Update your spending accounts
Before you can download transactions into an account, you need to activate it for online services. After an account has been activated, it's easy to keep its transactions and balance up to date.
Use One Step Update to update all of your accounts.
To update a single account:
- Select the account on your Account Bar.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+U.
- If requested, enter your password for that account.
Notes
- Set up scheduled updates
You can
schedule updates to connect to your financial institutions to regularly download cleared transactions at a time that you specify.
- Check for free software updates
Each time you start a One Step Update session, Quicken checks to see if there is an update to the Quicken program. If an update is available, Quicken asks if you'd like to download the update.
- Determine if (and how) an account is connected
The best way to determine if (and how) your account is connected is by using the Account List. To do so, choose Tools menu > Account List and look in the Transaction Download column for your account. This will let you know if it is connected, and by what method. If you want to establish or change your connection method, click the Edit button next to the account name, and then click the Online Services tab.
- Permanently exclude an account from One Step Update
- Update an account by downloading and importing a file
This isn't the best way to update an online-enabled Quicken account. It's often time-consuming, and any of the standard Quicken connection methods provide a much faster and easier experience. However, downloading and importing a file can be useful if you are having connectivity problems, or if you want to update an account that isn't online enabled. Here's how:
- Log in to your financial institution's website.
- Navigate to the download page and click the Quicken logo or Download to Quicken. The exact location of the download page is determined by your financial institution. It is frequently in an area of the website identified as the Download or History area.
- Your browser will download a Web Connect file that contains your account transactions (you can recognize such a file by the .QFX extension in its file name).
- Return to Quicken and choose File menu > File Import > Web Connect File.
- Navigate to, and then select the Web Connect file you just downloaded.
- Click OK.
- Give the account a name. Or, if you already have an account in Quicken for these transactions, choose Link and the account name in the dialog that follows.
- After Quicken finishes importing the file, open the account. Quicken will either automatically add them to your register, or you can review and accept the imported transactions, depending on your downloaded preferences.
- About Direct Connect, Express Web Connect, and Web Connect
The connection methods available to you depend on your financial institution and your account type.
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 Web site 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 contains 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.
To learn more
See Tell me about the connection methods used by online services.