filesharing between macs

Henryth · April 2017

Have been using Quicken for Mac since 1985 and just upgraded from QM2007 to QM2017. Have both an iMac and Airbook and iPhone. With QM2007 the Quicken file was on the iMac with hard disk back-up and I could access that file from the Airlbook via the Apple filesharing protocol. Would like to do the same with QM2017. Is that possible? Thanks for your help.

John_in_NC · April 2017

It is not suggested you do this. You were very lucky that you didn't have issues with 2007.

Quicken, like some other programs, stores its data in a data file "Package." Those tend to have issues when they are accessed from outside the user account (such as you would be trying). It will appear to be working perfectly fine. . . until it doesn't. The permissions get screwed up and the database can become corrupted.

The same applies to trying to store your Quicken on web storage such as iCloud or DropBox.

Henryth · April 2017

John in NC said:
It is not suggested you do this. You were very lucky that you didn't have issues with 2007.

Quicken, like some other programs, stores its data in a data file "Package." Those tend to have issues when they are accessed from outside the user account (such as you would be trying). It will appear to be working perfectly fine. . . until it doesn't. The permissions get screwed up and the database can become corrupted.

The same applies to trying to store your Quicken on web storage such as iCloud or DropBox.

Thank you for comments and recommendations, but, as I mentioned, I have been doing it for years with Quicken 2007 and before that with Quicken 1999. I;m willing to try it with QM2017. If something goes wrong, I can always restore the data with the back-ups. Thus, can you tell me how to do it? From my Airbook I do not see the QM2017 file on my iMac. It probably is hidden somewhere in the Library.

Otherwise, how about syncing between my Airbook and my iMac? If it is possible between iPhone and Mac, why not between 2 Macs?

Appreciate your comments.

John_in_NC · April 2017

John in NC said:
It is not suggested you do this. You were very lucky that you didn't have issues with 2007.

Quicken, like some other programs, stores its data in a data file "Package." Those tend to have issues when they are accessed from outside the user account (such as you would be trying). It will appear to be working perfectly fine. . . until it doesn't. The permissions get screwed up and the database can become corrupted.

The same applies to trying to store your Quicken on web storage such as iCloud or DropBox.

Yes, your data file is hidden in the user library. The easiest way to see the path is to have your Quicken file open, and command click on the filename in the window title bar. This will show a drop down with the path to the hidden spot.

I won't give instructions how to network/store the file on web storage because I think it is poor advice. Please understand as I have seen the end results too many times. However, if you have shared your file in the past, then this shouldn't be hard for you to figure out. (Do it the same way.)

People have already been reporting crashing when the file is synced to iCloud as well.

One last thing regarding backups: one of the reasons why I really don't advise this is that the file can begin to "fail silently." In other words, the file is corrupting before you realize it. And when you do, they file is usually beyond repair. Backups are fine, but how far do you have to go back to a completely healthy file? Unfortunately, you don't know.

Good luck.

jacobs · April 2017

John in NC said:
It is not suggested you do this. You were very lucky that you didn't have issues with 2007.

Quicken, like some other programs, stores its data in a data file "Package." Those tend to have issues when they are accessed from outside the user account (such as you would be trying). It will appear to be working perfectly fine. . . until it doesn't. The permissions get screwed up and the database can become corrupted.

The same applies to trying to store your Quicken on web storage such as iCloud or DropBox.

I agree with everything John says above. If you want to use Quicken on two Macs at different times, the safer way to do it entails just a few seconds of work at both ends.

First, you might want to make an alias to your Quicken file's folder and put it on your desktop. Or move your Quicken data file somewhere easier to access. (For instance,your Documents folder -- as long as you aren't using macOS Sierra and having it store Desktop and documents folders on iCloud.)

