First Steps with Moneydance
Once you've opened Moneydance and created a new data file, you can begin to set up the file.
Create your Accounts -
You can create your accounts via Account > New Account.
You can create the following account types -
Bank, Credit Card, Investment, Asset, Liability, or Loan.
The steps for creating accounts are detailed in this article.
Once created, your accounts will be listed in the side bar on the left of the program window.
The accounts in the side bar will be grouped by account type (bank, credit card etc.)
They'll be listed alphabetically, using ASCII sorting rules.
(Special characters first, then numbers, then uppercase letters and then lowercase letters.)
Create your Categories -
The categories included in your file will vary, depending on the "File Type" you picked when creating the data file -
- If you choose "Standard Account Set, then your file will already include the default categories.
- If you specified "Minimal Account Set", your data file will have no categories.
You can view the categories in your data file via Tools > Categories.
The list of categories is completely customisable - you can add, edit and delete any categories.
There is no limit to the number of categories in your data file.
The steps for creating and editing categories are detailed in this article.
Entering Transactions -
Once you've created your accounts and the categories you'll need, you can begin adding your transactions.
You can enter transactions manually, or you can download transactions from your bank.
Manually entering transactions -
To manually enter transactions, you can follow the steps in this article.
You may also wish to refer to this article that details the different transaction fields.
Downloading transactions -
If you want to download transactions from the bank, there are a few different methods -
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You can download transactions automatically and for free, using OFX Direct Connect.
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You can manually download transactions from your banks website (OFX, QFX, QIF or CSV files).
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Or you can subscribe to use Moneydance+.
This is the new (optional) subscription service that allows you to download transactions from your bank using the Plaid aggregator.
You'll find more information about each of the different download methods in this article.
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Purchasing and Upgrading
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Getting Started
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Accounts and Categories
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Register and Transactions
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Online Banking and Bill Pay
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Moneydance+
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Popular Banks
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Navigating Moneydance
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Budgeting
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Reminders
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Graphs and Reports
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Syncing and Sharing Data
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Backups and Exporting
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Investment Accounts
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Loan Accounts
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Currency and VAT/GST
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Importing Data from Other Programs
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Customizing and Preferences
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File Locations and Changes
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Foresight
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Extensions
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Linux
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Older Versions
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ARCHIVE - Getting Started
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ARCHIVE - Moneydance 2017
- Archive - Moneydance 2017 license keys and upgrade policy
- Archive - Upgrading to Moneydance 2017 from Moneydance 2012, 2014 and 2015
- Archive - Upgrading to Moneydance 2017 from Moneydance 2011 or earlier
- Archive - Changing colours and theme in Moneydance 2017
- Archive - Sharing data using the Moneydance 2017 syncing engine
- View all (15 more)
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ARCHIVE - Moneydance 2014 and 2015
- Archive - Moneydance 2015 license keys and upgrade policy
- Archive - Upgrading to Moneydance 2015 from Moneydance 2012 and 2014
- Archive - Upgrading to Moneydance 2015 from Moneydance 2011 or earlier
- Archive - Opening a backup file in Moneydance 2015
- Archive - How to restore from a checkpoint in Moneydance 2012 and 2014
- View all (3 more)
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ARCHIVE - Program Basics
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ARCHIVE - Account Basics
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ARCHIVE - Entering Transactions
- Archive - Does Moneydance allow for assigning 'classes' to transactions?
- Archive - How do I get the Register to auto fill todays date instead of the last entered date?
- Archive - How do I move a transaction to a different account?
- Archive - How do I enter my Paycheck?
- Archive - How do I create a split transaction?
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ARCHIVE - Online Banking
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ARCHIVE - Mobile
- Archive - Syncing Moneydance 2015 with your Mobile Device
- Archive - Syncing Moneydance 2012 and 2014 with your Mobile Device
- Archive - How to sync with Moneydance 2008, 2010, and 2011
- Archive - How do I delete a transaction on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch?
- Archive - How to sync one data file with multiple iOS devices using different Dropbox accounts
- View all
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ARCHIVE - Budgeting and Reminders
- Archive - Creating reminders (automatic repeating transactions or notes)
- Archive - Creating a budget using the 'Newer' format
- Archive - Creating a budget using the 'Mixed Interval' (Older) format
- Archive - What's the difference between a General and Transaction reminder?
- Archive - How do I have a reminder automatically entered into my register?
- View all (1 more)
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ARCHIVE - International Tools
- Archive - Setting up VAT/GST
- Archive - Can you change the word "Check" to "Cheque" anywhere in the programme?
- Archive - How can I enter the exact amounts on both sides of a foreign currency transfer?
- Archive - My household/country/company uses a fiscal year instead of a calendar year. Can I do this in Moneydance?
- View all
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ARCHIVE - Investments
- Archive - How do I add Securities to a new Investment Account?
- Archive - How can I import security, stock or mutual fund prices?
- Archive - Entering your current holdings
- Archive - Creating a new investment subtype
- Archive - Downloading security, stock or mutual fund prices from non-US stock exchanges
- View all (5 more)
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ARCHIVE - Extensions
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ARCHIVE - Everything Else