Answers to the questions support gets most
Each answer is short and links to the page with the full steps. If your question is not here, use the search box at the top of the page, or see Get help from MechCAD support.
AceMoney Studio
Is AceMoney Studio free?
Yes, for as long as you like: the register, Home, Reports and 3 accounts you can edit, plus one portfolio and one goal. Accounts past the third stay visible but read-only, and Investments is locked; nothing is deleted. An AceMoney Studio license makes every account editable and opens Investments. Full steps: AceMoney Studio: Free version and unlocked
Do I need an account or an internet connection?
No. Your data is a document stored on your computer. AceMoney Studio asks you to sign in only if you use AceMoney Cloud. It goes online only for things you ask for, such as exchange rates, quotes, bank feeds, updates and license activation. Full steps: Privacy and security in AceMoney Studio
How do I bring my AceMoney Classic data into Studio?
Open your AceMoney Classic .amj file in AceMoney Studio: choose Import my AceMoney data… on the first-run screen, or File ▸ Import… in an empty document, and pick the file. Studio asks for the file’s password, your Serial Number or the computer name only if the file needs it. If Studio cannot open the file, export it from AceMoney Classic as JSON and import that.
Full steps: Move your AceMoney Classic data to AceMoney Studio
How do I activate my AceMoney Studio license?
Open Settings ▸ Account ▸ Desktop license, paste your key into License key, enter the Purchase email address from your order and click Activate. It needs the internet once; afterwards Studio works offline. Full steps: Choose a plan and understand your license
How do I move my license to a new computer?
On the old computer, click Deactivate this seat in Settings ▸ Account, then activate on the new one. If the old computer is gone, activate on the new one and use View all seats on this license to Release the old seat. A license covers 2 computers at a time. Full steps: Choose a plan and understand your license
Can I use my license on a Mac and a Windows PC?
Yes. One license has two seats, and they can be any mix of macOS, Windows and Linux computers. The same key and purchase e-mail activate every version. Full steps: Choose a plan and understand your license
Is there AceMoney Studio for iPhone or Android?
It is coming. AceMoney Studio Mobile for iPhone, iPad and Android starts with version 1.2 and is not in the App Store or Google Play yet. Full steps: Choose a plan and understand your license
Where is my data, and how do I back it up?
Your accounts live in an AceMoney document on your computer, and you choose where the file is saved. Studio keeps automatic backup copies on the same computer, and you can add one any time with Back up now in Settings ▸ Document. Full steps: Backups and restore
I forgot my document password
Choose Forgot password? Use a recovery code when the document asks for its password, and enter the recovery code you saved when you set the password. Without the password and without the recovery code nobody can open the document, including us. Full steps: Document password
How do I connect my bank?
There are two ways. With AceMoney Cloud, connect a US bank under Settings ▸ Connections ▸ Bank feeds (AceMoney Cloud) with Connect bank; you finish in your browser. Without it, use SimpleFIN, a separate service with its own fee: paste a SimpleFIN setup token under Settings ▸ Connections ▸ Bank feeds. You can also import the statement file your bank lets you download. Full steps: Bank feeds
My bank is not on SimpleFIN Bridge. Is there another way to connect?
Yes. Studio works with any SimpleFIN provider, and connects to whichever one issued your setup token; a setup token can be used only once. If your bank is in the US, AceMoney Cloud can connect it directly. Otherwise, download a statement file from your bank’s website (QIF, OFX, QFX, OFC or CSV) and import it. Full steps: Bank feeds
How do I reconcile an account against my statement?
Open the Register, pick the account and click Reconcile. Enter the Statement ending balance and its date, tick the transactions that appear on the statement, and click Finalize when the difference is zero. Full steps: Reconcile
How do I update Studio?
Studio checks for updates itself. When one is ready, open Settings ▸ Software Update and click Restart to update. You can also click Check for updates now there. Full steps: Software updates
Can I keep separate books for personal and business money?
Yes. Portfolios are separate sets of books inside one document, with consolidated reports across them. One portfolio is free; more need an AceMoney Studio license. Full steps: Portfolios
Does Studio sync between my computers?
Yes, with AceMoney Cloud, a separate subscription. Your AceMoney Studio documents stay in step between your computers, end-to-end encrypted. Without it, carry a document to another computer with File ▸ Save a Copy As… and open it there, but never open the same file from two computers at once. Full steps: Sync between your devices
How do I move my Studio data to a new computer?
