First transaction downloads

KSO
KSO Member ✭✭
I am trying out 2 software programs. The other program was able to download up 3 years of transactions from my checking account. Quicken only downloaded 3 months, even though I had set it to download all of 2020. Any idea how to download more from Quicken? It isn't the bank, since the other software downloaded transactions back to 2018.

Best Answers

  • jacobs
    jacobs SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Answer ✓
    You can't export and import a single account in Quicken Mac.

    For the balance, simply write down the current correct balance. After you're done importing transactions, adjust the opening balance transaction to get your current balance back to the amount you wrote down. (If you have a Live Opening Balance at the beginning of your account transactions currently, Quicken should do this for you automatically -- but it's easy enough to do the math and manually change the opening balance to the value you need to get the current balance correct.
    Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    edited February 2021 Answer ✓
    There is a workaround to export a single account and import it into an existing file:
    1. Make a copy of the source file
    2. In the copy, delete ALL accounts EXCEPT the one you want to transfer
    3. Menu File > Export > Quicken Transfer File (QXF) (NOTE: not QFX)
    4. Open a COPY of the destination file.
    5. Menu File > Import > Quicken Windows File (QXF) pointed at the file you created in step #3
    6. This should import that one account into the existing file
    7. If everything looks good replace the live destination file with the copy and delete the copy of the source file.

    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s

Answers

  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Possibly different connection methods? Are you using Direct Connect or Quicken Connect in Quicken? Are both available for this bank?

    That said, I doubt you'll be able to download further back than 90 days in Quicken. However, you can probably go to your bank's website and download a QFX file with all the older transactions and import that into Quicken to get caught up. Let us know if you need help with that process.
    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • KSO
    KSO Member ✭✭
    Thank you. Yes, help with that process would be nice, perhaps a link? Thanks again.
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    I don't have a link handy, but it's not hard:

    1. Go to your bank's website and download a .QFX file of the needed transactions. A .OFX file will work as well. The is sometimes just called a Quicken File or Web Connect File by the bank. The details will depend on the specific bank.
    2. Once that file is downloaded, double click it in the Finder. Quicken will open an import window like this:
    3. You won't be able to change Add to Link since your account is already linked. But I would not do that anyway.
    4. Give the new temporary account a name and click Continue.
    5. Quicken will create a new account register with these transactions. 
    6. In this new account, select all transactions that are not duplicates of what you've already downloaded, then drag and drop them to the existing checking account in the sidebar. 
    7. You now have all the needed transactions in one place and you can delete the temporary account.
    Note that the above assumes that the bank supports Web Connect in Quicken and that it provides a way to download older transactions in OFX/QFX format on their website. 
    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • KSO
    KSO Member ✭✭
    Very helpful, thanks. The bank is Schwab, it connects through Quicken connect, and their site seems to be down right now, but I'll give it a try once I can login again. Thanks again.
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    edited February 2021
    If Direct Connect is also available for this bank, you might want to try that. I doubt you'll get older transitions that way, but DC is the preferred method in any case. Faster and more reliable. You can switch by opening the Account Settings, Downloads tab and click Change Connection Type. Then click the gray OPTIONS button in the dialog. See if DC is not grayed out. When I check on my end DC seems to be available for Schwab Bank.
    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • KSO
    KSO Member ✭✭
    The only available is Quicken Connect. Also, Schwab only "exports" in .csv. Not too user-friendly. Any chance that could import?
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    CSV: not without an unauthorized third party tool.

    What is the exact Financial Institution Name that you are connecting to? Here are the ones I'm seeing:


    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • KSO
    KSO Member ✭✭
    Yes, thanks. The checking acct. is from Charles Schwab Bank - Investor C. I checked with them online and they don't seem to have a QFX option. Bummer.
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
     :'( 
    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • jacobs
    jacobs SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Not that it helps, but the 90 day limitation isn't something imposed by Quicken. Quicken imports whatever the bank is providing to Quicken. In that interface methods may vary with different software, you may get different results, but it's still a function of what the financial institution provides to the interface Quicken connects to -- which is often different than what you see as a consumer logging in, and perhaps different than the way other software connects.

    If the software you're testing happens to be  Banktivity or Moneydance, Quicken Mac is able to import files from those specific software products via a QIF file. So that may give you a back-door approach to getting your data in to Quicken. (Note that QIF files are generally not supported by Quicken Mac, but they have apparently engineered it to accept files in the formats those two programs supply.)
    Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    edited February 2021
    To expand on @jacobs idea: if the other software happens to be Mint.com, then Quicken will import a CSV file generated by Mint. (That's the only CSV it will import, not those in other bank's formats.)

    To import a Mint CSV file, you would select Import from Quicken's File menu.

    To import a QIF file, you would start a new Quicken file and choose the "Start from a QIF file..." option.

    One other very long-shot thing you could try: connect to one of the other Schwab FI variations that allow D/C such as Schwab Bank NA and see if your account will be recognized that way.
    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • KSO
    KSO Member ✭✭
    This is all very helpful; thank you very much.

    One more question if I might: if I import a QIF file into a New File, would I then be able to export that file to a QXF file so that I could import it into my current Quicken file? Then, instead of needing to access two separate files to view/search transactions, I could have all transactions in just one file.
  • KSO
    KSO Member ✭✭
    And...if I do import the QFX file and drag the transactions to my current checking account, how do I ensure that the checking account balance — which is currently correct — does not change when I add so many transactions.

    Thank you again for the help.
  • jacobs
    jacobs SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    Answer ✓
    You can't export and import a single account in Quicken Mac.

    For the balance, simply write down the current correct balance. After you're done importing transactions, adjust the opening balance transaction to get your current balance back to the amount you wrote down. (If you have a Live Opening Balance at the beginning of your account transactions currently, Quicken should do this for you automatically -- but it's easy enough to do the math and manually change the opening balance to the value you need to get the current balance correct.
    Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 1993
  • RickO
    RickO SuperUser, Mac Beta Beta
    edited February 2021 Answer ✓
    There is a workaround to export a single account and import it into an existing file:
    1. Make a copy of the source file
    2. In the copy, delete ALL accounts EXCEPT the one you want to transfer
    3. Menu File > Export > Quicken Transfer File (QXF) (NOTE: not QFX)
    4. Open a COPY of the destination file.
    5. Menu File > Import > Quicken Windows File (QXF) pointed at the file you created in step #3
    6. This should import that one account into the existing file
    7. If everything looks good replace the live destination file with the copy and delete the copy of the source file.

    Quicken Mac Subscription; Quicken Mac user since the early 90s
  • KSO
    KSO Member ✭✭
    This has all been very helpful. I've got what I need now. Thanks very much!
This discussion has been closed.