Running Quicken on BOTH Windows and Mac, ctd questions

Bob.

Bothers me the exisitng thread is closed. I have new questions and seems another thread could be avoided.

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7958712/mac-and-pc

I was ready to play with this today, not make the switch, but learn, and several things occurred to me:

1. Could this send a scheduled payment again? Could cause somme havoc.
2. Will this require me to reauthorize accounts with billers again since new computer, Quicken version?
3. Will this affect the existing Windows File at all?

If ANY of the 3, I will wait until there is a better possibility I will switch rather than "audition".

~Bob

[Edited - Fixed Link]

Quicken Jasmine

Hello @Bob.,

I understand your frustration with the existing thread being closed, and I appreciate you bringing up these concerns before moving forward. To address your questions:

1. Could this send a scheduled payment again?
   • If you’re using Quicken Bill Manager (Quick Pay/Check Pay) or bank bill pay through Direct Connect, switching between Mac and Windows could potentially resend scheduled payments. It’s best to temporarily disable any scheduled payments before testing.
2. Will this require me to reauthorize accounts with billers again?
   • It depends on how the accounts are linked. If you're using Quicken Bill Manager, you may need to reauthorize billers on the new installation. For Direct Connect or Express Web Connect+, financial institutions sometimes flag a new device or installation, which may require reauthorization.
3. Will this affect the existing Windows file at all?
   • No, simply testing on another device won’t modify your existing Windows file unless you intentionally overwrite or sync changes. To be extra safe, make a backup before testing (File > Backup and Restore > Backup Quicken File).

If any of these concerns are deal-breakers for your current setup, it may be best to wait until you're more certain about making the switch rather than just exploring. Let me know if you need further clarification!

Bob.

Thanks, Jasmine. Using Bill Pay through my bank only. And such a hassle to reauthorize all the accounts that require it.

I agree. I need to postpone until at least a good chance i will make the switch if it meets my needs.

Thanks again.

Quicken Jasmine

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20475243#Comment_20475243

No problem! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any further questions or concerns!

NotACPA

@Bob. Regarding the switch, are you aware that:

QMac & QWin have entirely different file formats, and aren't interchangeable?

That the switch (back or not) from QMac to QWin is difficult, at best?

That there are multiple "feature" differences between the two? Whether that is significant to you is something only you can answer.

Bob.

Yep, I know about file formats.

Would not switch until I was SURE I wanted to. Would run both and likely continue to pay only from Windows while not allowing paying from Mac until the switch day came.

Cannot find enough information to evaluate the differences. Which seems to be a moving target.

Issue compounds as I have not been "Mac" long enough to know if I will switch or run both PC and Mac side by side. Only 6 weeks in. And finding some things I prefer in Mac, some things that scratch my head as they are not as good as Windows and some apps I have and love in Windows that have no equivalents on Mac. And then, of the 266 apps and utilities I have in Windows, 98% are free. On the other hand, things I think should be free or low cost Mac are $25-$60!!

So lots to learn.

If you would like to pint out differences, please do. I use Home and Business because I always have. But likey could live with Premier. Just have not "downgraded".

NotACPA

re: differences. There's this: https://www.quicken.com/products/pricing-comparison/ But it's really not sufficiently detailed.

SO, you're best bet might be to buy QMac, do the conversion and CLOSELY monitor the differences for LESS THAN 30 days. THEN, if the differences are greater than you care for, you can get a full refund on QMac.

Bob.

Don;t need to buy. License for Windows includes MAC version as well.

I agree, Plans and pricing not anywhere near enough information.

Bob.

Hi @Quicken Jasmine Here is what I am planning and another question:

I'm going to install on Mac and use my Master data file from Windows to convert on the Mac and see what I can see. BUT, I will not pay anything from the Mac, only Windows. I WILL update the Mac so that as a paid bill comes in it will be added to the reigisters. But I should not have anything pay twice while I test. I will set Wells Fargo as Direct Connect to be able to pay when and if I make the cut.

Now I'd be surprised if this was possible, but thought I would ask:

Can I stay Classic Home and Business on Windows and downgrade to Premier on Mac? If I can, I might consider that. But do not want to change Windows, at least now.

If you see any gotchas above, do let me know.

Thanks.

~Bob

Jon

You only have one subscription; if you have a Business & Personal subscription then that's what you'll have on the Mac.

