neltren elizabee reneate
Elly Garnand
I've been a Quicken user since the 1990's. In the beginning, I think I foolishly thought that I should start a new file every year. When I stopped doing that and just kept all data in the current file, I eventually had some performance issues that made me stop using the current file (thinking of it as a "look up" archive) and start a new file.
Going back to the 90's - what were the file extensions used for the files necessary to OPEN a Quicken data file? (I seem to remember that we used to have to have the data and an index file, perhaps?) I don't suppose there's any kind of read-only "previewer" utility for old Quicken files, is there? I just need to get an idea of the dates included in each file, once I determine which files are needed, and go back and document which files contains which data - then convert them all (and maybe IMPORT the data, if possible, so it's ALL in one file).
I ask because there HAVE been a number of times when I've wondered where I bought something, or when I bought something, or how much I paid for something, that could have been from a very long time ago. I'd like this information at my fingertips, if I could. And, since getting a full transaction report exported to a PDF has proven impossible for me, for a number of years (because of report preview/formatting issues due to screen resolution issues), I do NOT have any year-end reporting that would make this easy.
sorry no viewer. You need to open files in the full program. Here's a list I have of file extensions. There might be others. You may need to install older programs if you can find any and might need an old computer.
You might be able to find older versions on the internet like EBay or Amazon, etc. if you do buy an older version you will first need to update it. One of the SuperUsers has posted the update patches for older versions (2000 and newer) of Quicken
If your Quicken was before 2010 you should have several files making up the data. The main data file ends in .QDF. All Quicken versions prior to QW2010 store your data in a series of files all sharing the same filename but with different extensions like - .QDF .IDX, .QEL, .QPH and all 4 of those files were rolled into a single-file .QDF starting in 2010.
This is possible? Are you just no longer able to download transactions, but everything else works okay? (What about security prices?)
Consider the issues I have with being on the most up-to-date version (or close to it) - I would seriously consider rolling back to 2013, if it wasn't a big deal.
About 2013. Yes I enter everything manually. They were letting us download stock quotes but they recently turned that off too. 2013 works fine. 2013 is the last good version before they started requiring an ID and since they went to the subscription model where if you don't renew about 25% of your screen is taken up with an ad to renew.
But no, you can not go back to an earlier version. Quicken is not backward compatible. But if you have another computer you can download 2013 for free and try to convert and open your older files.
There is no "Q file previewer available". The only thing that can open a Quicken data file is a Quicken program that is compatible with the data file. By compatible, the program has to be either the year of the program that created the data file of newer. There is also a limit to that such as current subscription Quicken can not open a Quicken 98 data file.
It has been stated in previous posts, that if a user wants to do a "year end copy" and purge the older data from their data file and still be able to use the older files for reference, they would need to open/convert the older files with the newer program when they upgraded Quicken. Over time, that is a lot of files, it is far better to keep all of your information in a single file.
Although still widely used, QIF is a format older than Open Financial Exchange (OFX). The inability to reconcile imported transactions against the current account information is one of the primary shortcomings of QIF.[citation needed] Most personal money management software, such as Microsoft Money, GnuCash and Quicken's low end products (e.g. Quicken Personal and Quicken Personal Plus),[1] can read QIF files to import information. Intuit's Quicken used to be able to import QIF, too, but with its 2006 version it dropped that support[2] for several important account types, including checking, savings, and credit card accounts.[3] The Australian version of Quicken still allows the importing of QIF files for these account types. However, unlike the American version, it is not possible to export data to QIF or any other file type for any account type. The QIF format does not allow a user to mark the currency in which a transaction was completed. In some cases this may cause problems for users who do use multiple currencies when they export or import into another software package.[citation needed]
Quicken's proposed replacement for the QIF format has been the proprietary Quicken Web Connect (QFX) format.It is commonly supported by financial institutions to supply downloadable information to account holders, especially by banks that support integration of Money or Quicken with their online banking. Not everybody, however, was, or is, happy with this replacement. Some banks dislike it because Quicken (Intuit) charges licensing fees to use QFX. Other banks pass the fees on by charging customers for downloading QFX files. Because Microsoft Money imports either QIF or OFX format files, and Microsoft does not charge banks any licensing fees to use OFX for Money, banks do not normally charge for downloading QIF and OFX files. (QIF and OFX are open formats, free for anyone to use.)
The Detail section consists of several Detail Items, each on a separate line. Each line begins with a single character identifying code in the first column, followed by the literal data for that field. The detail item is terminated by a separator line. The fields can be in any order (except that within split transactions, the category, amount, and memo must be adjacent). If a single transaction block contains several detail items with same code, the last row is used for import.
QuickBooks doesn't allow exporting to QIF. Only the Intuit Interchange Format (IIF) is supported. An IIF to QIF converter will not solve the problem either, as journal entries can't be exported in IIF format, only lists are exportable. A viable way to overcome this problem is to set up a journal report, to show all journal entries. Print the report using the "print to file" option. Set the file type to Excel before printing. Rename the extension of the resulting file from PRN to CSV. Use this XL2QIF Excel macro to convert to QIF. The Excel file may need to be reorganized to generate the appropriate format for the macro to work, such as separating cheque accounts from term deposits, etc. The above referenced Excel macro supports split transactions.
While Intuit officially only supports QIF importing on asset, liability, cash, small business payable, and invoice accounts, Quicken will still allow you to import transactions using QIF into any account type. Two methods are explained below:
Note: If you really need to get data from a QIF file into an account that does not support QIF imports (e.g. Quicken 2005 and later), you can import from the QIF file into a (temporary) Cash account. Make sure the first line in the QIF file says "!Type:Cash" for importing it into a Quicken Cash account. (QIF files can be edited in any text editor.) After importing the transactions, you can copy/paste them into a register of your choice. Tested in 2006 version. Note that you cannot copy cash transactions into brokerage accounts in Quicken 2007.
To import transactions into brokerage accounts (or any account), a little text editing is necessary. Ensure to prefix your transaction data by copying-and-pasting the top four lines from the example below - the example is for an investment transaction:
Line 2 (N) in the example must contain the exact name of the account you are intending to import into. If you use an account name that does not exist, Quicken will ask if you want to create a new account (This functionality has been test in Quicken 2012). When importing the file, the account you choose in the QIF-import-dialog box is irrelevant (you can even choose "all accounts") - once you begin the import process, the application will prompt to confirm importing to the intended account. In order to be successfully read by Quicken the text file must be saved in ANSI format. Files saved in UTF-8 format will not be correctly processed.
If the transactions are being imported into an existing account, make sure to reconcile the account in the old data file before creating the QIF export file. Before accepting an import, validate any 'Match' transactions and change to 'New' where there isn't really a match. Quicken can match on amounts even when the dates are significantly different.
When editing the QIF file, check for any transaction Category (the field starting with 'L') for an account name contained in brackets, such as [Checking Account]. The brackets reference another quicken account, and if left in place will post a transaction in that account in addition to the account being imported to, with potentially troublesome results. Avoid this by removing the text including the brackets and replacing with another category if desired. The only exception to this is an opening balance transaction, identified by 'Opening Balance' in the 'P' field (POpening Balance). In this case, the brackets need to be left in place, and the account name between the brackets must exactly match the account name in the 'N' field.
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