Now, after you use Quicken on your iMac, quit the program, and then in the Finder, use File > Compress to make a .zip copy of your data file. It takes just a couple seconds, but the .zip format prevents the macOS from monkeying with ownership of the files within your Quicken data file package. Take this.zip file and copy it to the other machine. (I'm assuming since you've been doing it previously, you know how to mount one computer's drive on the other. Or you can move the .zip file to iCloud or Dropbox and back again on the other machine.) Again, this takes just a couple of seconds. Now, when you want to use Quicken on the MacBook Air, double-click the .zip file you placed there; it will decompress back into your Quicken data file. Drag it over the Quicken app icon in the dock, and away you go. If you're using it for read-only on the Air, you don't need to copy it back to the iMac; if you do enter data on the Air, then you need to do the reverse to copy the file back to the iMac: quit Quicken, compress the file, copy the file to the iMac, and double-click the .zip file on the iMac to decompress it. It sounds like a lot of steps, but once you get your file locations set up and are copying back and forth as described, I think you'll find that it adds less than 30 seconds to your work to move the file to the other machine. Yeah, it's a pain to have to deal with this -- but if it protects your years of data, I think it's worth it.

smayer97 · April 2017

First, you need to understand that Quicken is not designed for multi-user usage, so, the options to "share" a data file are work-arounds. Even sharing a data file between computers with the "same" user is seen by the OS as separate users. Since you did not specify the level of access you are wanting to achieve, here are a number of options:

the first option is to move the data back and forth between users. In your case, you could move a copy of the data to a shared location, e.g. Drop Box, and each take turns updating the data. You would have to develop a sign-out process to make sure you do not both update a copy and overwrite each other's work. However, do not store and use the data file stored online directly. This often leads to a corrupted data file. Best practice is to compress the data file (now an undocumented built-in feature when performing backups with QM2017) before moving it to a cloud based storage to prevent problems with file permissions.
you can create a new user on your computer and use and store the data file under the new user (no not store the data file in a shared folder)
If you have mobile devices (iOS or Android) and if all you want to sync is cash, bank, and credit card accounts (i.e. non-investment transactions), consider using Quicken Mobile on a mobile device. You can sync more than one mobile to the same data file located on one of your computers, as long as you use the same Intuit ID associated to the data file. Note that this is limited to sync 24 months plus new transactions.
Use the built-in Mac OS screen sharing feature. It is as if you are sitting at the computer that has the data stored.
use other remote access software (several free options, e.g. NoMachine and Teamviewer) to access Quicken on one computer from the other, or even mobile devices (see this great article for complete review of many options (most are free): http://machow2.com/rdp-for-mac/ ). Though this article was written primarily with Macs in mind, there are many solutions offered that work for Windows too. The advantage of these solutions is that you retain access to all the features of Quicken, unlike Quicken Mobile. The trade-off is that the host computer cannot really be used for anything else while using Quicken with these remote solutions.
use VPN software, a little more complicated to set up but more versatile. You will need to research options for this.

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Henryth · April 2017

I'm a bit confused and would like some clarification. John in NC said in his post not to put Quicken in Dropbox or iCloud. I assume he means the data file. Here, Smayer97 suggest to put the file on dropbox and than access it either from the iMac or Airbook, but never simultaneous and ensure that you log out each time. Thanks for your help,

Henryth · April 2017

John in NC said:
It is not suggested you do this. You were very lucky that you didn't have issues with 2007.

Quicken, like some other programs, stores its data in a data file "Package." Those tend to have issues when they are accessed from outside the user account (such as you would be trying). It will appear to be working perfectly fine. . . until it doesn't. The permissions get screwed up and the database can become corrupted.

The same applies to trying to store your Quicken on web storage such as iCloud or DropBox.