Quicken Jasmine

Hello @Bob.,

Thanks for sharing your plan! It sounds like a solid approach to testing Quicken on Mac while maintaining your primary activity on Windows. A few things to keep in mind:

1. Data Conversion Considerations – When moving your Master data file from Quicken Windows to Quicken Mac, some features and reports may not transfer exactly as they appear in Windows. Be sure to review everything carefully after conversion.
2. Bill Payments & Syncing – As long as you only pay bills from Windows and use Mac for tracking updates, you shouldn’t run into duplicate payments. However, keep an eye on syncing settings to prevent unintended changes across platforms.
3. Subscription Tiers – Unfortunately, Quicken subscriptions apply to your account as a whole, not per platform. If your current subscription is Classic Home & Business, downgrading to Premier on Mac would require adjusting your overall plan, which would also affect Windows. At this time, there isn’t a way to maintain different subscription tiers on separate platforms under the same account.
4. Wells Fargo Direct Connect – You can set up Direct Connect on Mac for testing without affecting your Windows setup, but ensure that your financial institution allows simultaneous access from both platforms without restrictions.

If you have any further questions or need assistance with the transition, feel free to ask. Hope this helps!

Bob.

Thanks all. Going to try tonight perhaps.

One question Jasmine:

You say: "However, keep an eye on syncing settings to prevent unintended changes across platforms."

What syncing settings are you freferring to? I don't do anything in the cloud. At least that I know of.

Thanks. Will let you know how it goes. Might be helpful postings for others considering the same.

Quicken Jasmine

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20478318#Comment_20478318

Yes, I was indeed referring to the Quicken Cloud, however, if you do not utilize that function, then there should not be an issue.

I am looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Bob.

Stymied already :)

Ok, started an install. VERY surprised to see an option for how to start Quicken and one being convert from a Windows file. Super!

So I copied my Windows file to the Mac desktop and started. Got to a message asking if I want to use the Quicken Cloud to securely import and since I have nbever done anything cloud that I know of, nor do I want my data in the cloud, I said no. Nothing came over even though a Quicken file was started with no data.

I double clicked the Windows file again, got the same popup asking about using the cloud.

Should I? What is the downnside of doing that? Can it affect my Windows install at all?

I'll pause waiting to hear back. Thanks!

Jon

The program that converts your file from Quicken Windows to Quicken Mac runs as a cloud service - you upload your Quicken Windows data & get Quicken Mac data back. It doesn't keep your data in the cloud or modify your current Windows data file, or have anything else to do with the Quicken Cloud.

Bob.

Don't know you Jon. Been here for a few thousand posts :) But usually in the Windows side.

Are you confident nothing remains there? If so, I'll have to give it a go.

Thanks.

~Bob

Jon

I've been here for a few thousand posts too 😊. I avoid the Windows side of the forum - I haven't done much of anything with Quicken Windows since 2000.

I'm relatively confident that they don't keep anything. I am certain that the converted data doesn't show up anywhere else - I converted a bunch of old Quicken Windows files a few years ago & the data from that has never shown up anywhere that I could see.

Bob.

Well, hi Jon :) My first Mac after 40 + years of Windows. I do nothing in the cloud out of my control. And this file has logins and passwords to financial institutions. Need to feel confident. Will sleep on it.

Thanks.

Chris_QPW

@Bob. Maybe this will help. These days everyone uses "cloud" instead of server, and one might think they are all the same, but they aren't. They aren't uploading to the "Quicken Cloud" as in the one used for syncing data files/downloading transactions. It is simply a Quicken server.

What is going on here is the fact that Quicken Mac in fact can't read a Quicken Windows data file, not really that surprising is it?

So, what is really happening is the Quicken Windows data file is being read by a modified version of Quicken and it produces a QFX file that Quicken Mac can read and create your new Quicken Mack data file from. The reason this has to happen on the server is because Quicken Windows is a 32-bit program, and Apple has dropped running 32-bit programs quite a while ago.

Which of course begs the question of why can't you just export a QFX file from Quicken Windows and then import that into Quicken Mac?

You can. So, why go through the server?

I can think of two reasons.

1. The user might not still have access to a Windows machine.
2. But the more likely reason is that the QFX export in Quicken Windows is probably behind the modified one that the Quicken Mac server is using.

Bob.

Thanks Chris. Helpful.

You'd have to have access to Windows to get the latest data file - qdf. Perhaps the QFX is not as data rich with gui settings, preferences, etc to be effective.

I'll have to try. Would much prefer it converted locally, but its either give this a shot or scrap the idea.

~Bob

Bob.

HAH!

Just tried it.

