you Volvogirl, boatnmaniac, BK, and jacobs for the responses. This is over the top and so helpful.