Move your AceMoney Classic data to AceMoney Studio

This page helps you bring everything from AceMoney Classic into AceMoney Studio. AceMoney Studio opens your AceMoney Classic data file (the .amj file) directly, so most people need no export at all. Your AceMoney Classic file is never changed, and both programs can stay installed.

Before you begin

Install AceMoney Studio on your Mac, Windows PC or Linux PC. See Install AceMoney Studio on desktop.
Find your AceMoney Classic data file. It is the .amj file you open in AceMoney Classic, usually in your Documents folder. If you are not sure where it is, search the computer for *.amj.
If AceMoney Studio is on another computer, copy the .amj file there, for example with a USB stick or a cloud-drive folder.
If you use AceMoney Receipts with AceMoney Classic, record any receipts still waiting in AceCloud > Get AceReceipts… and save the file. Receipts that are still pending are not brought across.
Close AceMoney Classic, so the file is fully saved.

Open your .amj file in AceMoney Studio

The data goes into an empty AceMoney Studio document.

Open AceMoney Studio.
The first time you run it, choose Import my AceMoney data… on the Welcome to AceMoney Studio screen. If AceMoney Studio already holds accounts, choose File ▸ New Document first, then File ▸ Import….
On the Import page, click Choose file… and pick your .amj file.
If AceMoney Studio asks a question about the file, answer it and click Open (see the next section).
The Import AceMoney data page shows a Preview: a Will import card with counts, a Stashed for a later pass (kept, not dropped) card, and a count of warnings.
Click Import. AceMoney Studio saves a backup of the document first.
Import complete shows how many accounts and transactions came across. Click Go to the register.

Questions AceMoney Studio may ask about the file

AceMoney Classic can protect a file in three ways. AceMoney Studio asks only for what your file needs.

This file has a password. Enter the password you set for this file in AceMoney Classic. If the password has letters outside the English alphabet, also choose the language of the computer the file was saved on.
This file is tied to your AceMoney license. Paste the six-line Serial Number you received when you bought AceMoney Classic. Copy all six lines from the license e-mail.
This file is tied to a computer. Enter the name of the computer where AceMoney Classic saved the file.

Windows

On the Windows PC where AceMoney Classic is registered, AceMoney Studio can use that license by itself. The import report then says “Using the AceMoney license found on this computer.”

macOS

Copy the .amj file from your PC, or open it where it is if you used AceMoney Classic on this Mac. Then follow the steps above.

Linux

Copy the .amj file from your PC, then follow the steps above.

If AceMoney Studio cannot open the file: import a JSON export

A few files cannot be opened directly, for example a very large file or one saved by a very old version. AceMoney Studio then suggests an export instead. Make one in AceMoney Classic and import it.

In AceMoney Classic, open the Accounts page (F2). The export must start from this page; from an account’s register it exports that one account only.
Choose File > Export….
Choose the file type JSON, pick a folder you will find again, and save.
In AceMoney Studio, import the JSON file the same way as the .amj file: Choose file…, check the Preview, then Import.

XML is accepted too. From an XML export the month-by-month budget limits do not come across, and tags, banks and a few other lists arrive as names only. Choose JSON.

What comes across, and what is kept aside

Brought across: accounts and account groups, transactions with their cleared and reconciled states, transfers, splits, payees, categories with budgets and monthly budget limits, scheduled bills, tags, banks used by an account, investments with price history and investment transactions, currencies and exchange rates.

Favorite reports become AceMoney Studio favorites. From an .amj file or an XML export they keep their period and filters. From a JSON export they open with the report’s own settings.

Kept aside, listed in the report but not turned into AceMoney Studio data: import rules, transaction number labels, and receipts still pending from the phone. Nothing is silently dropped. Anything AceMoney Studio could not place is counted on the Stashed for a later pass card, and a reference it could not resolve (for example a bill that points at a deleted account) appears in the warnings.

Passwords and bank logins are never brought across.

