How to import CSV files into QMac (edit)
Have all my data from Stockmarketeye in CSV files and can't find any instructions to import. Anybody?
Answers
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Hello @willwend,
Thank you for reaching out to the Community with your question.
Please be advised that, unfortunately, CSV files are not compatible with Quicken which is likely to cause an error or improper importing. Only CSV files downloaded from Mint are compatible with Quicken.
We apologize for any inconvenience! Thank you.-Quicken Anja
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@willwend There are third party programs which claim to be able to convert CSV files into QFX files which Quicken can import. They work, in part, by spoofing the ID of a valid financial institution which participates with Quicken, and for that reason, they are not approved by Quicken. And as a result we can't discuss them in any detail here. Just Google "CSV to QFX" and you'll find what to look into.
Caveat: I have never used one of these converter programs, so I can't vouch for how well they do what they purport to do, but they've been around for a long time, so I'd guess there's some validity from that fact.
Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 19930 -
edit…. corrected topic title from CVS (health) to CSV (comma separated variable)
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Just for the sake of accuracy, CSV is an acronym for comma-separated values (not "variable"). 😉
Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 19931 -
i was close :)
actually changed the CVS one a couple of times -1 -
Hi @willwend,
Despite what the Quicken staff will tell you, you can absolutely import CSV files into Quicken Mac if they have the correct format. I find this method more reliable than trying to use a QFX converter. Use the column layout below:
Date,Payee,,Amount,Type,Category,Reference,Tags,Memo/Notes
Date - be sure to use mm/dd/yy format.
Payee - This is the payee description, e.g. the payee as it shows up on your credit card statement.
unused - This field does not appear to be imported.
Amount - positive number (credit) or negative number (debit).
Type - I just leave this blank. (Technically, you can do a debit by putting "debit" here—all lower case!—and using a positive number in the Amount column, but that seems clunky to me.)
Category - Use the category name EXACTLY as it is in quicken. You can even use subcategories by using a colon, for example Business:Travel. Use Transfer here if it is a transfer; however, after you import you will need to manually select the account you are transferring from/to.
Reference - This will end up in the "Reference" column in Quicken, if you show that column. I'll usually stick the check number here since there is no option to import a check number.
Tags - If you use tags, you can put them here (I don't bother with tags). To import multiple tags, separate them with a comma and a space (which should end up in quotes in the .csv file, e.g. "Business, Reimbursement").
Memo/Notes - This will end up in the "Memo/Notes" column in Quicken, if you show that column.
Below is an example file. Note that when you import a file this way, Quicken will create a new account named with the name of the .csv, for example "credit_card_transactions_2023.csv". So after you import, you'll need to copy the transactions to the correct account, then delete the "credit_card_transactions_2023.csv" account.
Date,Payee,,Amount,Type,Category,Reference,Tags,Memo/Notes 4/25/23,PAYMENT THANK YOU ACCT 123456,,2000.00,,Transfer,,,Payment from BofA checking account 4/24/23,COMMONWEALTH HEA HEALTH INS,,-1267.00,,Medical:Health Insurance,,, 4/24/23,LARRY JENKINS,,-50.00,,Gifts Given,check #715,,For Larry's birthday 4/23/23,HILTON HOTEL,,-315.00,,Travel:Business,,"Business, Reimbursement",Hotel stay for conference
Hope this helps!
cheers,
Jamie3 -
Jamie, thanks for sharing the format and exact instructions for formatting a CSV file for import into Quicken Mac. To be fair, I'd just note that the limited CSV import in Quicken Mac was built for one specific purpose: importing data from Mint. As you correctly note, the import creates a new account with every import. And yes, you can then transfer all those transactions to an existing account and delete the newly-created account, then edit transactions to put check numbers in the correct field, then edit transfers to link to the correct account, then enter any splits which may be needed…
I think it's fair to say most users won't be happy jumping through these hoops on a regular basis, for each account they want to import this way every time they want to import transactions. Since it wasn't created to deal with ongoing transaction imports — it's a slog to format the transactions, import them, move them to the right account, and edit them — I can't really fault Quicken Support for not leading users through this; many would mess things up, or complain about it being a difficult process which Quicken should "fix". Lots of programs have unsupported tricks or hacks, and this is one such for Quicken Mac. 😊
Quicken Mac Subscription • Quicken user since 19930 -
One way to import a CSV/spreadsheet file to Quicken is to automate the process with AppleScript. You can't manipulate Quicken itself using AppleScript, but AppleScript can operate the keyboard. You can therefore do anything within Quicken that requires only a key stroke or keyboard shortcut. I use this technique to enter data from a credit card company that does not do QFX. The script chugs sedately through the spreadsheet and enters the fields one at a time. Its not ideal, but it works.
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