Community Discussion: Cut and Paste Transactions
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The original poster wants to use Copy Transaction(s)/Paste Transaction(s) to "move" multiple transactions at one time, from one Quicken file to another.
One clueless responder submitted a reply accusing Quicken of not conforming to its own Help file (by not allowing the "Paste" of multiple transactions into a different Quicken file).
But that user provided zero support for their claim, saying this instead. "... their [Quicken's] own help file says you are able to transfer MULTIPLE transactions at one time from one data file to another".
And it is indeed possible to "transfer" [meaning, 'move'] MULTIPLE transactions at one time from one data file to another" - just NOT by using Copy/Paste transaction(s).
A SuperUser in the discussion suggests the problem is Quicken's faulty paste logic: to prove that, the test is to copy multiple transactions from one Quicken file, then Paste those transactions into Notepad (to prove that the Quicken Copy Transaction(s) works (which it does); then try using Quicken Paste Transaction(s) into another Quicken file (where the user will see that the Paste Transaction(s) option is grayed out. So SuperUser says that proves the Quicken Paste logic does not check the Windows clipboard for Quicken transactions.
But it is easy to disprove that claim: use Quicken Copy Transaction(s) to copy a single Quicken transaction, then in a different file, use Paste Transaction(s) to Paste that single transaction ... it will work (as long as the FROM and TO account types are compatible). Just as it has for as long as I can remember.
[As a further test to determine whether Quicken checks the Windows clipboard, use Copy Transaction(s) in the FROM file to copy a single investment-type transaction ... then in the TO Quicken file, try to use Paste Transaction(s) to paste that investment-type transaction into a non-investment account - Paste Transaction(s) will be grayed out. Then try pasting that same investment-type transaction into an investment account - Paste Transaction(s) will succeed.]There are two methods for moving multiple transactions at one time between Quicken files: QIF file export/import (as also noted in the discussion), and QXF file export/import.
Both methods have their limitations and been known to create problems, but they are the only methods for transferring multiple transactions between Quicken files.
I'll wager it has never been possible to use Copy Transaction(s)/Paste Transaction(s) to "move" multiple transactions from one Quicken file to another. Nor, to my knowledge, has Quicken ever said that approach would work. And I believe there is good reason for Quicken not allowing Copy/Paste transactions to "move" multiple transactions between Quicken file.
Unlike QIF file import, for example; Paste Transaction(s) has no facility for checking the validity of multiple transactions. Way-back-when, the QIF file import process presented imported transactions in the Downloaded Transactions tab below the account to which they were to be imported. The user could deal with each imported transaction individually, if needed; and Quicken could use existing logit to determine the validity of each transaction. So transactions with invalid categories or tags (for example) could be individually identified to the user, giving the user the opportunity to correct the invalid data.
Paste Transaction(s) is designed to Paste transactions Copied from the same file: meaning that those transacations are already known to contain valid data. Paste Transaction(s) likely does not have the logic to deal with errors found in multiple Pasted transactions.
When Copying to a different file, there is no guarantee that the FROM file will contain the same categories or tags as the TO file, so the Paste of multiple transactions from "some other file", could create a mess. A mess I believe Quicken simply decided not to try to deal with.
[NOTE: QIF file imports and QXF file imports can each cause their own problems; they should not be used blindly (or without creating a backup of the destination Quicken file before attempting to import).][Last Community post: February 9, 2023 @ 3:05PM]