Getting familiar with Subscription Quicken Windows

Hi @Rascal.

According to the Support Article, you need to first upgrade and convert your QWin 2009 data file to QWin 2013 before you can upgrade and convert to QWin Classic subscription. You can read more about this at https://www.quicken.com/support/how-and-when-use-intermediate-version-convert-older-versions-quicken/ .

You can download and install QWin 2013 Deluxe for free. The download link is in that Support Article. While it is for Deluxe and not Premier, all of your Premier data will be preserved and when you then upgrade to QWin Classic Premier it will smoothly pull in all of the data correctly.

In response to your questions:

Are my quicken files being uploaded to the internet during this time since it prompts you to login to quicken at the beginning. I dont want my financial information in the cloud/internet, in a tree, etc.

Starting with QWin 2014, we all have a Quicken ID and Quicken Cloud Account. Without it we cannot run Quicken Classic Subscription. The base function of this includes validating that we are running licensed software, the status of our subscription, which edition of QWin Classic we are subscribed to, which version of the software that is installed and to let us know when a newer version is available for downloading/installing. There are also some software features/functionality that will be automatically made by Quicken without needing to update the version such is turning off a feature/function that has been problematic, updating the categories list, etc….things that are done on the Quicken servers that directly impact the software but do not affect the software code itself. There is some user information that is uploaded ("synced") with the Cloud Account, such as the names of the financial institutions that you set up in your data file (I think this only happens with financial institutions that we have set up for transactions downloading).

To ensure that your specific financial data is not uploaded/synced to the Cloud Account, make sure that feature is disabled by going to Edit > Preferences > Mobile & Web > Sync = OFF.

Another thing you should be aware of is the various download connection methods. You can read about them in this Support Article: https://www.quicken.com/support/how-quicken-connects-your-bank/ .

If you decide you do want to download financial data there are two connection methods that will save that data on Quicken-hosted servers: Express Web Connect (EWC) and Express Web Connect+ (EWC+). That is because Quicken, via the aggregator (Intuit), connects with the financial institutions on your behalf so your financial institution login information (for EWC) or security tokens (for EWC+) and the downloaded data are saved on Quicken-hosted servers. The data then later gets downloaded into the software when you run One Step Update or Update Now.

If you do not want Quicken to do this, then use the Direct Connect (DC) or Web Connect (WC) connection methods which do not involve Quicken or the aggregator in downloading but not all financial institutions support these methods. Or you can simply manually enter the transactions data into your accounts.

I also dont want to be locked out of my quicken should my subscription end due to my choice. What can I expect at the end of year 1 if i choose to not renew subscription?

• All editions of Quicken Classic Subscription, except for Starter, can continue to be used manually if you allow the subscription to expire and not renew. Quicken Classic Starter will become read-only. However, all Online Services (downloading transactions, downloading quotations, updating the version, the Zillow feature, updated annual tax rates, bill pay/Bill Manager, etc.) will cease so everything will need to be managed manually. In addition, there will be banners that will take up about 20%-30% of the Quicken screen view and they can only be removed by resubscribing. The banners do not prevent you from using Quicken but some people do not like them because it does reduce the field of view.

• One last comment: Most of the feature improvements after QWin 2013 are with Online Services.

• You might want to consider the following:

• Make sure to retain a backup of your 2009 data file.

• Go through the upgrade process and try out Quicken Classic Premier Subscription to see if you like it. If not, you have 30 days from the date of purchase to request a no-questions-asked full refund.

• If you decide to cancel your subscription within the cancellation window, you can restore that QWin Premier backup file with your QWin Premier 2009 software and use that for as long as your system supports it. Or you can upgrade your QWin Premier 2009 to QWin Deluxe 2013 with the free download referenced above and continue to manage your data manually like you have been doing for years. There is not a lot of functional difference between Premier and Deluxe with Premier offering some reports in different formatting more traditional with taxes and investments. You can see what the differences are in the chart in this Support Article: https://www.quicken.com/compare/nBuy .

Does this answer your questions?

(Edit: Sorry about the odd bulletized formatting. Sometimes Vanilla, the software used by this forum for posting, does some weird formatting and I have not been able to fix it in this post.)

@BK Thanks for the kind comment.

IF (big if) I were to ever use QMobile, it would be against a single cash account that in no way ever caused Quicken to download anything from a financial institution to cause the Quicken Cloud Account to mess with accounts that were setup for downloads. I'd enter anything I wanted to remember in it and then move them to the appropriate accounts in Desktop, in a way like the Palm Pilot app that Jon referred to. Basically a notepad in Quicken format.

If you are not going to download transactions and enter everything manually you should only upgrade to 2013. Starting in 2014 they instituted an ID password to get into your own data. I’m staying on 2013. Then it should be more stable and run on newer computer systems.

You can download 2013 Deluxe directly from Quicken for free using this how to convert article. It’s under Converting from Quicken 2004-2009. Click on the blue words Quicken 2013 for Windows in step 3

https://www.quicken.com/support/how-and-when-use-intermediate-version-convert-older-versions-quicken

FYI - All Quicken versions prior to QW2010 store your data in a series of files all sharing the same filename but with different extensions like - .IDX, .QEL, .QPH & .QDF, and all 4 of those files were rolled into a single-file .QDF in starting in 2010.