Decreasing File size

Question

I have archived my data and asked it to only maintain records from a specific year.  I chose to open current file and all of my data from when I started using Quicken is still there.  The objective is to decrease the size of my file.  What am I doing wrong?

UKR · Answer

Did you see the fine print in the Copy dialog? The one which talked about what type of transactions were eligible to be removed (see image above)

The old transactions remaining, do they meet the removal criteria? If they are remaining in your current data file, they must not be considered removable. For example, transfer transactions will only be removed if both sides of the transfer transaction are reconciled.

[Deleted User] · Answer

@Mike56 there are a few reasons why your data file size might not have decreased:

* Unreconciled Transactions – Quicken only removes reconciled transactions that are not investments or transfers. If you have unreconciled transactions from previous years, they will remain in your file.
* Transfer Transactions – If a transaction involves a transfer to another account, Quicken may retain it unless all splits involved in the transaction have been reconciled.
* Attachments – If your Quicken file contains attachments (such as images of bills or statements), these can significantly increase the file size and are not removed by the Year-End Copy.
* Investment Transactions – Investment transactions are retained regardless of their age, so they won’t be removed even if they are from previous years.
* Outstanding Invoices or Bills – If you have unpaid invoices or bills, Quicken will retain those transactions.

If you want to reduce your file size further, you might consider manually deleting old transactions or reviewing your attachments.

Mike56 · Answer

Yes, and I did it two times.  I backed it up again and see the file is actually smaller than the backup I did earlier, but I can still see all of my transactions back to 2014.