Has anyone tried accessing a data file from two separate computers. (edit)

FrankBomm

I am trying to understand whether I can "share" the same data file with another person who has quicken installed on a different computer.

retird

Do you want them to have full control of your data file or just look at it?

FrankBomm

I want full control of data file on the 2 computers

retird

No good way that I know of to have data updates you do on one computer to show up automatically on the other computer and visa-versa...

FrankBomm

What about just viewing the data on another computer?

retird

Same answer... data won't automatically be updated just so you can look at it.

volvogirl

You can't share access with another computer.  There is only 1 datafile that is on one computer.   Only 1 person can use it at a time.  You would have to copy the .qdf file back and forth each time to the other computer.  You can really get messed up doing that.  

If you have a business you could use QuickBooks.  That  can be used by more than 1 person and on more than 1 computer.  And You can track inventory in QuickBooks.  QuickBooks is available as an Online program or a Desktop program.  You can have mutltple computers and users.   You can buy it here….

http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/small-business-software.jsp 

Ps56k2

just to clarify - Quicken is not designed for multiple user access....

and in fact is a little fragile when not stored on the local hard drive and a remote cloud server is used for the QDF.

There are two other supported features - Quicken on the Web and the Quicken Mobile App -

https://www.quicken.com/support/what-quicken-cloud

retird

There is another option that allows updates from the same financial institutions on separate computers thus your able to use 2 computers for the same file. The file names are just different.  The only caveat  is that any manual entry on 1 computer will need to be manually added on the other computer.

Copy the file from computer one to the second computer and then change the name of the file (just add a 1 at the end of the file name) on the second computer. You will be able to update each computer from the same financial institutions. This way you basically have 2 different file names accessing the same financial institutions.

I have done this for a long time because I want 2 identical computers in case one computer suddenly crashes.  When I do an OSU I do it on both computers generally on the same day but can be done on different days and any manual data entry or changes must be made manually on both computers so the data in the files agrees between both computers.

 

MAKE A BACKUP COPY OF YOUR FILE BEFORE TRYING THIS……… 

Jim_Harman

If you are willing to settle for only having one user of the data file at a time, you can use Quicken on one computer and then save a backup of the data file on a shared or cloud drive. Then you can restore the backup onto a local drive of the other computer and use it there. When you are done with the second computer, you save a backup on the shared drive and restore it on the first computer.

The coordination of who the current owner is, is entirely manual. There is no way to share a file in real time or to combine two files that have been modified independently.

I normally run Quicken on my desktop computer, but when I will be away from home for an extended period, I save a backup on Dropbox and restore it to the local hard drive on my laptop and keep it up to date there. When I return home, I back up the laptop copy and restore it on my desktop system.