Sharing data file on OneDrive

jeanderson

I use Quicken primarily on one PC, keeping the data file under my OneDrive. I recently purchased a new PC laptop and migrated all my settings and applications to the new system. The Quicken data file is of course available on the laptop now.

My questions:

Can I run Quicken on my laptop using the same data file?

What if I accidentally have Quicken open on one system and open it on another? Does Quicken detect this?

I believe any file on OneDrive is cached and behaves like a local file, occasionally syncing to "the cloud". How long after I close Quicken does the data file get synced?

Quicken Anja

Hello @jeanderson,

While it is possible to share a data file on 2 computers by storing the data file in a location that is synced to a cloud-based drive, please be aware that we do strongly advise against doing so and advise restoring backups to move data between the two computers instead. 

The reason is that when data files are stored on external drives such as cloud-based drives, it puts your file at risk of data damage and/or data file corruption. If/when this happens, you will no longer be able to access your data or it can cause you to lose data over time. 

Please, refer to this support article for more information. Although the article does reference DropBox specifically, the content of the article does apply to all cloud-based services. 

Alternatively, you can sync your data to the Quicken Cloud and be able to see your data remotely via the Quicken Mobile App or on Quicken on the Web. Please see this support article for more information on the Quicken Cloud.

I hope this helps!

splasher

Your data would be safe if you turn off the cloud service syncing anytime that you have Quicken running. This will keep the cloud service from doing something negative to your data file.

As far as having a Quicken data file open on multiple computers at the same time is a disaster looking to happen. Lets say you had the cloud service turned off on both computers, made changes on both computers, then turned back on the cloud service. Computers would try to update the cloud at the same time (or sequentially), along with the cloud trying to sync each computer's data file to what was/had been synced from the other computer. Like I said, a disaster.

So, as long as you shutdown the syncing and never have Quicken using the "same" data file on multiple computers at the same time, you can get away with what you want to accomplish.

NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU MAKE BACKUPS ON SOME REMOVABLE MEDIA OR NETWORK DESTINATION THAT IS NOT THE CLOUD SERVICE YOU ARE USING FOR THE SYNC PROCESS. IT NEEDS TO BE AN INDEPENDENT BACKUP.

jeanderson

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20466580#Comment_20466580

Good points. I'll take your advice and keep my data file on the local hard drive of my desktop and laptop, but keep my backups on OneDrive. When I move to working on the laptop, restore from the OneDrive backup and work there. Just need to then make a backup to OneDrive and restore on the desktop.

Thanks!

jeanderson

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20466627#Comment_20466627

As recommended by @Quicken Anja , I'll only keep backups on OneDrive. That will avoid any possibility of having the same data file opened in two instances of Quicken.

Thanks.

Quicken Anja

Thanks for your response!

I’m glad to hear that the information I provided you with serves to be useful to you. 🙂