Move AceMoney Classic to a new computer

This page walks you through moving AceMoney Classic and your data to another Windows PC. The step people miss is the first one: a data file saved by AceMoney version 4.20.1 or later opens only on the computer that created it unless you allow multi-user access before copying it.

Before you begin

Your license e-mail with the Name and Serial Number. AceMoney Lite needs none, but it is no longer offered for download: on the new computer, open your file in the Free version of AceMoney Studio instead.
A USB stick, a shared folder or a cloud-drive folder to carry the file.
Access to the old PC. If it is gone or broken, skip to “If the old computer is gone”.

Step 1: Allow the file to open on another computer (old PC)

Open your data file in AceMoney on the old PC.
Tools > Options…, then click Password.
Tick Permit access by multiple users. This needs a password: if the file has none yet, set one now (type it twice). Six characters or more is a good rule.
Click OK and save the file (Ctrl+S).

Very old .mmw files need no step 1.

Step 2: Copy your data file

Find the file: File > Open shows the folder it lives in, usually Documents. If in doubt, search Windows for *.amj.
Close AceMoney, then copy the .amj file to the USB stick or the cloud folder. Tools > Backup… > Backup now does the same thing into the folder you chose there; a backup is a complete copy of the data file.
Optional: colors, column layout and window size live in a settings file in your Windows profile, not in the data file. Run SaveSettings.bat from the AceMoney program folder to save them next to it, and RestoreSettings.bat on the new PC to bring them back.

Step 3: Uninstall on the old PC

A license is for one computer. Uninstall AceMoney with Windows Settings > Apps > AceMoney > Uninstall unless the PC is being wiped anyway. Uninstalling does not remove the data file.

Step 4: Install and register on the new PC

Download AceMoneySetup.exe from our downloads page and install it; see Download and install AceMoney Classic.
Help > Register AceMoney… and paste the Name and Serial Number from the license e-mail; see Register AceMoney Classic with your license.

Step 5: Open your file on the new PC

Copy the .amj file from the stick into Documents on the new PC (or wherever you keep it). Keep the copy on the stick until everything checks out.
File > Open, choose the file and enter the password.
Tools > Options… and tick Load last file at startup so it opens automatically from now on.
Check the Accounts page (F2): the same accounts and balances as on the old PC.
Point AceMoney Reminder at the file: right-click the green tray icon > Options… > Data file > Browse.
Set up backups again with Tools > Backup…; the backup folder was on the old PC.

Step 6: Re-pair AceMoney Receipts

If you use AceMoney Receipts, the phone is still paired with the old computer: its Settings Sync tab shows the old Host Computer Name. Pair again: on the phone, tap the paired tile, answer Overwrite when it asks Overwrite Pairing?, then tap Unpair Device and Unpair; a fresh code appears. On the new PC, open AceCloud > Cloud Settings…, type that code and click Grant access. Receipts already recorded in your file stay there. See Pair AceMoney Classic with AceMoney Receipts.

If the old computer is gone

A file that was never given multi-user access shows “Failed to open document” on any other computer, and so do its backups, because they are copies of the same file. Open a request on the support portal (https://support.mechcad.net/ (opens in a new tab)) or e-mail support@mechcad.net: say that the file was created on a computer you no longer have, give your version (Help > About…) and your licensed name. Support resets the file’s security settings and returns it to you; you will be told how to send the file. It contains your financial data, so wait for those instructions rather than uploading it somewhere public.

Use one file on two computers

Keep the .amj file in a cloud-drive folder (or on a network share) after ticking Permit access by multiple users with a password, and open it on one computer at a time. Never have it open on two computers at once: the program cannot merge two edited copies, and the last one saved wins.

Common questions

Do I need a new license for the new computer?

No. Enter the same name and serial number. Your license is for one user on one computer, so uninstall on the old PC.

Can I keep AceMoney on both computers?

The license covers one computer. If you must work from two PCs, keep one shared file as described above and open it on one PC at a time.

Does the password protect the file?

Yes. The file is encrypted with your password; it is asked for on every open, and AceMoney Reminder needs it too. There is no way to open the file without it, so keep the password somewhere safe — a forgotten password cannot be recovered, by support or anyone else.

What about my receipt pictures?

Pictures recorded from AceMoney Receipts are stored in your Receipts account online. After you pair the new PC, they open there when the PC is online.

I reset Windows on the same computer. Do I need step 1?

Usually not. A file created on this computer opens directly again once AceMoney is installed. If the computer’s name changed with the reset, the file counts as moved, and you need step 1 on a machine that can still open it, or the support reset above.

Can I move to a Mac?

Yes, two ways. Existing license holders can install AceMoney for macOS, which runs through an emulation layer (see Download and install AceMoney Classic), and copy the data file after step 1 above. Or move to AceMoney Studio, which runs natively on macOS and opens your .amj file directly: see Move your AceMoney Classic data to AceMoney Studio.

Do my backups move too?

Backups are plain copies of the data file, so copy the ones you want and set the backup folder again with Tools > Backup… on the new PC.

Troubleshooting

“Failed to open document” on the new PC. The file was copied without step 1. Open it on the old PC, tick Permit access by multiple users with a password, save, and copy it again. Old PC gone: see above.
The program opens empty on the new PC. It has no file loaded yet. File > Open your .amj, then tick Load last file at startup.
The evaluation screen shows on the new PC. The license is not entered yet. Help > Register AceMoney….
The Reminder shows no bills, or bills from the sample file. Its Data file points elsewhere. Tray icon > Options… > Browse to your .amj.
Colors and columns are back to the defaults. Settings are not in the data file. Use SaveSettings.bat / RestoreSettings.bat from the program folder, or set them again under Tools > Fonts and Colors… and by right-clicking the register’s column headers.
The phone still shows the old computer’s name. Pair again from the new PC (Step 6).
The file opens but asks for a password you never set. It was copied from another computer, and multi-user access was set with a password there. Ask the person who set it.