Quicken 2015 for Windows User Converting to Mac Subscription

Gl3nn · July 30

I'm moving to a Mac. Couple of questions:

1- Will my Quicken 2015 file convert/import to a Mac Premier Classic subscription? All my transactions are manual, not online/downloaded.

2- Am I a "new subscriber" eligible for the discount? My current version was a standalone purchase.

TIA

Boatnmaniac · July 30

Hi, @Gl3nn. Your QWin 2015 file should convert to QMac Subscription. If you have not already done so you might want to read the Support Article at this link: https://www.quicken.com/support/converting-quicken-windows-quicken-mac-2016/ .

If you are concerned with this conversion you could first upgrade your QWin 2015 to QWin Subscription. I know for a fact that will work. Then you can convert from QWin Subscription to QMac Subscription. Going this route will not require purchase of 2 Subscriptions. Buy the Quicken Classic Premier Subscription and you can download and install both the QWin and the QMac editions with just that one Subscription. But going this route should not be necessary because you should be able to go directly from your QWin 2015 to QMac Subscription.

Also, note that while you need to pay up front for the annual QMac Subscription you have 30 days to use Quicken. If within that 30 days after your purchase it you find it does not meet your needs, you can request a no-questions-asked full refund.

And, yes, you would be a new subscriber so you are eligible for the new subscriber discounts.

You might also want to do a search online for retailers who are offering Quicken Classic products at prices that sometimes are even better than what you will find on Quicken.com. Sometimes the not for new subscribers products are priced better than the ones discounted for new subscribers….go figure. Three that seem to have the most aggressively priced sales tend to be newegg.com, officedepot.com and samsclub.com. In general you will not receive a CD or DVD. Instead you will be provided (usually by email) an activation code and then directed to the Quicken.com website where you can download and install the software. During the installation process you will be prompted to enter that activation code you were sent.

splasher · July 30

I believe that you will find that you are not a "new user" since QW2015 uses a Quicken Id and if you sign into Quicken.com with that QID, you will be marked as an existing user, not new.

If you use a completely new Quicken Id, you will be a "new user".

Chris_QPW · July 30

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20501300#Comment_20501300

I'm not sure either way, but being a QW2015 user and especially if going to Mac, there really isn't any reason not to just create a new Quicken Id. The main reasons a person would want to keep the same Quicken Id is the fact that it is tied to online services that might have to be setup again and the actual subscription. Neither of which a QW2015 user would have.

Note that the Quicken Id is tied to the email address, but that can be changed by logging in to the account/Quicken Id on Quicken.com. So, you can create another free email address and then create the Quicken Id with it and then switch them around if you want to stay with the same email address. Or you might even be able to create an email address depending on where you are getting your email address from.

splasher · July 31

Or you might even be able to create an email address depending on where you are getting your email address from.

One easy way if you are using a gmail.com address is to append something to the name part of it. Lets say your email address is joe@gmail.com, you can add "+quicken" to the joe part such as joe+quicken@gmail.com and gmail will direct any email received to the base joe@gmail.com mailbox, so it is a valid address and you will get any email directed to it without really creating a new email address.

Gl3nn · July 31

Thanks for all the replies and information.

I can't even remember what my old email was when I upgraded to QFW 2015… or if I even registered. I started using Quicken in the 90s. So the account I'm now using here is new. What I didn't know is whether the Mac version would let me import and convert my 2015 QDF file as a "new" user. It's a little confusing.

So, it sounds like I should be fine.

One other side question, sort of related. My wife is also using QFW 2015 (completely separate file). No plans for her to move to Mac but can you tell me whether the license agreement allows for a 2nd install on a different (Windows) PC in the same house? My initial guess is 'no' but then I wonder how that would differ much from a user having a laptop with a separate file.

Anyway, many thanks.