First good thing, it encrypts before uploading. But then told me it could not read the contents of my qdf file!

I'll try a new copy of QDF and try again.

Bob.

Same thing. Deleted the first try, started from scratch again, gets to uploading then says could not import. Could not read. And yet is a copy of my working Windows file.

Gonna try copying it to the Mac differently. But if that doesn't work, I'm at a loss.

Bob.

No good. I have found that sometimes dragging from Windows Desktop to Mac desktop has file issues. SO I put on flash and moved that way. Same thing.

Gonna search, but could use some help on this error.

Bob.

Double HAH!!

Just imported everything from a QXF file WITHOUT the cloud. Old 401K had issues, nothing has tried to connect and says some business categories are personal, yadda yadda. So some to sort after sleep and coffee :)

Wonder why QUICKEN did not SUGGEST using the QXF in the first place?

Bob.

I hope that above helps someone else. Cannot fathom why not do it the easier way (QXF) which WORKS! :)

Ok, I am sure I will have many comments and questions.

What was wrong on opening?

1. All hidden and closed accounts were shown.
2. Balance off by the amounts of sent payments in Windows that are neither debited from checking (though they are all there) nor credited to the account paid. (small fear once connectivity established these can be sent again)
3. No account has connectivity yet,

First volley questions:

Not much as its late and just started getting something that resembles Windows :)

1. Cannot find color settings other than light otr dark. No more customization than that?
2. Cannot find how to set a register to two lines, nor change the alternating line colors.

All for tonight. Thanks all for the help.

Jon

1. There's not much color customization in Quicken Mac. You can modify the colors of tags, and you can customize the color of panels on the dashboard, but that's about it (as far as I can recall, anyway).
2. A 2 line register is not an option. You can change the size of the single line as well as the text size from the View menu, and you can customize which columns are displayed in each register using the Columns button in the lower right (or from the Columns option in the View menu). There is a Product Idea thread under consideration that you might want to add your vote to.

jacobs

Cannot find color settings other than light otr dark. No more customization than that?

I'm not sure what color settings you're looking for. (At least Quicken Mac has dark mode, something Quicken Windows does not yet have. 🤣) There are color settings for thing like Dashboard cards and Tags. But if you're looking to apply colors to different accounts, no that's not a Quicken Mac feature.

Cannot find how to set a register to two lines, nor change the alternating line colors.

There is no two-line register. Almost everyone who has switched from Quicken Windows or the legacy Quicken Mac asks for this right away. I think most people get used to the new register user interface and come around to liking it, or at least finding it acceptable, but it takes using it a while for your brain to adapt. You'll find that there are some advantages to the single-line UI; you can show or hide any column, arrange the columns in any order you want, tweak each column width as desired, and have different set-ups for different registers.

The color of alternating line shadings are not user-configurable.

Bob.

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20478419#Comment_20478419

Thanks Jon. As I found! Surprised. So first blush on Quicken Mac is not as attractive and I shall miss the two line registers in different colors for different account categories! Damn.

Then, and this is big for me, cannot modify the dashboard to anything like the custom one I have in Windows which is where myt banking day starts! I show all my remonders through the next 30 days - critical!! Then Alerts, then all acounts with a bit of info and balances. The "dshboard" does nothing for me.

So, I was prepared for things like no invoices, but not the lack or "personalization" I have found in the first hour. And then, with instructions to convert a Windows QDF file that simply does not work, it is not a good start.

And keeping a Windows machine for Quicken not a great option.

More to come.

Bob.

Jacobs, mentioned colors in a post above. Let's see if a few examples help. Actually, I will wait on that. Even blurred, not sure I care to post that. But not only colors, which are really helpful and aesthetic, but the layout and functions of the gui are behind windows. VERY surprising.

Bob.

OK, pausing. The big one today (and I am SURE there will be more) is what to do about the transactions that have been scheduled to pay by my bank in Windows and cause issues now in Mac.

Every credit card with a payment, shown in the register, has not credited the account. And every payment in Checking has not debited chacking, though they are all there. Clear enough to understand the issue?

I figure if I enable online for all accounts, one of two things will happen:

1. Quicken will send all those intructions a second time really creating issues, or…
2. Quicken will make the balances of all accounts accurate matching Windows.

Need a bit of advice with this one before I move on.

Thanks.

Bob.

BTW, if two line registers is the first thing everyone asks for, give it to them!!! ANY marketing team knows that.

Just one marketing guy's opinion about the need to listen to your customers.