Do I have to keep prior years (2014 on) Intuit software & returns on my computer? Will removing affect return for this year?

[DoninGA]

You should keep the current tax year and the three prior year tax returns and software on your computer or on a removable drive so if you ever need to amend those returns it will be available.

The prior year tax data file should remain on your computer so that it can be transferred to current tax year return.

Removing the prior year software from the computer will not affect the current tax year software.

[Mike9241]

removing the app will not affect the return either the xxx.tax2014 file or a pdf of the return.  however, removing the app means you will no longer be able to open the xxx.tax2014 file.  Turbotax no longer offers 2014. if you have a CD it is a beta version that can't be updated so opening the xxx.tax2014 file may change the return.  you can find offers for the app on the web but they can not be updated. you will not be able to add any state since they are not on the cd and are no longer offered by Turbotax for download.   

best advice is to save a pdf copy of the return and I also suggest saving another copy offline like on a thumb drive. computers/hard drives do crash which would make the return unrecoverable. Turbotax does not have copies of returns nor the .tax20xx file prepared using desktop software. both the IRS and Turbotax only retain returns for 6 to 7 years.  Thus the only copy of your return resides on your computer. 

there are websites that say they can print returns going back years by submitting to them online the xxx.tax20xx  file. neither Turbotax nor we  vouch for them 

[NCperson]

@rmczar you want to be sure to maintain the *.pdf files - which are copies of the actual tax return.  The software and the *.tax files are not really important, although it would be work maintaining the last 3 years software "just in case" (2019, 2020, 2021) on the hard drive.