Good suggestion and I played with it. But what I don't like, is that every time that you unzip the QM2017 file, it creates a new file (2) and (3) etc. My QM2017 file is almost 100Mb and now I have to go in and delete the old files. Pain in the neck.

jacobs · April 2017

Henryth said:
I'm a bit confused and would like some clarification. John in NC said in his post not to put Quicken in Dropbox or iCloud. I assume he means the data file. Here, Smayer97 suggest to put the file on dropbox and than access it either from the iMac or Airbook, but never simultaneous and ensure that you log out each time. Thanks for your help,

I think smayer97 was just saying that you could use cloud storage for moving your data file between machines, but to always use the data file locally. And for moving it to iCloud or Dropbox, it should only be the compressed (.zip) copy or a backup made within Quicken (which is actually a zipped copy).

smayer97 · April 2017

Henryth said:
I'm a bit confused and would like some clarification. John in NC said in his post not to put Quicken in Dropbox or iCloud. I assume he means the data file. Here, Smayer97 suggest to put the file on dropbox and than access it either from the iMac or Airbook, but never simultaneous and ensure that you log out each time. Thanks for your help,

Correct!

smayer97 · April 2017

John in NC said:
It is not suggested you do this. You were very lucky that you didn't have issues with 2007.

Quicken, like some other programs, stores its data in a data file "Package." Those tend to have issues when they are accessed from outside the user account (such as you would be trying). It will appear to be working perfectly fine. . . until it doesn't. The permissions get screwed up and the database can become corrupted.

The same applies to trying to store your Quicken on web storage such as iCloud or DropBox.

If you unzip the file outside the folder where the original is found, Mac OS will not append a (2) etc. Then you can simply move the data file from the unzipped location to the original location and choose to overwrite the original, thereby eliminating duplicates. Of course, you need to be sure about what you are doing. And this is not a clean solution.

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Henryth · April 2017

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and work-arounds. I have decided to wean myself off from the old file sharing. Still run QM2007 in "parallel" with QM 2017 until I'm really comfortable with QM 2017. Plan to set up all the accounts I have for direct connection and download all the data from all the institutions. That way I have up to date information on both machines and makes it easy when I'm traveling. Probably will do all the reconciliations on the iMac, because that is backed-up by an external disc.Again many thanks.

John_in_NC · April 2017

Henryth said:
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and work-arounds. I have decided to wean myself off from the old file sharing. Still run QM2007 in "parallel" with QM 2017 until I'm really comfortable with QM 2017. Plan to set up all the accounts I have for direct connection and download all the data from all the institutions. That way I have up to date information on both machines and makes it easy when I'm traveling. Probably will do all the reconciliations on the iMac, because that is backed-up by an external disc.Again many thanks.

Good. It is a hassle to compress/move the file back and forth, but that is the only way the file (and data integrity) will be preserved.

smayer97 · April 2017

Henryth said:
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and work-arounds. I have decided to wean myself off from the old file sharing. Still run QM2007 in "parallel" with QM 2017 until I'm really comfortable with QM 2017. Plan to set up all the accounts I have for direct connection and download all the data from all the institutions. That way I have up to date information on both machines and makes it easy when I'm traveling. Probably will do all the reconciliations on the iMac, because that is backed-up by an external disc.Again many thanks.

I suggest that you make sure that Quicken 2017 for Mac will meet your needs, since it is not an upgrade from QM2007 but rather from Quicken Essentials (which was re-written from the ground up, starting in 2010), so there are some features that are still not there e.g. loan amortization, 2-line display, QuickMath, or are not as fully developed yet, e.g. Customized Reports, investment lot management, performance reports and stats (therefore some data may not carry over). You can start here:
http://www.quicken.com/mac/compare

Currently, the main advantages of QM2017 over QM2007 include the ability to sync cash, bank, and credit card accounts using Quicken Mobile for mobile devices (iOS and Android) and the ability to save receipts with transactions via computer or mobile device. There are a few other minor features that QM2007 does not have. Note that QM2017 is being supported until April 30, 2020 whereas it has been announced that security fixes have ceased for QM2007 since QM2017 is released...see http://www.quicken.com/support/update-quicken-mac-2007-support-policies-may-2016 yet online access will continue as long as the FI/Bank supports it and their security updates don't prevent it.

