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kjdpieper

Question

My turbo tax 2024 deluxe save file disappeared?

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
February 6, 2025
7 replies
0 views

What happen to my save file?

mglauner

TurboTax saves your tax files in the Documents/TurboTax folder (in Windows) by default, but you could have saved them in another folder.

If you don't find your tax files in the default folder or the folder where you saved them, search your entire hard drive for the files (.tax2024).

When you open TurboTax, you just Continue where you left off. When have finished, you could Save to your Desktop and then store it where you want it.

kjdpieperAuthor

I searched my computer multiple times. The file disappeared the first time in mid Jan. After starting over on Feb 1st it disappeared on Feb 3rd. Both times I think it disappeared after updates to the software. I have started over again and I am saving it to my normal locations and also to a USB drive. Very frustrating. According to online post this has happened to other people over the last few years. I am know myself around a computer.

camoore22-

Same thing happened to me! I was almost finished with my return and Windows pushed an update so my laptop restarted. No 2024 file found. Checked my online account but nothing there. WTF?

fs65

My TurboTax updated this morning and my files disappeared. I have not lost my files. I've been using Turbotax for many many years. What the hell happened with that update!

JotikaT2

Please see this FAQ for guidance to help you find your tax data file on your computer.

If you are using TurboTax Online, be sure you are logged into the same account.

@fs65

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pagebypage

None of your links answer the question. In fact, one of them just takes me to paying for tax advice. Try again, if you can find anything helpful. If I find anything helpful, I will comment here.
I lost files, but found two of them on my backup drive. The third one seems to be lost in outer space forever.

edubya32

I had the same issue. I've used TurboTax since 2004, I'm also an IT Executive, which I'm only stating to say, I am very computer literate. I had a couple of issues with TurboTax this year, when trying to import previous year, it would not show me the network drive (NAS) where I keep all my taxes, I do this same import every year from the same location. Then, just like OP, I saved my place in the process and selected "Desktop" because once again, the network location was not listed in the explorer window. Once I finished and filed my return, the app, as always, asks me how I want to save the file (not the application file but the printed version), and as usual, I selected PDF, and of course, as earlier, I could not select the location I normally do each year, as it was not listed. Once I exited the TurboTax2024 application, I wanted to open the PDF file, but it was not on the desktop, so I reopened the TurboTax2024 application so I could make sure I knew where I was saving the PDF, but it could not find the .tax2024 application file either, which I also selected to save on the Desktop as noted earlier.

So, of course, I do a C: drive search for .tax and it finds the files on the Desktop folder of another user's profile, not the user I installed the application nor completed my return on.

Intuit...what gives?

So, for those having this issue, search for .tax in Windows Explorer and it should find the location.

ticedoff8

This is horsesh!t.

I have the last 20 years of TurboTax files on my NAS (Q: drive).

This year, I cannot see the NAS shares on my PC when I search for last year's tax returns - none of the shares show up on TT "Browse > Open Tax Return", only the local drives (C: & D:).

And (I assume) I cannot use the NAS shares to work on my 2024 taxes, it is local drives only.

ticedoff8

I overreacted - sorry.

On Windows11, the NAS shares are not showing up when I try to <Browse> to the NAS share using the TurboTax FIle Explorer where the files are stored.

But if you select the "NETWORK" from the list, your NAS should show up (my NAS is part of my Active Directory domain) and then you can find the share and folder that has last year's return file (.tax2023). As long as your user account in AD allows it, you can import the info from there.

You can also select "Save-As" when you want to start using the NAS share (through the "NETWORK") as the location for this year's return

What I noticed today is that my Windows10 doesn't have this problem.

The NAS shares show up in the TurboTax File Explorer like they always used to. So, I don't know if this a Windows version issue or a sneaky update the Intuit pushed out last night.

Dezzibc10

I used tubro tax deluxe 2024 and completed it.but i thought i saved it and did not.I have the number that turbo gave me.how do i excess it

JamesG1

Are you trying to find a tax return file? If so, the default location for the Desktop files is Documents / TurboTax.

Or are you asking about the license code for TurboTax Desktop? See this TurboTax Help.

@Dezzibc10

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pagebypage

The same thing is happening to me. We are doing three returns, two people and a mock for the state. I was able to find two of the files in the back ups, but not the third one. Very frustrating. I think it's a problem with the Turbotax application.

BrittanyS

Have you done a search of the hard drive for .tax files?

@pagebypage

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pagebypage

I was able to recover my lost files with Time Machine, a mac program. I suppose if you have a PC, sob, I believe there are apps that can do the same thing. The file was still available in the dungeons of the hard drive. It found the lost file on the hard disc and also on the backup.

apirzada

Hi, when you ran Time Machine, what did you apply it to? I tried applying it to an older version of TurboTax but I still wasn't able to see any of my 2024, 23, 22, or 21 files? Do you apply it to Finder?

apirzada

Based on all the previous comments and questions, I spent literally hours of trying to figure which backup location Turbotax threw my files into (several years of Turbotax files, including my recently accepted 2024 filings) following it's update on my Macbook Pro. Like many of you, I am no newbie to Turbotax (used it for about 15 years), computers (used 'em literally for over four decades), or memory storage/backups, etc. Long story short, I would never have thought that the update would literally round up hundreds of files (not just turbotax files) and put them carefully into my Trash Bin!! That's where I found them. I felt a bit stupid (ok, very stupid, actually) that that was not the first place I should have looked. I instead followed the crowd's comments and began digging everywhere else!! That being said, what in the heck is going on with Turbotax that such weird glitches are throwing new and old files (and a bunch of other files on my computer) into the Trash bucket ?!?! Ugh!! Well, at least I got them back. Lesson learned... back up everything, especially turbotax files. Good luck.

Ejonesy

Yup. Mine is gone too. I’ve been using this company for over 10 years. Similar story. Finished my return. Came back a few months later to file the return and it’s gone. Searched the whole C:\. I’m done with this product. Switching to something else next year.

a_marier

!!!SOLVED - EUREKA!!!!!

After 2 hours of searching, I finally found my files in my ... (rolldrum) PC admin account. It seems like Turbotax software decided on it's own to move my tt24 files from C:\Users\*myusername*\Documents\TurboImpôt to C:\Users\*adminaccount*\Documents\TurboImpôt without any kind of warning.

The only thing I found was the shortcut to my original files in *recent files* pointing to C:\Users\*myusername*\Documents\TurboImpôt\2024\ but the folder was empty.

This is explaining why windows could not find them:

-searches done thru my user account can't see admin files

-windows file recovery showed no files, because no files were actually deleted, they were moved

-undelete thru recuva was unsuccessfull because the files were not deleted but moved

I have now setup a strong automated backup option (using mega.nz) to save all my files.