Install AceMoney Studio on the new computer. With AceMoney Cloud, sign in and open your synced document. Without it, copy your document with File ▸ Save a Copy As… to a USB stick or a cloud-drive folder, and open the copy on the new computer. Then move your license as described above. Full steps: Documents and files
Can I move from Quicken, Mint, YNAB or another finance program?
Yes, through the files that program exports: export each account as QIF (OFX or CSV also work), create matching accounts in Studio and import each file into its account. From version 1.2, Studio also opens Microsoft Money .mny files.
Full steps: Import data
Can Studio print checks or pay bills for me?
No. Studio records and schedules payments, but never prints checks or sends money. Pay through your bank as usual and post the scheduled transaction when it goes out. Full steps: Scheduled transactions
AceMoney Cloud
What does AceMoney Cloud add?
End-to-end encrypted sync of your AceMoney Studio documents between your computers, and bank feeds for US banks. It also includes the Receipts Pro and Mileage plan features. It is a yearly or monthly subscription, sold on our website. Full steps: AceMoney Cloud
Can MechCAD read my synced data?
No. Your data is encrypted on your device before it is sent, with a key we do not hold. We store it, but we cannot read it. Full steps: Know what stays on your device and what we store
How do I cancel AceMoney Cloud?
On the website’s Existing customers page, choose Manage my subscription. Cancelling stops the next renewal; Cloud keeps working until the end of the period you paid for, and nothing on your devices is touched. Full steps: Manage or cancel your AceMoney Cloud subscription
AceMoney Receipts
Do I need an account to use AceMoney Receipts?
Not necessarily. Sign in with an e-mail address, Google, Apple or Microsoft, or tap Continue as Guest to start without one. A guest’s receipts are lost if you sign out, so tap Link Account in Settings before you do. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Sign in and your account
How do I scan a receipt?
Tap Scan in the bottom bar, choose Camera, and keep scanning pages if the receipt is long. The app reads the merchant, date and total on your phone and opens the receipt for you to check and Save. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Scan a receipt
Why did the app read the wrong amount or merchant?
Reading happens on your phone from the photo, so glare, blur and faded ink lower accuracy; retake when you see the Photo quality warning. Correct any field before you save, and the app learns your merchant names for next time. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: How receipts are read
Can I add a receipt from a photo I already took, or without a photo?
Yes. Tap Scan, then Photo Library to pick a picture, or Manual Entry to type a receipt in without an image. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Import photos and files
What does Receipts Pro add?
Automatic reading of every new receipt by the reading service (within a monthly fair-use cap), an extracted item list, voice read-back, unlimited Filing Cabinet documents (from AceMoney Receipts 2.0) and no ads. It is a monthly or yearly subscription bought inside the app. AceMoney Cloud includes the same features. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Receipts Pro and the Mileage plan
I paid for Pro but the app still shows ads or the free limits
Open More › Settings › Account and tap Restore Purchases while signed in to the same App Store or Google Play account you bought with. If it still says free after a restart, contact support with your purchase receipt from the store. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Receipts Pro and the Mileage plan
How do I cancel Receipts Pro?
Store subscriptions are managed by the store: tap Manage Subscription in Settings › Account, or use your phone’s own subscription settings. You keep the plan until the end of the period you already paid for. Full steps: Choose a plan and understand your license
Where are my receipts stored, and are they backed up?
Receipts and their images are kept in your account online, so they are there when you sign in on the web version or a new phone. Filing Cabinet documents (coming in AceMoney Receipts 2.0) stay only on the phone. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Privacy and security in AceMoney Receipts
Can two people scan into one account from two phones?
Yes. Sign in with the same account on both phones, and every receipt either of you saves appears on both. The budget gauges, and the Filing Cabinet documents coming in AceMoney Receipts 2.0, stay on the phone that made them. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Sign in and your account
Can I export my receipts to Excel or PDF?
Not from the app or the web version: there is no CSV, PDF or e-mail export. Pair with AceMoney Classic, record the receipts there and export from AceMoney Classic, or copy the details from the web version on your computer. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Search and organize
Can AceMoney Receipts track my mileage or split bills?
