These steps can be reduced where their cloud version is **not** needed
at all.
Reading
https://www.quicken.com/support/converting-your-data-quicken-mac-0
steps to do Mac upgrade but probably isn’t necessary. Since Mac
version doesn’t provide QIF export, The cleanest route (outside of
cleaning up the data) is to export out data into QFX format from the
existing Mac version and then install Windows version of Quicken 2013
(might not need Virtual Box). There is a link at the bottom of
https://www.quicken.com/support/how-and-when-use-intermediate-version-convert-older-versions-quicken/?srsltid=AU7gw4UlwroMzIM8S5PREhIkCezAcT3BYQrpq0Ev9KerNVR0jIMjetyY
for Quicken 2013 Deluxe download for free which is stated to be able
to import QFX format and export away directly from there into QIF.
This kind of implies that changes to their internal database was last
done during version 2013, which make sense as I recall something to
that effect.
Before exporting the data, I suggest that in Quicken use Validate and
Repair from File Operations and then from File Operation perform Copy.
Do this about three times to try to rinse out bad records in Quickens
internal database (not guaranteed). Then export to QFX, Import into
Quicken 2013 on Windows. Run this rinse operation three times there as
well before exporting to QIF format.
This is likely to be the least resistant way of getting to GNC from
that old data.
*From:*Tom Route36 <[email protected]>
*Sent:* Thursday, October 01, 2026 2:35 AM
*To:* David T. <[email protected]>
*Cc:* [email protected]; Kalpesh Patel <[email protected]>;
'Stephen Lee Phillips' <[email protected]>
*Subject:* Re: [GNC] Download assistance sought...
David,
The reason for having to go thru this rather long complicated process
is because Quicken desktop software on the Mac -- all versions, from
the oldest to the current subscription version -- fails to include any
option to export a .qif file. I don't have a Mac system myself where
I could check that; but all the user forums and AI info that I looked
at seem to confirm that. You have to do the .qif export with Quicken
Windows software. Ugly, but that's Quicken.
As far as troubles with opening an ancient Quicken 2007 .qdfm file,
you're absolutely correct. Quite a few users have reported issues
trying to do that. Unfortunately, if there is a problem opening the
file with the latest Quicken Classic desktop software, the database
itself may have issues inherent in the data structures. And even if
you can successfully open the .qdfm file with the original Quicken
2007 software, it's quite likely that exporting it to a .qxf file, and
then attempting to open it with Quicken Windows (any version) is
likely to have problems as well. There's no real good way of getting
around that. If it's any consolation, the encouraging bright spot is
that the export of the data is likely to export basic checking,
savings, and credit card accounts and categories in those accounts
intact and correct (at least based on the reports that I've seen).
Where problems are more likely are with stock and mutual fund type
accounts, especially when they involve tracking stock splits and
capital gains. I suspect that no matter how the conversion goes for
Steve there's going to be a lot of manual tweaking involved in
Gnucash. It's the reality of dealing with nearly 20 year-old software.
Tom
On 09/30/2026 11:54 PM, David T. wrote:
Tom,
I hope you're right, but I'll note that I've seen some troubling
pages from the Quicken websites that suggest that the current
versions of Quicken won't directly open a Quicken file from 2007.
That would complicate things drastically.
Also, I'm not certain, but wouldn't Quicken for the Mac also have
a QIF export?
David T.
On October 1, 2026 7:54:44 AM GMT+05:30, Tom Route36
<[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]> wrote:
Steve,
I think Kalpesh's advice is on the right track here. But I
think there's a simpler way of getting to where you want to
go. (Well, maybe not simpler. There's a bunch of steps
involved.) My suggestion would be to let Quicken provide you
with the means of converting that data. First (and don't get
scared off just yet) it *will* involve you purchasing a
Quicken subscription. *But* you should be able to ultimately
accomplish all this on the cheap -- i.e., for FREE! Bear with
me here while I explain.
If you go to the Quicken website (not a third-party, that's
important) and purchase a subscription from Quicken for
"Quicken Classic (Windows and Mac)" (that specific product
name is also important), you'll get the current Quicken
desktop software. Once you get that program loaded on your
Mac computer, as soon as you go to start it for the first time
(after logging in with your new Quicken ID), the program
should ask if you have an existing file you want to open.
That's where you specify your Quicken 2007 .qdfm file. I
would avoid any requests or options to cloud sync your data.
Once you've opened the .qdfm file on your Mac computer with
the latest Quicken Classic desktop software, don't try to
change anything. Just immediately go and export the data (all
accounts and categories) to a .qxf file. Be sure to save that
.qxf file somewhere where you can access it from a Windows PC.
