Adding an online account
When you add a new account, Quicken adds it to the Account List (choose Tools menu > Account List). In most cases, you'll want to add all your accounts to the same Quicken data file, so that you can track all your finances in one place.
- Select Add Account
on the top right of the Account Bar. - Enter the name of your financial institution. This can be the name of your bank, credit card company, brokerage, or other online institution. As you type in the name, you will see a list of related institutions below, You can choose yours at any time.
- Select Next.
- If requested, choose the type of connection method Quicken should use. Unless instructed by your bank to do otherwise, choose Express Connect, then select Next.
- Enter your online account information. This is the same information you use to log in to your financial institutions web site.
If you have never set up an online account with your financial institution, you will need to do this before accessing the account though Quicken. - Select Next.
- Quicken will access you online account and display a list of one or more financial accounts you can add to Quicken. From this screen you can:
- Enter a nickname for the account. This is often better than the default name.
- Designate an account as Personal or Business.
- Add Account to Quicken or Ignore in Quicken. If you ignore an account it will not be added or tracked.
- Select Next. Your accounts are now added.
- To add additional accounts, select Add Another Account, otherwise select Finish.
Adding an offline account
I your financial institution cannot be accessed online, or if you prefer to enter information manually,
Simple Setup wizard
As you move through the account setup process, you may not see all the pages described below—these depend on the type of account you are adding and how much information Quicken can download from your financial institution. Click a link below for more information.
Enter the name of your financial institution. This can be the name of your bank, credit card company, brokerage, or other online institution. If you do not wish to access an online account, or if one is not available,
- What type of account do you want to add?
- What is the name of your bank or brokerage?
If your bank or brokerage is listed on the screen, click it.
If your bank or brokerage is not listed on the screen, start typing its name. After you type a few characters Quicken displays a list of possible matches. If you see what you are looking for, go ahead and click the name of your bank or brokerage. If you don't see what you are looking for, click Back and try again.
- What if I can't find it in the list, or I want to enter transactions manually?
If you've tried a couple of times and you can't find your bank or brokerage in the list, or if you want to enter your transactions manually, click Advanced Setup and then choose I want to enter my transactions manually. You can always activate it to download transactions or send payments later on (if your financial institution supports bill pay).
- Why does Quicken want to know my bank name?
Quicken needs to know your bank or brokerage name to find out if it can download transactions for you.
Downloading transactions will:
- Save you from manually entering your data
- Ensure data accuracy
- Help you detect invalid or fraudulent transactions
- What if I don't enter the name of my bank?
If you don't enter the name of your bank or brokerage, Quicken won't be able to download transactions for you. You will therefore have to manually enter your transactions into Quicken.
- Select a currency for the account (Optional)
If you have set up Quicken to track multiple
currencies, select one from the list. If you decide you need to change the currency for the account, you can do so only if you haven't entered any transactions except the opening balance.
- What is your user ID and password?
Quicken needs this information so it can download your account information. For most banks and brokerages, you can use the same user ID and password you use to log in to their website. If you don't have a user ID and password right now, add the account manually. You can always activate it to update transactions or send payments later on.
- What is a user name?
It may be an account number or some other number assigned by your bank or brokerage. It may also be the user ID you use to log in to their website.
- Can I use the password for my bank website?
Yes. If you entered the user ID that you use to log in to your bank or brokerage website in the user ID field, then enter the website password as well.
- Did you receive "Direct Connect" instructions from your bank or brokerage?
Direct Connect is a service some banks and brokerages use to connect to Quicken. You will know if you have Direct Connect if you specifically signed up for it and/or your bank or brokerage sent you a special user ID and password to use with Quicken. If so, use your Direct Connect login information on this screen.
If you did not receive special login instructions, use your website user ID and password here.
If you are not sure what to do, use the user ID and password you would use to log in to your bank's website.
- Can I see my password while entering the user ID and password?
Yes. To see the password while adding an account, select the Show Characters box to the right of the password box.
- What happens if I save my password?
Your password will be saved in the Quicken Password Vault.
Quicken's Password Vault is a secure and convenient way to store multiple financial institution passwords that you can then access with a single master password.
- You can open the Password Vault to add, remove, or change stored passwords at any time.
- When the Password Vault was developed, it went through a rigorous security review.
- The Password Vault uses industry-standard encryption to save your passwords, and it is careful to remove them from memory when they are no longer being used.
- What is the account type or branch?
Sometimes Quicken needs more information to determine what type of account you have, or at what branch the account resides at before it can access it. If you are not sure, here are some tips that may help you:
Account Type
If different types of accounts are shown, such as checking, savings, or credit card, choose the account type that applies to you.