These are coming in AceMoney Receipts 2.0, which is not in the App Store or Google Play yet. Until then, AceMoney Studio on a computer has its own Mileage and Splits pages. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Mileage tracking
Can I use AceMoney Receipts on my computer?
Yes. The web version works in desktop browsers with the same account: add and edit receipts by hand, see charts and pair with AceMoney Classic. A phone or tablet browser is told to get the app instead. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Receipts on the web
How do I send my receipts to AceMoney Classic on my computer?
In More › Settings › Sync, tap Pair with AceMoney on Desktop and type the 8-digit code into AceMoney Classic’s Cloud Settings… within 30 seconds. Receipts then flow to the computer, and account, payee and category names flow back for autocomplete. Full steps: Pair AceMoney Classic with AceMoney Receipts
How do I delete my account?
In More › Settings › Account, tap Delete Account and confirm DELETE FOREVER. The app first asks you to confirm it is you, with your password or your Google, Apple or Microsoft sign-in (a guest is not asked). Deletion is permanent and does not cancel a store subscription, so cancel that with the store too. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Sign in and your account
Can I lock the app with Face ID or my fingerprint?
Yes. Turn on Biometric Authentication in Settings › Account. The app locks the next time it goes to the background, and your phone’s passcode works as a fallback. Full steps, in the AceMoney Receipts guide: Privacy and security in AceMoney Receipts
AceMoney Classic
Is AceMoney Classic still sold and supported?
It is no longer sold, but every license ever issued keeps working, downloads and activation stay available, and updates continue as published. Support answers activation, installation and how-to questions. Full steps: Support status
I never received, or lost, my license e-mail
Check your spam folder first; the license was sent the minute the order was approved. Otherwise open a support request with the e-mail address you ordered with and the licensed name, and we look it up. Full steps: Activation and registration
AceMoney says “Failed to open document” on my new computer
A data file saved on one computer only opens elsewhere after you allow multi-user access. On the original computer, open Tools > Options…, tick Permit access by multiple users, set a password, save, and copy the file again. If the original computer is gone, ask support for a security reset. Full steps: Move to a new computer
Do AceMoney Classic owners get a discount on AceMoney Studio?
Yes. If you own an AceMoney Classic license, you can buy AceMoney Studio at a founder price. Go to www.mechcad.net/upgrade/, paste your AceMoney Classic license (name and serial) and enter the e-mail you bought it with, then follow the link we e-mail you; it works for 7 days. A license bought on or after April 1, 2026 gets a lower price still. Full steps: Choose a plan and understand your license
What is AceMoney Lite?
An old free edition of AceMoney Classic, limited to 2 accounts, with everything else the same. It keeps working for people who already have it, but it is no longer offered for download; new users can start with the Free version of AceMoney Studio. It cannot pair with AceMoney Receipts. Full steps: Download and install
Does AceMoney Classic run on my Mac?
Yes. Existing license holders can download AceMoney Classic for macOS from the downloads page; it runs through an emulation layer. AceMoney Studio is the native macOS app, and it opens your AceMoney Classic file directly. Full steps: Download and install
Plans, privacy and support
Is there a free trial?
The free versions are the trial: AceMoney Studio is free with 3 accounts you can edit, with no time limit, and AceMoney Receipts has a free plan with ads. There is no separate time-limited trial. Full steps: Choose a plan and understand your license
How do I get a refund?
For anything bought through the App Store or Google Play, ask the store; Apple and Google decide under their own rules. For an AceMoney Studio license bought on our website, open a Request a refund request on the support portal with your order reference. Full steps: Get help from MechCAD support
What data does MechCAD collect?
AceMoney Studio keeps your finances on your computer and sends nothing about them, unless you subscribe to AceMoney Cloud, which stores an end-to-end encrypted copy we cannot read. AceMoney Receipts stores your receipts in your account so you can reach them from any device. Crash reports are off unless you turn them on. Full steps: Know what stays on your device and what we store
How do I contact support, and what should I include?
Open a request at the support portal or e-mail support@mechcad.net with the product, your platform and app version, what you did and what happened. Never send a whole license key, a password, or a bank screenshot with full numbers. Full steps: Get help from MechCAD support
Which app should I use, Receipts or Studio?
Use AceMoney Receipts on your phone to capture receipts in the moment. Use AceMoney Studio on your computer for your full finances: accounts, budgets, bills, reports and investments. Many people use both. Full steps: Find help for every AceMoney product