Get started with AceMoney Studio

This page walks you through the first launch of AceMoney Studio and the main parts of the window, so you know where everything is before you enter your first transaction.

Before you begin

Install Studio on your computer; see Install on your computer. AceMoney Studio Mobile is coming to iPhone and Android, from version 1.2; see Install on your phone or tablet. You do not need an account, a sign-in or an internet connection to start.

Choose how to start

The first time you open a document that has no accounts, Studio shows a full-screen page titled Welcome to AceMoney Studio with the line “Let’s get your data in — or just start exploring.” and three choices.

Import my AceMoney data… opens the import page. If you are moving from AceMoney Classic, choose your Classic data file (the .amj file) itself: Studio opens it directly, asks for the file’s password, your Serial Number or the computer name only if the file needs it, and brings across accounts, transactions, transfers, splits, payees, categories and the rest. A JSON or XML export from AceMoney Classic works too. The same page also takes a QIF, OFX, QFX, OFC or CSV file from your bank and, from version 1.2, a Microsoft Money .mny file. See Import data and Export and migrate to Studio.
Load sample data fills the document with a ready-made set of accounts (Checking, Savings, Brokerage and more) and transactions, so you can explore every page with realistic numbers.
Start fresh closes the welcome page and leaves the document empty. The Home page then shows a Welcome to AceMoney Studio card with Import AceMoney data and Load sample data, in case you change your mind, and you add your first account from Accounts.

The welcome page appears once per document. Whether an import finishes, is cancelled or fails, the page does not come back; you can still import from the Home card while the document has no accounts, and on desktop from File ▸ Import… at any time (an AceMoney Classic or Microsoft Money file needs an empty document; bank files do not).

iOS (iPhone and iPad)

From AceMoney Studio Mobile 1.2, tap Import my AceMoney data… and pick the file in Files.

Android

From AceMoney Studio Mobile 1.2, Import my AceMoney data… works as on desktop: the file picker opens and you choose the file.

On desktop, a document you created with File ▸ New Document then offers Protect this document with a password? (Maybe later / Set up encryption); the default document and the mobile app never show this. See Document password.

Take the tour

Next, Studio shows a five-step tour of small dialogs, from 1 of 5 — The register to 5 of 5 — Backups, with Skip tour, Back, Next and Done. The last step says backups are in Settings ▸ Backups; they are in fact on the Document tab of Settings, in the Backups section. The tour cannot be played again, but everything it shows is on this page and the pages it links to.

Find your way around the window

Studio is one window with one open document. Down the left side is the navigation rail; across the top is the top bar; the rest is the page you chose. In AceMoney Studio Mobile (from version 1.2, not in the stores yet), on a tablet or a phone held sideways the layout is the same; on a phone held upright a bar along the bottom (Home, Register, Schedule, Reports and More) takes the rail’s place.

The rail lists, in order: Home, Accounts, Register, Schedule, Portfolio, Reports, Categories, Payees, Banks, Tags, Splits, Mileage, Cloud, Cloud Devices and Settings.

Home is the dashboard: net worth, this month’s spending and income, cash flow, recent transactions, goals and upcoming bills. Choose Customize Home there to show, hide or reorder its cards (Dashboard).
Accounts lists every account; Register shows one account’s transactions.
Schedule holds recurring bills and income; its red badge counts what is due today or overdue.
Portfolio is your investments (part of the unlocked app); Reports holds the built-in reports.
Categories, Payees, Banks and Tags describe your transactions; Splits is bill splitting; Mileage is the trip log.
Cloud and Cloud Devices are for AceMoney Cloud, the optional sync subscription; see AceMoney Cloud.
Settings shows a numbered badge when Document Doctor found something to look at.

On desktop, Alt+H hides the rail and brings it back.

The top bar

On the left is the title of the current page. On the right are:

the document chip with the name of the open document (AceMoney for the built-in default document); on desktop, hover to see the file path of any other document;
a Backup … chip such as Backup 5m ago, once the document has at least one backup;
the portfolio switcher: Portfolio: Main with a + button, or a menu when you have more than one portfolio;
the Search button, the ? help button, Toggle theme and About AceMoney Studio.

