How can I utilize and share a Quicken file between my iMac and MacBook?

Question

It should be SO easy. Update a file on my iMac computer (save to the Quicken cloud), and access and amended on my MacBook. Then changes made on my MacBook and saved to Quicken cloud don't appear as updated.  Changes made don't seem to transfer to the cloud.  Am I missing something?  iMac save settings are for both local and cloud. MacBook save setting is only for cloud.

smayer97 · Answer

The following is a great review of many remote access software options available, including NoMachine and TeamViewer:

http://machow2.com/rdp-for-mac/

.

Many very easy to set up and use. Though the article is focused on Mac solutions, most have Windows versions, some even iOS and Android versions, so equally available for many platforms.

jacobs · Answer

@Dresselhouse  I agree that in this era of cloud-everything, this does seem it should be easy. But it's not. Quicken's desktop program (for both Mac and Windows) were designed to be operated from a strictly local data file. There are two separate cloud issues here, and a few viable ways to make things work…

First, the "Quicken Cloud" which you can, optionally, sync your desktop file with is, as @Quicken Alyssa wrote above, only a subset of your complete data. Cloud sync doesn't handle investment transactions, attachments, custom reports and settings, and other pieces of your desktop data; it also only contains a limited transaction history, not your entire history if you've been using Quicken for many years. Cloud sync was built many years ago as a way to give users a quick way to look up or enter transactions while away from their desktop; it was never designed to be a mirror backup of your desktop data.

Second, storing a live desktop Quicken data file on a cloud storage service (like iCloud, DropBox, etc.) is a definite no-no. The databases used by Quicken are constantly updating in various tables, records, and data fields throughout the database, and that type of random, non-linear updating of data can cause problems with cloud storage services which use complex techniques to detect and move blocks of data between the local computer and cloud. It may work fine at times, until the day you find Quicken isn't working right or, worse, your data is corrupted.

So how can you use one set of data on two computers? There are generally two viable (read: safe) ways to do so. An easy one, if it works in your use case, is to leave Quicken Mac running on your iMac, and use remote access software on your laptop to share the screen of the iMac remotely. This works well. if (a) you have a decent internet connection, and (b) no one else is using the home iMac. There are a number of ways (some free, some requiring a paid service)  to do remote screen sharing between two Macs which I won't go into here.

The other way is to safely move the data file back and forth between the two computers. There are two safe ways to move a Quicken Mac data file: a saved Quicken backup file (.quickenbackup), or  a compressed copy (.zip) of the data file. the backup or .zip file can safely be shared via iCloud; it's only the live data file which can't be stored there. So you could create a .zip file of your data file, move it to iCloud, then on the other Mac, pull the file from iCloud to the local machine, and then open and use it. You'd do the same in the opposite direction. Some people like saving one set in this process by setting the Quicken Backup folder to be a location on iCloud; then there's no file to move off the Mac you've just used, because the backup is put there automatically and you only have to manually drag it to the other machine to start using that backup. This may sound like a pain-in-the-*** to do, but most people who did it say that after a few times, it adds mere seconds to their workflow and they don't even think about it because it's so simple and nearly foolproof.

Boatnmaniac · Answer

Quicken also has a separate personal finance application called Simplifi.  Simplifi is a web-only based application so there is no software to download and keep updated. And there are no data files to be maintained nor moved when traveling.  Instead access is accomplished via a web browser from anywhere in the world.

Quicken Simplifi and Quicken Classic are not compatible with each other and, per the best of my knowledge, as of yet there is no way to transfer data from Classic to Simplifi so using Simplifi would be a start-from-scratch endeavor.

By using Simplifi instead of Classic you can alternate between any number of different computers to your heart's content.  All you need is the website login information.

Simplifi's subscription cost is lower than Classic's which many people find to be attractive.

Simplifi is not for everyone and it is not yet as fully featured as is Classic but others who have stated a desire to be able to access their data from multiple computers have found this to be a viable solution for them.  Maybe it is something you might want to look into?