As I’m sure all of you know by now, I’m a huge fan of Quicken (currently Quicken 2010). However, I’m seeing a large number of hits to my site from people that seem to be looking for additional information before making the switch. I thought it might be worthwhile to share my own experience and hopefully provide a little guidance!
How to Convert from an Older Version of Quicken to Quicken 2010:
In my own experience, the process of converting my Quicken files to the latest version has been painless. Basically, I take the following steps to convert my files:
- Create a backup (or copy in a separate folder) of my Quicken files before converting.
- Run the installation for the new version of Quicken. It should recognize your previous version of Quicken and ask if you would like to Upgrade it.
- Select the upgrade, and the installer will remove the old version before installing the new version.
- When you launch the new version of Quicken for the first time, it will ask if you would like to convert your most recently opened file. Select the option that converts your file.
- If you have multiple Quicken files (like one for yourself and one for your spouse), you’ll need to Open each additional file manually so that Quicken will convert it.
As you can see, the process for converting your Quicken files from an old version to the newest version is fairly easy.
Special Note: If you are attempting to change Operating System platforms, prepare for a rough road. If you’re going from Mac to Windows, Intuit support published an article on Converting Quicken for Mac Files to Quicken for Windows, which walks you through the process of converting. If you’re going from Windows to Mac, check out Converting Quicken for Windows files to Quicken for Mac. Make sure you read the corresponding article carefully and note the items which will and will not convert. As always, make sure you back-up your Quicken files before you start prepping them for conversion.
How to Use Quicken 2010 on Multiple Computers:
As I’m sure none of us read the End-User License Agreement (EULA), I’ll direct you to an article on Intuit’s website: Installing Quicken on Multiple Computers. Basically, the licensing agreement states that Quicken versions 2007 through 2010 can be installed on up to three computers for use in a single household. As such, feel free to install Quicken 2010 on multiple computers (one for you, one for the spouse, and one for the kids). Just to be clear, the license agreement does not license 3 copies installed in separate households. In other words, you can’t buy Quicken 2010 for yourself, and then pass it around to your extended family.
I’m happy to report that I currently use Quicken 2010 on multiple computers – a laptop and a desktop. There’s really no *real* reason I’m doing this, except that I wanted the freedom to use it on both machines (my laptop is for general web surfing, while my desktop is where I do most of my computer-nerd stuff). I use the same quicken file on both machines, and recommend synchronizing your Quicken files across your multiple PC’s if you plan to do the same. The two best options for accomplishing this would be SugarSync (Try FREE for 30 days) or Microsoft Live Mesh. SugarSync is great if you want your synchronization to also include backups to the cloud or synchronization of other data (such as pics/music) to your smartphone. If you simply want synchronization, check out Live Mesh. I’ve been using Live Mesh to synchronize my files for a few months and am quite satisfied. It immediately begins synchronizing changes as soon as they are made. As such, within seconds of closing my Quicken file, it’s copied to the other machine. Paul Thurrot has a great article on the Microsoft sync options, if you would like some additional reading.
** UPDATE ** Since writing this, I ran into some problems with changes made to the Live Mesh program and have switched from using Live Mesh to using SugarSync! SugarSync recently updated their free accounts to 5GB of storage space (with the ability to earn more by referral). I highly recommend SugarSync as a great way to get your files synced across your multiple devices (Windows and Mac) and securely backed-up in the cloud. Check out my recent article on How to Sync Quicken Files to Multiple Computers for step-by-step details on how to set this up on your own computers!
Can A Quicken File Be Accessed By Multiple Computers At The Same Time:
If you’re wondering “can a quicken 2010 file be accessed by 2 computers at the same time,” the short answer is no. Unfortunately, Quicken isn’t made to have the same exact file opened by multiple computers at the same time. This also means that you can’t have synchronized files (i.e. the same file moved around via SugarSync) opened and modified at the same time. If you modify the file in two separate locations simultaneously, the most recent version of the file will be copied. This means you can potentially lose data that may have been added in the other copy of the file.
