Knowledgebase, User Guide and Frequently Asked Questions
The knowledgebase is organized into categories to make it easy to find an answer to your problem or question. Click on a category below to see a listing of available articles.
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Articles on this page only address topics for the desktop edition. Click here for articles on ChurchTrac Online.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I use ChurchTrac? (Start here for the basics of using the program)
Where can I find help to get started? What if I have a question?
Is there a telephone number I can call? Is phone-based support available?
Do you have an informational packet or brochure I can print and share with others?
How do I delete a record or entry in ChurchTrac?
What is the difference between the free and paid versions of ChurchTrac?
Can I customize the entries and selections in ChurchTrac?
Can we install and use ChurchTrac on more than one computer?
Can two or more computers share the same ChurchTrac data?
How do I add another computer to my existing data sharing network?
Does ChurchTrac include accounting and budgeting features?
How do I move my ChurchTrac data to another computer?
Can I set passwords to control who has access to information in ChurchTrac?
Will ChurchTrac work on a Mac?
Do I have to pay full price if I want to add more names later?
Why doesn't my unlock code work?
What kind of barcode scanner do I need to use ChurchTrac's attendance scanning feature?
What check style should I use for printing checks from ChurchTrac?
Why does my anti-virus program say that ChurchTrac is malware?
PAYMENT and PURCHASING QUESTIONS
Is the purchase price a one-time fee, or does it have to be renewed each year?
Do you accept any other payment methods? Can I purchase an unlock code using a check?
How long does it take to receive my unlock code after purchasing?
What is the difference between the free and paid versions of ChurchTrac?
Do I have to pay full price if I want to add more names later?
Can I get a CD with the unlock code I've purchased?
What is the difference between a program update and an upgrade?
ONLINE USER GUIDE
Portions of this user guide are available as a PDF file that you can download and print.
THE PEOPLE SCREEN
See also: How do I add, edit, or delete a name in ChurchTrac?
The General Information Tab (including birthday reports)
See also: How do I send a text message to someone's cell phone from ChurchTrac?
See also: How do I send a Voice Message from ChurchTrac?
The Pictures Tab (including picture directories)
See also: How do I create a picture directory?
The SHAPE Ministry Profile Tab
See also: How do I obtain SHAPE profile information from the congregation?
The User-Defined Tab and User-Defined Fields
See also: How do I print a list of people who have recently joined the church, recently were baptized, etc?
See also: How do I create a custom report with two or more columns?
See also: How do I create a custom post card?
See also: How do I create a custom picture directory?
Using the Filter/Search Feature
Using the Reports and Labels Screen
Using the Output Options Screen
THE GROUPS SCREEN
The Layout and Organization of the Groups Screen
Understanding Group Categories
See also: How do I set up groups and attendance?
THE ATTENDANCE SCREEN
The Layout and Organization of the Attendance Screen
See also: How do I set up groups and attendance?
The Barcode Check-In and Child Security Screen
Attendance Mailing Labels and Attendance Reports
THE CALENDAR SCREEN
THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND PLEDGES SCREENS
The Organization and Layout of the Contributions Screen
Using the Contributions Screen
See also: Using Categories and Subcategories
See also: How do I assign and use envelope numbers?
See also: How do I enter anonymous contributions or loose plate offerings?
Tracking Pledges and Pledge Campaigns
See also: How do I print a contribution statement for contributors?
THE ACCOUNTING AND BUDGETING SCREENS
Creating a List of Memorized Payees
See also: How do I set up a new bank account? How do I reconcile a bank account?
See also: How do I adjust reconciled transactions?
See also: How do I transfer money from one account to another?
See also: Using Categories and Subcategories
See also: What check style should I use for printing checks from ChurchTrac?
THE UTILITIES TAB
Changing Program Settings and Preferences
Configuring CT8 Security Options
Backing Up and Restoring Your Data in CT8
ANSWERS TO COMMON "HOW DO I ..." QUESTIONS
How do I delete a record or entry in ChurchTrac?
How do I add, edit, or delete a name in ChurchTrac?
How do I backup or restore my ChurchTrac data?
How do I set up groups and attendance?
How do I find my missing data file?
How do I create a custom post card?