Glenn

splasher · July 31

One other side question, sort of related. My wife is also using QFW 2015 (completely separate file). No plans for her to move to Mac but can you tell me whether the license agreement allows for a 2nd install on a different (Windows) PC in the same house? My initial guess is 'no' but then I wonder how that would differ much from a user having a laptop with a separate file.

The license at that time stated that you could install Quicken on up to three (3) computers in the same household, so you are good on that. Subscription Quicken (2018+) allows the installation on as many computers as you want, BUT, they all have to use the same Quicken ID which means that you better trust all of those users since there is cross data viewing of any of the stuff stored online.

Boatnmaniac · July 31

If you don't know if you have a Quicken.com online account then you could simply create a new account at Quicken.com using your current email address. That email address and the PW you give it will be your Quicken ID and PW to be used with your Quicken Subscription.

You can download and install Quicken to as many computers as you wish, including in any mix of QWin and QMac at the same time that you wish. There is no restriction on this.

The caution is that whoever will be using Quicken under your subscription will have to use your Quicken ID and PW…they cannot change that unless they get their own subscription. This means that they will have access to your Quicken.com account and if your credit card number is saved there they will have access to that as well. And if you or they use Quicken Mobile or Quicken on the Web (companion apps to Quicken Classic) then they and you will have access to all of each other's financial data. So, you need to be cautious about who you share your subscription with. For most people, there is no trust issue/concern with sharing their Quicken ID and PW with a spouse.

So, short answer to your question: Yes, you can download and install QMac to your new Mac computer and she can install QWin to her Windows computer and each of you can use the them independently of each other and at the same time as each other.

Gl3nn · July 31

Thank you again! You have both been very helpful.

I just hope the shock of a 10 year upgrade + a platform change isn't too traumatic! :)

m.m · July 31

Just to be sure I understand as this does not straight match some of the info I've seen, The concept is that one user is going to be on a MAC with a classic install on that MAC and the second user is going to be on a Windows box with the same license as the MAC? I can see this happening if it is web based, but not if the data is going to be on the two platforms. .

Jon · July 31

You can’t share a data file between Windows and Mac. But if the two of them are each keeping their own Quicken files then it should work.

Boatnmaniac · July 31

As the @Gl3nn stated: "My wife is also using QFW 2015 (completely separate file)."

There will be no issue with her running QWin on her computer and him running QMac on his computer since they are different data files.

Chris_QPW · July 31

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20501500#Comment_20501500

Quicken 2015 Windows isn't too much different from Quicken Subscription especially if you aren't talking about the online features, but Quicken Windows and Quicken Mac are only "similar in the functionality they have in common" but are quite different. And Quicken Mac lacks quite a few of the features that Quicken Windows has, but is more "modern" since it got a total rewrite starting in 2007.

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20501514#Comment_20501514

The web/mobile add on apps do pose an interesting quirk.

It is important to realize that each Quicken Windows Desktop and Quicken Mac Desktop have their own data files and the "full functionality". Whereas they both have the ability to sync "some data/features" with the web/mobile apps.

When you are in either the web or mobile app you choose what data file you are working with at a given time. There isn't any mixing of the Windows or Mac data file data that is synced. In reality these data files are really synced with the Quicken Cloud (called a dataset) (on the Quicken server) and the web and mobile apps are pretty much just GUIs for this data.

Now this is where the shared Quicken Id/Subscription comes in. You log in to the web/mobile app with it and then pick the Quicken cloud dataset to work with, which could be either the Windows, or the Mac synced one.

Gl3nn · August 3

So, now that I bought 'Parallels' to allow me to run a couple of Windows programs I can't do without within the VM (it runs great, BTW), should I go with the Mac version of Quicken or the Windows version? Or will a dual install on the same machine allow me to use the same data file?

I guess there's no harm in testing it out…

Jon · August 3

You cannot use the same data file with Windows & Mac, they are completely different.

As for which one to use, I find the Mac version meets my needs but it is missing certain features like the retirement planner. As you say, though, there's no harm in testing it out.

Quicken 2015 for Windows User Converting to Mac Subscription

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