If you require the ability to manage your books simultaneously from different locations, you’ll need to look at some type of web-based financial reporting and/or accounting package. Here are a few of my favorites to get you started:
- Mint.com – Free personal finance/budgeting software.
- Yodlee – Similar to Mint, but less flashy and more data-driven.
- Outright – Small Business Income/Expense reporting software.
- InDinero – Small Business financial dashboard software (similar to Mint.com, but for Business).
Conclusion:
As always, feel free to Contact Me if you run into any difficulties making the switch to Quicken 2010 or have additional questions! I’m sure that you’ll enjoy Quicken 2010 if you’re looking for something with more bells and whistles than the free online options such as Mint.com.
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Pero,
I would recommend contacting Quicken Support. Most of the older versions had converters to migrate through each version. You may be able to have the Quicken Support folks get you some older copies of Quicken so that you can migrate your data forward. *If* they are even willing to help, I would bet you are in for a long, painful process. You may be better off printing out some reports from your old quicken data, and just starting a new file in Quicken 2010.
Need help converting old Quickenfiles QNX,QMT,QDT,QDI of Quicken-2 currently running on Win-XP Home Ed.
to Quicken-2010 running on Win-7. Can anybody tell me how to do that or where to download software
for conversion and what works best. Thanks to all you experts out there.
Ted,
Unfortunately, I don’t know of any programs to perform the conversion. Does your program have a print function? Perhaps you could print your historical data to PDF and save it in google docs or sugar sync. I would suggest that if you can’t convert, you wait until the end of a tax year and then start with a new tool. What were your dbase programs tracking- personal or business data?
Is software available for converting Dbase lll+ data files to Quicken? I’m using programs I wrote 15 years ago; it’s time to let go and convert!
Sheila,
If I’m understanding you correctly, you wish to have 3 separate sets of data merged into a single “master” quicken file. This cannot be done via current versions of quicken. Rather, you will need to do one of the following:
1) switch to quickbooks, as it allows you to have simultaneous editing & data entry on a file. You can set up different accounts in the quickbooks file.
2) maintain the separate quicken files (with different names) but have them synced to a main computer using software like sugar sync. You’ll have to continue opening each file separately, but they will all be saved to a central location on the single pc.
I’ll keep looking to see if there is a way around this limitation.
Rob
Is there a way to have three quicken accounts on three different computers for entering data that goes to one main quicken account (all entries are pulled to) to get ending totals of all accounts located on one server? All together there are four individual accounts but one is the main account showing what all three accounts are doing and still be able to munipulate in it also.
Mike,
You have quite a few options if you’re interested. As far as Quicken goes, I would honestly recommend you update to the latest version – Quicken 2011. Regardless of which version you choose, there will be a bit of a learning curve. Especially going from 2003 to 2011, there are a few noticeable changes to the main screen but once you find the register it will look similar. My main reason for suggesting 2011 is that it’s the latest “supported” version, meaning you’ll have the best support from Intuit if you run into problems with conversion, install, etc. The frustration of learning something new is daunting, but the frustration of trying to get support for an outdated product when you have a problem is a nightmare.
However, what features in Quicken do you use most? Do your banks allow you to download transactions? If your primary reason for using Quicken is to do reporting, you may want to see if Mint.com, Yodlee, or Indinero will work for you. I’ve been using Mint for a few months now and have slowly started to ween myself off Quicken. This way, i never again need to worry about “upgrades” and “compatibility.” Give this a thought before you make the “upgrade.”
I currently use Quicken 2003 to keep the books for our church. The features are fine for what I do but am having more problems printing reports. What version of Quicken would you recommend I upgrade to to eliminate problems but not have an overabundance of new features and a difficult learning curve? I am using XP but plan to get a new computer soon with 64bit W7.
Thanks
This is really a good post. Thank you so much!