Fix common AceMoney Classic problems

This page collects the everyday questions about AceMoney Classic (the earlier AceMoney program) that have no page of their own, with the answer for each. Installing, registering, moving computers, pairing with Receipts and moving to Studio have their own pages, listed under Related.

My accounts disappeared

The program opened without your data file. File > Open and pick your .amj file (search Windows for *.amj, or *.mmw for very old files). Then tick Load last file at startup in Tools > Options… so it opens automatically. Holding Ctrl while starting AceMoney skips that automatic open.

The Total column looks wrong

Total is a running balance calculated in date order, whatever column the register is sorted by. Click the Date column header to sort by date and the totals read naturally again.

The Accounts page shows a different balance from the account itself

Two settings explain almost every case. Add value of investment to account balance (Tools > Options…) adds the value of the investments held in an account to the Accounts page. An account in another currency is converted into your default currency on the Accounts page; check the account’s currency in its Account properties and the rate under Tools > Exchange rates… (a missing or zero rate makes balances jump; click Download or set the rate by hand).

What the S column means

S is the state of a transaction: blank for Uncleared, C for Cleared (the bank has processed it), R for Reconciled (checked against a statement) and I for Imported (came from a file or a bank download and is not yet accepted). Change it from the right-click menu, or press U, C or R on the row. Balance (Ctrl+B) in the side panel reconciles an account against a statement: tick the transactions on the statement and the running total shows what is left.

Set up a budget

Budgets belong to categories: open a category’s properties on the Categories page (F5) and enter a limit per period, or month-by-month limits. The Income / Expense radio buttons only decide the sign of the limit; a category can hold both kinds of transactions. The Budget by categories report and Budget report on the Categories page compare limits with what you spent.

Import bank files and data from other programs

File > Import… accepts QIF, OFX, QFX, OFC and CSV files. Choose the target account (or New account), the date format and the decimal separator; Detect duplicates and Apply import rules are on by default. Imported rows get state I; after checking them, right-click the account on the Accounts page and choose Accept imported transactions, which marks them cleared.

From another finance program: export each account to its own QIF file, create matching accounts in AceMoney, and import each file into its account. A transfer between two imported accounts arrives twice, once from each file; delete one copy.

CSV files must have the columns in this order, with no header row: number, date, payee, category, status, withdrawal, deposit, total, comment. Reorder a bank’s CSV in a spreadsheet first, or convert it to QIF with a free third-party converter.

Tools > Import rules… holds rules of the form “when the bank’s text contains X, set payee Y and category Z”; more than a thousand ship with the program. Create Import Rule… from a transaction’s right-click menu makes a new one. A rule whose category reads “Transfer <account>” turns the row into a transfer.

AceMoney Importer lets a bank’s download link open straight into AceMoney. If another program grabbed the file types, set .qif, .ofx, .ofc and .qfx back to AceMoney Importer under Windows Settings > Apps > Default apps.

Every imported date is today

The QIF file uses a different date order than the program expects. Tools > International Settings…, set the date format to match the file, delete the wrongly dated rows and import again.

Transactions were imported twice

The duplicate window was too small, or two QIF files contained the same transfer. Widen Duplicate Detection Range in Tools > Options… (the program looks a few days around each date: 2 by default without a check number, 14 with one), or delete one side of the transfer by hand.

Online bank download (Direct Connect)

Open the account’s properties (Account in the side panel) and click Online Setup: tick enable, choose the provider type (bank, credit card or brokerage) and your bank, and enter the Direct Connect user name and password from your bank. Then click Download in the register, choose the period, and keep Detect duplicates ticked. The bank may charge for Direct Connect and take a day to switch it on; a bank that supports Direct Connect for Quicken works even when it is not on the list. Some banks have several servers (by state); pick the right one.

Errors 2000 and 15500 mean Direct Connect is not enabled at the bank or the login is wrong: call the bank and ask for “Direct Connect for Quicken”. For a support request, tick Enable logging in the download dialog and attach the log from the Windows TEMP folder. Banks are not being added to the list; the download keeps working for as long as your bank offers the service. Your bank login is stored inside your data file and protected by the file password, so set one.

Track a credit card, a loan, a mortgage or a paycheck

Credit card: a separate account of the credit-card type; record purchases there and pay the bill with a Transfer from your checking account.
Money lent to a friend: either an account per person, or a category such as Loan:Name under an income/expense pair.
Mortgage: a withdrawal split between interest, principal and a separate account or category for the taxes and insurance the lender collects; or a loan account paid by transfer.
Paycheck: a deposit with Split lines for gross pay and each deduction.

