How to Make an Account 'Manual'
Quick Review
What: Convert connected accounts to manual tracking (or vice versa)
Why: Stop automatic downloads while keeping transaction history
How: Settings → Accounts → Three dots → Make manual
Reversible: Yes, reconnect anytime through Add Account flow
Overview
Quicken lets you convert any connected account to manual tracking, giving you full control over when and how transactions are entered. This feature preserves all your existing transactions while disconnecting from automatic bank updates.
Converting to manual is useful when banks change systems, accounts become view-only, or you prefer entering transactions yourself. Ashley uses manual tracking for their business credit card to match receipts before entering transactions, ensuring every expense has proper documentation.
When to Make Accounts Manual
Common Scenarios
Bank connection issues - Temporary problems with downloads
Account changes - Bank switched systems or merged
Closed but active - Still processing final transactions
Privacy preferences - Don't want automatic connections
Better control - Match receipts before entering
Manual vs. Closed
Make manual when:
You'll continue adding transactions
Account is still active at the bank
Connection issues are temporary
You need more control over entries
Mark as closed when:
Account is truly closed at bank
No more transactions expected
Want to preserve history only
Balance should show as $0
Converting Connected to Manual
Steps
Hover over the panel on the left-hand side and select Settings
Select Accounts
Locate the account you'd like to make manual and click the three dots at the end of it
Select Make manual
Click Make Manual to confirm
What Happens
Account moves to Manual Accounts section
Stops downloading transactions
Preserves all existing transactions
Maintains current balance
Keeps all categorizations and notes
The account continues functioning normally except you'll enter transactions manually instead of downloading them.
Converting Manual to Connected
Process
Go through the Add Account flow (Dashboard → + New)
Search for and connect to your bank
When accounts appear, select Link (not Add)
Choose your existing manual account to link
Complete the connection
Important Tips
Use Link to avoid creating duplicates
Verify account numbers match
New transactions download from connection date
Previous manual entries remain unchanged
May get 90 days of history from bank
Ashley reconnected their checking after their credit union fixed connection issues. The manual transactions from the problem period stayed intact, and new transactions started downloading automatically.
Considerations
Before Converting to Manual
Current downloads will stop
No automatic balance updates
Requires manual transaction entry
May miss pending transactions
Before Reconnecting
Check for duplicate transactions
Verify balances match
Know your bank's history limit
Consider timing of reconnection
Maintaining Both Types
You can have both connected and manual accounts. Some users prefer:
Connected for primary accounts
Manual for secondary or problem accounts
Different approaches for different banks
Troubleshooting
Account won't convert to manual:
Ensure you have proper access
Try refreshing the page
Check if part of linked accounts
Can't find manual account to reconnect:
Look in Manual Accounts section
Verify account still exists
Check account name hasn't changed
Duplicate transactions after reconnecting:
Review date ranges carefully
Delete manual duplicates
Keep downloaded versions
The Bottom Line
Converting accounts between connected and manual gives you flexibility in how you track finances. Use manual tracking when you need more control or face connection issues, knowing you can always reconnect later.
Ashley switches accounts between manual and connected based on their needs: "During tax season, I make my business accounts manual so I can match every receipt. The rest of the year, I let them download automatically."
Hint: Before converting to manual, download all pending transactions one final time. Ashley learned to wait for pending transactions to clear before converting, avoiding the hassle of manually entering transactions that were already in progress. Also, take a screenshot of your last balance for easy reference when entering manual transactions later.