State or Location
Some banks and brokerages use a state or region to classify accounts. If you see your state listed, this is probably the option to select.
Bank Mergers
Did your local bank or credit union merge with a larger bank? If you see your old or pre-merger bank name listed, this is probably the option to select.
Having trouble? Contact your bank or brokerage for instructions.
How should Quicken set up accounts it has found?
After you tell Quicken how to access your bank or brokerage, it goes online and downloads information about the accounts you hold there. Quicken then asks you to provide a bit more information about the accounts.
We have found the following
This is a list of your accounts that Quicken has detected at your bank or brokerage.
Account Type
You may see various items in this list: Checking, Savings, Credit Card, Brokerage, IRA or Keogh plan, or 401(k). Choose one that best matches the purpose of your real-world account.
Add, Ignore, or Link
Quicken needs to know what you want to do with the accounts it has found. Keep in mind that you don't need to set up all of the accounts it finds; just the ones that you want to track in Quicken.
Choose Add to create a new Quicken account in which to download your transactions. If you are new to Quicken, this is probably the option that you want.
Choose Link to download your transactions into an existing Quicken account. If you have previously set up the account in Quicken, but are not yet downloading transactions into it, this is probably the option you want.
Choose Ignore to disregard one of the accounts that Quicken has found. No account will be created, and transactions for that account will not be downloaded into Quicken.
Nickname (Optional)
Enter the name you want to use to refer to the account in Quicken. This name will appear in reports, and in the Quicken interface. If you don't enter a nickname, Quicken will use the name provided by your financial institution for the account.
Used mostly for
If you are using Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property, choose the primary use of the account: Personal (which is the default), Business, or Rental Property. Your selection determines where in the Quicken interface (on which tab) the account appears. You can change this from the Account List later if you wish. the account appears. You can change this from the Account List later if you wish.
- Your accounts have been added!
You will receive confirmation that your account, or accounts, have been added to Quicken. Depending on the type of account you are adding there may be other steps you need to take. This screen will tell you what you need to do, if anything, to start using the accounts. Congratulations!
If you have chosen to use mobile as a part of your Quicken Registration, on this screen, you will get an option to sync the added account to the cloud. If you wish to add this account to the cloud, select the Sync to Quicken cloud for Mobile / Alerts check-box next to the account that you have added.
- Why do I not see the option to Sync to Quicken Cloud?
You will see this option only if you have chosen to Use Mobile as part of the registration. If you wish to view your accounts in mobile or to receive custom account notifications, click the Mobile and Web tab and follow the instructions.
Advanced Setup wizard
For most users, Simple Setup is all they will need to add their accounts. If you need to use Advanced/Manual Setup you will see a few additional screens. Click a link for more information.
- Do you want to download transactions, or enter transactions manually?
If you want to download transactions into Quicken, enter the name of your bank, brokerage, or credit card company and click Next.
If you don't want to download transactions into Quicken, select I want to enter my transactions manually and click Next. This option means that you will need to update your account transactions by hand.
- What is the name you'd like to use for this account?
Enter the name you want to use to refer to the account in Quicken. This name will appear in reports, and in the Quicken interface.
- What is this account primarily used for?
If you are using Quicken Home, Business & Rental Property, choose the primary use of the account: Personal (which is the default), Business, or Rental Property. Your selection determines where in the Quicken interface (on which tab) the account appears. You can change this from the Account List later if you wish. the account appears. You can change this from the Account List later if you wish.
- What is the statement ending date and balance?
If you know the ending date and balance
Enter the appropriate date and balance from your statement, and then click Done.
If you don't know the ending date and balance
Leave the settings as they are (today's date, with a zero balance), and then click Done.
The new account will be added with an opening balance of $0.00, as of today. You can edit the opening balance later.
Which connection method should be used?
The following options are not available for every account. The connection methods you see in the wizard will be customized to your financial institution and the account you are setting up.
Express Web Connect (Free)
Express Web Connect provides an integrated way to update transactions and account balances for financial institutions that do not currently connect directly to Quicken. With Express Web Connect, you can use One Step Update to update multiple accounts, and you no longer have to go to a financial institution's website to retrieve transactions.
Direct Connect (Fees may apply)
Direct Connect is a service some banks use to connect to Quicken. You will know if you have Direct Connect if you specifically signed up for it and/or your bank sent you a special user ID and password to use with Quicken. Some financial institutions require Direct Connect to use services such as bill pay, or transfers via Quicken.
Web Connect (Free)
Many financial institutions offering Web banking also let you download your Web transactions into Quicken. If you already have a password, and if the website displays the Quicken logo or a button or link that says Download to Quicken, this means that your financial institution supports the Web Connect protocol for downloading and importing transactions into Quicken.