Right-click a transaction and choose Add to schedule… to make any of these recurring; the Schedule page (F6) shows what is due, with Enter to record now and Skip to skip one.

Investments and quotes

On the Portfolio page (F8) add an investment with its symbol; symbols on exchanges outside the US need the exchange suffix. Web update downloads quotes and exchange rates. Some quote services need a free key entered under API keys on the Portfolio page; tick Divide downloaded quote by 100 for exchanges that quote in pence. Gains and cost basis come from the investment transactions you enter; Show sold stocks in Tools > Options… keeps sold positions visible.

Backups, Archive and Auto save

Tools > Backup… copies the whole data file to a folder you choose, every day, week or fortnight when the file is saved (Add date to backup file name keeps several); Backup now does it at once and Tools > Restore… brings one back. File > Archive… is different: it moves transactions older than a date into a separate .mmw archive file and gives the remaining accounts new opening balances; an archive is not a backup. Auto save document in Tools > Options… saves as you work; otherwise press Ctrl+S.

Passwords and multi-user access

Tools > Options… > Password sets, changes or removes the file password; AceMoney Reminder needs the same password. Permit access by multiple users (with a password) lets the file open on other computers, which is required before copying the file anywhere, and for keeping it in a cloud folder. Without it, a file opens only on the computer that created it and shows “Failed to open document” elsewhere; see Move AceMoney Classic to a new computer. Never open the file on two computers at the same time. A forgotten password cannot be looked up by anyone, because the file is encrypted with it — support cannot recover it either.

Print or save a report as PDF

Reports export as CSV, TXT and HTML (File > Export… on the report), and print with File > Print…. There is no PDF export; print to a PDF printer such as Microsoft Print to PDF instead.

Common questions

Can AceMoney Classic print checks or pay bills online?

No. It records and schedules payments but does not print checks or send payments.

Does AceMoney Classic run on a Mac or on Linux?

On a Mac, yes: existing license holders can download AceMoney for macOS, which runs through an emulation layer (see Download and install AceMoney Classic). There is no Linux version. AceMoney Studio runs natively on macOS and Linux and opens your AceMoney Classic data file directly; see Move your AceMoney Classic data to AceMoney Studio.

Is there a phone version of AceMoney Classic?

No. AceMoney Receipts captures receipts on the phone and pairs with AceMoney Classic (see Pair AceMoney Classic with AceMoney Receipts). AceMoney Studio Mobile, the successor for iPhone, iPad and Android, is coming, starting with version 1.2.

What does “Split” in the Category column mean?

The transaction has several category lines. Open it and click Split to see them.

What does “Transfer to” or “Transfer from” in the Payee column mean?

The other side of a transfer between two of your accounts. Right-click and choose Go to account to see it there.

Why do future bills show in grey at the bottom of the register?

They are scheduled bills not yet due; Display future bills for in Tools > Options… sets how far ahead they show. Right-click one for Record bill payment… or Skip bill payment.

Troubleshooting

Program opens empty, accounts gone. File > Open the .amj file; tick Load last file at startup.
“Failed to open document” on another PC. The file was moved without Permit access by multiple users; see the move page.
Adding a third account is refused, or the file will not save. You are in AceMoney Lite (two accounts). Stay within two, or move to AceMoney Studio.
Trial expired. No license can be bought; enter a license you own, or open the file in AceMoney Studio, which reads it directly. Your data is intact.
All imported dates are today. Fix the date format under Tools > International Settings… and import again.
Imported rows stay marked I. Right-click the account on the Accounts page > Accept imported transactions.
Bank download error 2000 or 15500. Direct Connect not enabled at the bank, or the wrong login or server; call the bank; send the log to support.
Accounts page total differs from the account. Add value of investment to account balance in Options, or a currency conversion; check the exchange rate.
Total column out of order. Click the Date header.
Quotes stopped downloading. The data source changed or needs a key: open the investment’s properties, and enter a key under API keys on the Portfolio page.
Exchange rates wrong, balances jump. A rate is zero or missing: Tools > Exchange rates… > Download, or set it.
Double-clicking the data file opens the wrong program. Right-click > Open with > AceMoney from its install folder.
The Reminder shows bills for the wrong file. Tray icon > Options… > Data file > Browse.
Pairing says “Sync code not found”. Read the fresh code on the phone; codes last 30 seconds.
Forgotten file password. See “Passwords and multi-user access” above.
Lost license key. See Register AceMoney Classic with your license.