Check the balances

In AceMoney Classic, open the Accounts page (F2) and note each account’s balance.
In AceMoney Studio, compare the account balances. They should match.
If they differ, check in AceMoney Classic whether Add value of investment to account balance is ticked under Tools > Options…. It adds investment values to the Accounts page total.
Check whether the account uses a different currency from your default one.
Read the warnings in the import report for anything that was skipped.

Dates and amounts are read from the file itself, so the settings under Tools > International Settings… do not affect the result.

After the move

Keep AceMoney Classic installed until you are happy with AceMoney Studio. Its file is untouched. Delete any JSON export when you are done.
The AceMoney Studio Free version lets you edit 3 accounts. If your file has more, every account still comes in with its transactions, and the ones past 3 are read-only until you unlock AceMoney Studio. AceMoney Classic owners can buy AceMoney Studio at a founder price at www.mechcad.net/upgrade/. See Choose a plan and understand your license.
AceMoney Receipts keeps pairing with AceMoney Classic. Receipts you already recorded, with their pictures, stay in your AceMoney Classic file.
Online bank download has no direct equivalent. AceMoney Studio offers bank feeds through your own SimpleFIN access, and AceMoney Cloud subscribers can connect US banks. See Bank feeds.
Import rules are not brought across. Set up their equivalents in AceMoney Studio.

Common questions

Do I need to export anything?

Usually not. AceMoney Studio opens the .amj file directly. Use a JSON export only if AceMoney Studio cannot open the file.

Do I need my AceMoney Classic license to move my data?

No. AceMoney Studio asks for your Serial Number only if the file is tied to it. The export also works from the trial and from AceMoney Lite.

Can I import twice, or add a second AceMoney Classic file?

Not into the same document. Each import needs an empty AceMoney Studio document. A second AceMoney Classic file becomes a second document.

What about my old .mmw file?

AceMoney Studio does not open .mmw files. Open the file in AceMoney Classic first: it saves an .amj copy next to it, which AceMoney Studio can open.

What about my archived transactions?

File > Archive… in AceMoney Classic moved old transactions into a separate archive file, so they are not in your main file. To bring them across, open the archive in AceMoney Classic, export it as JSON, and import it as its own document.

Can I move my data to AceMoney Studio on my phone?

Not yet. AceMoney Studio Mobile is coming to iPhone, iPad and Android, starting with version 1.2. Move your data on a computer.

Is anything sent online during the move?

No. The file stays on your computer and AceMoney Studio reads it there.

Troubleshooting

“This file isn’t a recognized AceMoney Classic data file, or it’s damaged.” Check that you picked the .amj data file, not a backup in another format. If it is the right file, export it from AceMoney Classic as JSON and import that.
“That isn’t the password this file was saved with. Check it and try again.” Type the password exactly as in AceMoney Classic. If it has accented letters, choose the language of the computer the file was saved on.
“That Serial Number isn’t the one this file was last saved with. If you have more than one license, try another.” Paste the Serial Number from the license e-mail, all six lines.
“Studio still can’t open this file.” Check what you entered. If it is right, export the file from AceMoney Classic as JSON and import that instead.
“This file is too large for Studio to open directly.” Export it from AceMoney Classic as JSON and import that file.
“This file was saved by a version of AceMoney Classic that Studio can’t read.” Open the file in AceMoney Classic and export it as JSON.
“This document already has accounts. Import creates a fresh document — open or create an empty one first.” Choose File ▸ New Document and import into the new document.
“This file isn’t a recognized AceMoney export.” You exported a single account’s register or the account list. Go back to the Accounts page (F2) in AceMoney Classic and export as JSON.
Balances differ. See “Check the balances” above.
Some budgets are missing. You imported an XML export. Open the .amj file instead, or export as JSON.
Receipts I had on the phone are not there. Pending receipts are not brought across. Record them in AceMoney Classic with AceCloud > Get AceReceipts…, save, and import again into a new document.