Next, go to your Windows PC (or borrow one if needed), and go
back again to the Quicken website, this time on the Windows
PC. Login to your Quicken account (using the same Quicken ID
you just created earlier on the Mac). And download and
install the same Quicken Classic software that you previously
installed on the Mac. Your subscription should allow multiple
installations of the software. Once the Quicken software is
installed on the Windows PC, select the option to create a new
empty Quicken file. Once you've got the new empty Quicken
file open, then go and import the .qxf file that you
previously created on the Mac.
Now that you've imported the .qxf file to create a Quicken
database on the Windows PC, you can finally export the data
from there (on the Windows PC) into a .qif file. And be sure
to save it someplace safe. That's the file that you need to
get the data into Gnucash.
So you're finally done. Uh, not quite. Remember what I said
about doing this for free. Well, this is where you go back
and contact Quicken customer support. You tell them you tried
their software and didn't like it. And so, you'd like to take
advantage of their "30-day Money Back Satisfaction
Guarantee". You should be able to get a full refund of all
your money.
Anyway, I think this is probably the most straightforward way
of getting the .qdfm file converted for Gnucash.
Hope this helps,
Tom
On 09/30/2026 04:04 AM, Kalpesh Patel wrote:
In that case MacOS is the only way in Virtual Box instead
of Windows OS it sounds like. Two possible routes instead
of one – 1) Older MacOS running an older Quicken version
in Virtual Box and then export it out as QIF, or 2) let
newer version of Quicken on MacOS upgrade that version
into modern format, and then either export to QIF directly
from there or bring it over to Windows and export. Note
that Windows has been using QDF proprietary format to
store Quicken data.
I found number of Vagrant boxes for older MacOS that can
run in Virtual Box at
https://portal.cloud.hashicorp.com/vagrant/discover?query=macos.
In either case, though, you will end up with export-import
cycle which is the best route.
*From:*Tom Route36 <[email protected]>
<mailto:[email protected]>
*Sent:* Wednesday, September 30, 2026 12:08 AM
*To:* 'Stephen Lee Phillips' <[email protected]>
<mailto:[email protected]>
*Cc:* [email protected]; Kalpesh Patel
<[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]>;
'David T.' <[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]>
*Subject:* Re: [GNC] Download assistance sought...
Hi Steve,
After I saw Kalpesh's advice, it got me curious about
those old versions of Quicken, and I decided to run a few
tests. If you did get a Windows instance up and running,
you wouldn't need to worry about which version of Windows
it was. For my testing here on a current Windows 11
system, I was able to successfully install and run both
Quicken 2014 and Quicken 2007.
The bad news though is Quicken Windows can't open a
Quicken Mac (.qdfm) file. So I don't think doing that
will help in your case. As David mentioned already, you
need Quicken (specifically a Mac version of it) to open
that .qdfm file so that you can export it in one of those
generic formats.
A piece of good news for you though is that newer versions
of Quicken (post-2007) can most likely open your .qdfm
file. I tested and confirmed that Quicken 2014 can open a
Quicken 2007 file. At least it worked for me on Windows.
So even if you don't have a Mac system with Quicken 2007
anymore, I think if you can find someone with a Mac system
that has *any* version of Quicken, there's a good chance
it will be able to read your old .qdfm file -- which would
then allow you to export it as a .QIF file.
Hope this helps,
Tom
On 09/29/2026 07:25 PM, Kalpesh Patel wrote:
Your only and, one and only one real option is run a Windows instance in a
VirtualBox (Vagarant can provide a lot of plumbing if you know how) where you can install
Quicken 2006 and export it out as a QIF format (OFX and CSV formats for export are not
available in Quicken) to import into GNC. Even that is not strait forward as semantics of two
system differ in many ways. I would venture to think that you would probably need either
Windows XP or Windows 7 as a compatible OS to possibly run that old of a Quicken version. You
should be able to get a copy of it from the archive machine
(https://archive.org/search?query=quicken&tab=all
<https://archive.org/search?query=quicken&tab=all>).
I remember writing up good hints to minimize pain to this group
many years ago from my experience of migrating over two decades of data from
Quicken 2017 into GNC inn 2020 (and I am still fixing up some of that data).
-----Original Message-----
From: David T.<[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2026 2:32 AM
To:[email protected]; Stephen Lee Phillips<[email protected]>
<mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [GNC] Download assistance sought...
I'm pretty sure you won't find any success getting at that data
from outside the Quicken universe. Your only option, I believe, is to open the
data file in Quicken and export your data in a generic format like OFX, QIF, or
csv and then importing that into another accounting program.
David T.
On September 29, 2026 7:16:35 AM GMT+05:30, Stephen Lee
Phillips<[email protected]> <mailto:[email protected]> wrote:
Trying to find conversion for .qdfm (Quicken Data for Mac)
file from
2007 and was directed to GnuCash, however I've been
unsuccessful in
finding, downloading, and extracting/opening the correct
iteration to
run on Intel Mac OS Sonoma 14.8.9: Any suggestions would be
most
gratefully appreciated...
Thank you!
Steve
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