You may want to review the List of Obstacles and Hindrances for Migrating from QM2007 or QWin to Quicken for Mac. Add your vote to any features that are missing for you. Your VOTES matter!

Be aware of data that will and will not carry forward:
https://www.quicken.com/support/what-data-gets-carried-over
Then look at the updates since the original release here:
https://www.quicken.com/support/quicken-2017-mac-release-notes
Also read some of the Fixes and Improvements that are being released soon here:
http://www.quicken.com/upcoming-product-fixes-and-improvements
You will also want to look at a more detailed comparison done by a SuperUser which also identifies nuances not mentioned elsewhere (and read on for comments from other users too on that same discussion thread):
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/can-anyone-who-has-switched-from-2007-to-2015-he...
Take a look at the following videos to give you a better idea:
https://www.youtube.com/user/QuickenMac

If you find that QM2017 does not meet your needs, the alternative is to continue to run QM2007 Lion Compatible (LC), which will run on Mac OS X 10.6.8 to 10.12 Sierra (so far).

(If you find this reply helpful, please be sure to click "Like", so others will know, thanks.)

Henryth · April 2017

Henryth said:
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and work-arounds. I have decided to wean myself off from the old file sharing. Still run QM2007 in "parallel" with QM 2017 until I'm really comfortable with QM 2017. Plan to set up all the accounts I have for direct connection and download all the data from all the institutions. That way I have up to date information on both machines and makes it easy when I'm traveling. Probably will do all the reconciliations on the iMac, because that is backed-up by an external disc.Again many thanks.

Thank you very much for all these details. I have been a Quicken user from the mid-eighties when they were in a basement in Menlo Park or Palo Alto on the corner of El Camino Real and Page Mill Road or somewhere around there. Have presently 20+years of data and do not want to loose that. Did not really want to migrate to QM2017 but have to sooner or later because of ending support for QM2007 as well as the fact that some financial institutions do not support QFX anymore. Especially Chase. Like the direct download feature very much. Definitely a big plus.
By the way the link to "Obstacles and Hindrances...) does not seem to be working.
Again, many thanks.

smayer97 · April 2017

Henryth said:
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and work-arounds. I have decided to wean myself off from the old file sharing. Still run QM2007 in "parallel" with QM 2017 until I'm really comfortable with QM 2017. Plan to set up all the accounts I have for direct connection and download all the data from all the institutions. That way I have up to date information on both machines and makes it easy when I'm traveling. Probably will do all the reconciliations on the iMac, because that is backed-up by an external disc.Again many thanks.

You're welcome....there was a small typo in link...correct link is:
https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/obstacles-and-hindrances-for-migrating-from-qm20...

BTW, what do you mean by direct download feature in QM2007? do you mean direct connect? If so, does this not work in QM2007?

Henryth · April 2017

Henryth said:
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and work-arounds. I have decided to wean myself off from the old file sharing. Still run QM2007 in "parallel" with QM 2017 until I'm really comfortable with QM 2017. Plan to set up all the accounts I have for direct connection and download all the data from all the institutions. That way I have up to date information on both machines and makes it easy when I'm traveling. Probably will do all the reconciliations on the iMac, because that is backed-up by an external disc.Again many thanks.

I meant to say I like the direct connect feature of QM2017. Yes, I know it is not available in QM2007.

smayer97 · September 2017

Henryth said:
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions and work-arounds. I have decided to wean myself off from the old file sharing. Still run QM2007 in "parallel" with QM 2017 until I'm really comfortable with QM 2017. Plan to set up all the accounts I have for direct connection and download all the data from all the institutions. That way I have up to date information on both machines and makes it easy when I'm traveling. Probably will do all the reconciliations on the iMac, because that is backed-up by an external disc.Again many thanks.

Just discovered that the link above to the "List of Obstacles and Hindrances for Migrating from QM2007 or QWin..." was broken. It is now fixed.

filesharing between macs

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