QuickFill Quicken Classic Deluxe Windows

Question

My system abruptly stopped auto-populating categories. I've checked preferences and everything looks correct. Any ideas?

Sceptic · Answer

@sue3315 since you're referring to downloaded transactions, and you've already verified that the category-related preferences are enabled, a few questions:

* Is this affecting all downloaded transactions or only some payees?
* Are the payees being matched correctly to existing Memorized Payees, or are they downloading as new/unrecognized payees?
* Did this start immediately after a Quicken update?

Also check Tools→Memorized Payee List and confirm that the affected payees still have categories assigned to them. If the payees are present but downloaded transactions are no longer picking up the memorized categories, that may indicate an issue with the Memorized Payee List or the data file rather than a preference setting.

As a troubleshooting step, I would recommend creating a backup and then running Data File Validate. If that does not help, create a Quicken Copy and test whether downloaded transactions in the copied file are categorized correctly.

Validate and Repair

* Select File → Validate and Repair File.
* Select Validate File.
* Click OK.
* Review the DATA_LOG.TXT that opens when the process completes.

Create a Quicken Copy

Note:  for the copied data file, online connections will need to be reactivated for all accounts

* Select File → Copy or Backup File.
* Choose Create a copy or template and click Next.
* Select Create a copy of your current file.
* Accept the default settings and save the copy with a new name.
* Open the copied file when complete.
* Reactivate online connections for all accounts.
* Test whether downloaded transactions are categorized correctly in the copy.

Hopefully the Data File Validate will make a difference.  Since this issue involves downloading transactions, you might not know the results until the next transaction download is available.  I would do the Data File Validate first and then see if the categorization works properly with the next transaction download.

The Quicken Copy is a more involved process, but it is a good way to fix data file issues or corruption.  It is usually a process that is done when all other troubleshooting steps are ineffective.

sue3315 · Answer

It is when being assigned to downloaded transactions. All of the boxes you suggest are checked.

Sceptic · Answer

@sue3315 a couple of questions:

* Are you referring to categories being automatically filled in while manually entering transactions, or categories being assigned to downloaded transactions?
* When you start typing a payee name that has been used before, does Quicken still suggest the payee but not the category?

For either question, some things to check:

* under Edit→Preferences→Data entry and Quickfill, are both "Complete fields using previous entries" and "Recall memorized payees" checked? 
* under Edit→Preferences→Downloaded transactions is "Automatically categorize transactions" checked?