Quicken’s business saw a great push due to the rise in businesses. After the pandemic, there has been a great boost to the online presence of companies. It has also acted as an eye-opener for everyone. Especially with regard to finances. People understood the importance of maintaining a strong financial backup, and for it managers like Quicken became necessary. However, nowadays Quicken users face a very common issue. That is when Quicken downloads duplicate transactions. When the merchant charges multiple times for a single purchase, this generally occurs. It is very important to resolve such an issue at the earliest.
This is a scenario where one transaction appears multiple times. Let us understand this issue better. This will help us to fix the issue effectively, we must know the reasons behind “Duplicate Transactions in Quicken”.
When Do Quicken Downloads Duplicate Transactions:
- If your Quicken account gets deactivated then reactivated. This toggle in the activation status leads to this duplicate transaction error in Quicken.
- If your bank made some alterations to the Financial Institution Transaction ID (FITID). Especially in a Direct Connect account. Since the transactions are downloaded straight from the Financial Institution, this is a major cause of the error.
How Does Account Reactivation Cause Duplicate Transactions?
The moment you reactivate your Quicken account, you receive a prompt. This reads “Add, Ignore or Link the accounts”. Now if you select Add option rather than Link, then you will end up having duplicate accounts.
Methods to Fix the Scenario Where Quicken Downloads Duplicate Transactions
We provided you with a rough idea about the causes of duplicate transactions. You can see that it arises due to reasons beyond your control. The only exception here is the “Account Reactivation” scenario. However, we are lucky that the issue is within our capacity to fix.
In this section, we cover fixes for both Windows and Mac systems. Read till the end to find your perfect fit.
Troubleshooting the Issue in Quicken for Windows
First Method: Download Fresh IDs
- Launch Quicken. After that, click on the Register Column which is at the top right-hand corner of the account.
- Up next, put a Checkmark on the Download ID
- Now click on Done.
- Finally, check the Download ID which is unique in every case.
Second Method: Toggle Activation
This is a two-step method. It involves the deactivation and activates Quicken account. Let’s proceed stepwise.
Step 1: To deactivate the account:
- First, launch Quicken, and then go to Tools.
- Next, you need to select the Account List (Ctrl+A).
- After that, click on Edit for the account which you wish to deactivate.
- Now, go to the Online Services tab
- Then click on Deactivate. After that click on Yes to confirm.
Step 2: To reactivate the account:
- Now again click on the Tools option.
- After that, select the Account List.
- Again click on Edit. Now you need to select the Online Services tab.
- Finally, click on Set Up Now to complete the procedure.
*Note – In case you find downloaded transactions multiple times in the register, then follow the steps given below:
- First, go to the Account Register.
- Then Check for duplicate transactions.
- Press Ctrl+2 together to delete them.
- Press Ctrl+2 again to set it back to a two-line display.
Fixing the Issue in Quicken for Mac
First Method: Toggle Activation
- Firstly, you need to deactivate your account. After that reactivate it.
- Now click on Link.
- After that click on Next.
- Finally, check if you see any duplicate transactions. If yes then delete them manually.
Second Method: Update the FITID
We made it clear that if your bank has changed the FITID, it leads to duplicate transactions in Quicken. So for this, you should update the FITID. If the duplicate transactions are still present, check your registration.
Bonus – The Manual Method to the Rescue if Quicken downloads duplicate transactions.
This is one method that is easy and difficult at the same time. There are no complex steps, yet you have to check the entries manually. However, let us guide you on this process as well.
- Firstly, create a backup file of your data. This keeps your data safe.
- After that, choose the account which is having issues to be able to see the Register.
- Now, click on the first duplicate transaction.
- Please make sure that you click the duplicate transactions while pressing the Ctrl key. This is going to make your work easier.
- Finally, select all the duplicate transactions. Once done, right-click and choose Delete.
To sum it all up, when downloads duplicate transactions in quicken it messes with your records. We know that maintaining books is tough. However, if your financial manager downloads duplicate transactions then the difficulty increases. Please avoid falling into such a situation and keep a regular check on your transactions. This helps you maintain a healthy account, and fix issues if any. Follow the steps mentioned in the blog. However, we recommend that you keep a regular backup of your data for worst-case scenarios.
Also read: Tips to Keep Your Blood Pressure Under Control
