How do I copy accounts from one Quicken data file to a separate data file?

CTTrucker

I've been using Quicken for years to manage my bank and credit card accounts and my son's bank accounts. How can I copy his account information into a separate Quicken file so he can have the information if he wants his own Quicken account, without my information being there?

splasher

Use the File→File Copy to make a copy of your data file and then delete the unwanted (your accounts) accounts from the copy.

There is no good way to just copy some accounts to a new file.

splasher

Use the File→File Copy to make a copy of your data file and then delete the unwanted (your accounts) accounts from the copy.

There is no good way to just copy some accounts to a new file.

CTTrucker

Thanks splasher.

I kinda thought that's what I was going to have to do.

splasher

Be sure to use the Quicken Copy and not a Windows Copy process. Each data file has an internal file identifier which will be changed doing the Quicken Copy, but not with the Windows Copy. The backend of Quicken will think that the two files are the same if you use the Windows Copy process and that will cause you to have no end of issues in the future.

wkimzey

I try to make a copy @splasher for a specific interval 1/1/2020 until today, but the resulting qdf has all the transactions back to the beginning in 2014. Help please.

splasher

@wkimzey

Using the Year-End-Copy/Archive process of File Copy works for me. Remember, YEC only removes the old Reconciled 'R' transactions and none of the investment account transactions.

Without knowing EXACTLY what/how you tried, it is not possible to provide a more precise answer.

wkimzey

@splasher I don't regularly Reconcile my transactions. Never knew a reason to do it if my online balance matched. Maybe this was it.

Bigger picture: I'm trying to fix a checking account where the balance is right but on the networth it is inflated. (I've posted about this.) I'm pretty sure it has to do with transactions (contributions) to an old closed 401K account from paycheck. I've tried various workarounds, and now my idea is just to startover the checking account. Go back to 1/1/20 when I'm using the current 401K account.

Attached screenshot of what copy I'm talking about:

wkimzey

@splasher I went back and Reconciled the account in question, and tried to make a copy back to 2020, and it still went back to 2014. So Reconciling wasn't the trick.

splasher

You did open the newly created Quicken file versus the original Quicken file? I just tried the "Copy or Template" option in the process using your choices from the above images and it worked for me. The newly created data file only had non-investment transactions after 1/1/2020 with Opening Balance transactions dated 12/31/2019. The investment accounts were unchanged.