Importing Mac Quicken to PC and back

msoultan
msoultan Quicken Windows Subscription Member ✭✭✭
edited 10:40AM in Business and Rental Property Tools (Windows)

I'm doing some work on someone's finances and they have Quicken for Mac. I would like to pull their data into my system (PC) so I can perform some bulk adjustments that aren't possible on the Mac version, and then send it back to them.

I have read a few posts that mention that the migration isn't perfect, and upon trying it, I did see a few errors generated that I can mitigate. My big questions is whether all of the information that WON'T be migrated correctly is called out in the import log (when going either direction). Are there any parts of the migration that are missed and aren't addressed in that log? I just want to make sure that if I do migrate to and from the PC that I'm not going to lose information (other than what's called out in the import log).

Thanks!

Mike

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Answers

  • Quicken Alyssa
    Quicken Alyssa Quicken Windows Subscription Moderator mod

    Hello @msoultan,

    Thank you for sharing this unique situation with us.

    There are items that do not carry over from one system to the other. Here is a list of things that don't carry over.

    Data that is not carried over:

    • Online banking download setups: If you’ve set up accounts to download data from your financial institutions into your Quicken for Mac or Quicken for Windows data file, the information about your financial institutions and your user ID is typically carried over to Quicken. However, additional setup may be required, such as providing passwords to make everything work correctly.
    • Custom reports: Quicken does not import any custom reports created in your old data file.
    • Online banking passwords: You need to re-enter your passwords the first time you update your accounts in Quicken.
    • Attachments
    • Budgets
    • Data from the more advanced features is not carried over. For example: business data, rental property data, lifetime planner data, cash flow forecast data, spending plan data, debt reduction data, emergency tax records data, tax planner data, and home inventory manager data are not carried over.

    If needed, you can find instructions on Converting Mac to Windows here.

    Convert from Quicken for Mac to Quicken for Windows

    Important: Always make a backup of your file prior to attempting a conversion and review your information in the converted file.

    1. Open your data file in Quicken Mac.
    2. Choose File Export Quicken Windows Transfer File (QXF).... Screenshot 2026-02-02 at 11.37.04 AM.png
    3. Save the .QXF file to media that will allow you to move it to your PC, such as a thumb drive or CD/DVD. You can also use Dropbox to move files. For more information, click here.
    4. Move the media (thumb drive or CD/DVD) to your computer running Windows.
    5. Open Quicken for Windows.
    6. Choose File>New Quicken File. Screenshot 2026-02-02 at 11.38.55 AM.png
    7. Select New Quicken File, click OK.
    8. Name your new data file and press OK.
    9. Choose File>Import and then select the .QXF file from your media.

    And here are the steps on Coverting Windows back to Mac.

    This is a lengthy process, and as you stated, it is not perfect. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, you now have the steps to be as successful as possible.

    I hope this helps!

    Quicken Alyssa

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