In AceMoney Studio Mobile (from version 1.2, not in the stores yet), on a phone held upright the top bar is one line: the page title with the document name as its subtitle, then Search, ?, Toggle theme and About AceMoney Studio. Tap the title (tooltip Document and portfolio) to open a sheet with the document, its last backup and the portfolio switcher.

Search from anywhere

Press ⌘K on macOS or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux, or tap the Search button. Type part of an account, payee, category, holding or report name, an exact amount, or a date such as 2026-03, and pick a result. Choosing a transaction opens the register on that account with the search filled in. See Search.

Help on every page

The ? button (or F1 on desktop) opens a short guide to the current page in a side panel. The text is built into the app and works offline; Close help closes it.

Make it yours

Open Settings ▸ Appearance to set:

Display size: Compact, Standard or Large. On desktop, Ctrl + and Ctrl − (⌘ + and ⌘ − on macOS) also change it.
Language: Automatic follows your computer; you can also pick English, Italiano, Español or Français.
Date format and Number format: Automatic follows your region, or pick one.

See Appearance.

The free version

Studio is free for as long as you like, with 3 accounts you can edit and one goal. If you have more accounts, for example after opening your Classic file, every account is still there and readable, but only 3 can be edited; the others are read-only until you unlock. Nothing is deleted. Investments (the Portfolio page) and more than one portfolio also come with the unlocked app. An AceMoney Studio license on your computer lifts these limits; see Free version and license.

Add your first account

Open Accounts and tap Add account.
Enter an Account name, choose an Account type and enter the Opening balance, then tap Add.
Open Register, choose the account, and tap New to enter a transaction.

Full details in Accounts and Register.

Common questions

No. Studio never needs an account; signing in is optional and only for AceMoney Cloud. Your document stays on this device unless you choose to sync it, and the app goes online for things you ask for, such as investment quotes, a bank-feed refresh or an update check. It also downloads exchange rates by itself while Update exchange rates automatically is on (the default, in Settings ▸ Currency & Quotes): when a document opens, every hour while it is open and when a new currency is used. Only currency codes are sent.

Can I see the tour again?

No, the tour runs once. This page covers the same ground, and the ? button on every page gives you the short guide for that page.

I chose Start fresh. Can I import later?

On desktop, yes. An AceMoney Classic or Microsoft Money file goes into an empty document, so create one first with File ▸ New Document if you already have accounts, then use File ▸ Import…; bank files can be imported into any document. On a phone (from AceMoney Studio Mobile 1.2), the Home card offers Import AceMoney data as long as the document has no accounts.

What is the difference between the Portfolio page and “Portfolio: Main”?

Portfolio on the rail is your investments page. The Portfolio: Main switcher in the top bar is something else: a portfolio there is a separate set of books inside the same document (personal and business, say), and every document starts with one named Main. Adding more needs the unlocked app; see Portfolios.

Where is the Save command?

There is none. Everything is saved the moment you confirm it. Pressing ⌘S or Ctrl+S only shows “Everything is saved automatically — no action needed.”

Troubleshooting

Couldn’t load sample. appears. The sample could not be written. Try again; if it repeats, check the free space on the device and restart Studio.
The welcome page did not appear. It shows only once per document, the first time the document has no accounts. Use the Home card or, on desktop, File ▸ Import….
The Search tooltip says ⌘K, but I am on Windows, Linux or a phone. Use Ctrl+K or tap the Search button. On a phone the shortcut text is cosmetic.
The tour says Settings ▸ Backups. The section is Settings ▸ Document ▸ Backups.
The Backup chip is missing from the top bar. It appears after the first backup, which Studio takes when it opens the document (once a day) or when you tap Back up now.
A message says “N scheduled transactions posted automatically.” Expected: those schedules have Post automatically on open turned on. See Scheduled transactions.