Delete a budget

In Quicken Classic for Mac, you can delete a budget when it's no longer needed—such as after replacing it with a newer version or cleaning up outdated financial plans. Deleting a budget removes it permanently from your file, so it's a good idea to confirm that you won’t need the data later. If you're unsure, consider duplicating the budget for backup before deleting it.

Reasons to delete or keep a budget

Before deleting a budget, consider why you may or may not want to keep it.

Reasons to delete a budget

It's outdated and no longer reflects your financial situation.
You've created a newer version of the budget for a new year or plan.
You want to reduce clutter and keep only current, active budgets.
You made a copy of the budget and no longer need the original.

Reasons to keep a budget

You want to review your past financial habits and compare trends over time.
The budget includes historical data or custom categories you may reuse later.
You're unsure whether you'll need to reference or restore the budget in the future.
You haven't backed up the file or saved a duplicate copy.

If you're uncertain, consider renaming the budget instead so that it is clear the budget is no longer active. For example, if you are starting a new budget for a new year you might want to name the old budget Reference Budget 202x. To rename a budget, go to the Budgets tab, click the arrow next to the budget name, and choose Rename Budget….

Ways to delete a budget

You can delete a budget using either the feature bar or the Quicken menu. In both cases, you must first be on the Budgets tab.

From the feature bar

Select the Budgets tab at the top of the window.
Click the arrow next to the Budgets tab.
Choose Delete Budget… from the drop-down menu.

From the Quicken menu

Make sure you are on the Budgets tab.
Go to the Quicken menu.
Select Budgets > Delete Budget…

After selecting Delete Budget…, you'll be prompted to confirm. Once confirmed, the budget will be permanently deleted.