How do I assign and use envelope numbers?
How do I configure ChurchTrac to synchronize automatically or on a schedule?
How do I send a voice message from ChurchTrac?
How do I print a contribution statement for contributors?
How do I create a custom picture directory?
How do I obtain SHAPE profile information from the congregation?
How do I delete a name from the ChurchTrac database?
How do I print a list of people who have recently joined the church, recently were baptized, etc?
How do I create a picture directory?
How do I create a custom report with two or more columns?
How do I enter anonymous contributions or loose plate offerings?
How do I create customized labels using the custom report feature?
How do I send a text message to someone's cell phone from ChurchTrac?
How do I set up a new bank account? How do I reconcile a bank account?
How do I adjust reconciled transactions?
How do I transfer money from one account to another?
How do I set up categories and subcategories for contributions or accounting?
How do I send a screen shot of what I'm seeing?
How do I move my ChurchTrac data to another computer?
How do I use more than one data file?
How do I set up security to control who has access to ChurchTrac?
How do I disable Carbonite from backing up my ChurchTrac folder?
DATA SHARING, MULTIPLE COMPUTERS and REMOTE ACCESS
Overview of ChurchTrac's data sharing features
Can two or more computers share the same ChurchTrac data?
What options do I have for sharing data between two or more computers?
Instructions for Setting Up Your Data Sharing Network
How do I add another computer to my existing data sharing network?
How do I set up ChurchTrac using the Shared Networking method (LAN) to share data?
How do I configure ChurchTrac to synchronize automatically or on a schedule?
Error 720: ChurchTrac was unable to connect to the data sharing server
Error 1912: Your Computer has been Removed from the Data Sharing Network.
What happens when my computer doesn't synchronize during the data retention period?
KNOWLEDGE CENTER
I need to buy a new computer. What should I get?
Creating a Safe Nursery and Preschool Ministry
TROUBLESHOOTING ERROR MESSAGES and PROBLEMS
Steps to take if you have encountered an error:
- First, download and install the latest program update.
You can download the update directly from the downloads
page, or click "Check for Program Updates" in ChurchTrac.
- Check to see if the error you've encountered has a known solution. Click on the error
number or description below for possible solutions or workarounds to errors and problems.
- Use ChurchTrac's built-in error reporting tool to send a
record of the error each and every time you encounter it, and use our
support page to contact us.
- Use Windows Update to ensure that you have the latest updates for all your Windows and Microsoft software, including Microsoft Access Runtime. Using older versions of Access Runtime can cause errors or problems that are easily corrected by installing the latest updates.
Why doesn't my unlock code work?
I am having problems downloading or installing ChurchTrac
Errors when using Windows Vista or Windows 7
- Can't delete ... ctapp2010.mde after compacting it
- Cannot update. Database or object is read-only (Error 3027)
- Operation must use an updateable query (Error 3073)
- Program updates don't stick after restarting ChurchTrac
"Folder is not accessible" error during installation or when installing an update
Error 14: ChurchTrac is utilizing the wrong version of Microsoft Access
Error 91: Object variable or With block variable not set
Error 117: ChurchTrac detected a broken reference
Error 429: ActiveX component can't create object
Error 720: ChurchTrac was unable to connect to the data sharing server
Error 1912: Your Computer has been Removed from the Data Sharing Network.
Error 2100: The control or subform is too large for this location
Error 2205: The default printer driver isn't set up correctly.
Error 2501: The OpenReport action was canceled.
Error 2581: You must define a sort field or expression
Error 3027: Cannot update. Database or object is read-only.
Error 3051: ...cannot open or write to the file...
Error 3073: Operation must use an updateable query.
Error 3075: Syntax error (missing operator) in query expression...
Error 3085: Undefined function ... in expression
Error 3126: Invalid bracketing of name...
Error 3127: The...statement contains the following unknown field name...
Error 3131: Syntax error in FROM clause
Error 3191: Cannot define a field more than once
Error -2147221289: Unable to create a file to write to
There are transactions missing from my accounting reports
Calculated fields (like those on the Accounting screen) show 0.00 instead of the correct amount
Perform a repair operation on Microsoft Access Runtime
Reserved error (-1517), or the word #Error appears inside a field