Printing or saving my Return to PDF on my MacBook Pro makes TurboTax Freeze

[LexingtonLes]

I generated my TaxReturn using an up-to-date desktop version of TurboTax Home Business 2024 on my 2017 MacBook Pro with an i5 processor running macOS Ventura 13.7.4.  When I try to print my return or save it as a PDF file, the TurboTax application hangs.  I have already restarted my machine and tried printing and saving as PDF’s different versions of the forms and nothing solves the problem.   I have used TurboTax for over ten years and never have had such a negative experience.  Is there a solution? 

[SteamTrain]

Call Customer Support......they need to get lots of reports so that they actually work on the problem...seems to be 99% MAC related

__________________________

How do I contact TurboTax?

[mesquitebean]

There has been a printing problem with the Mac version for quite a few folks this year.   Read over the following long thread and see if any of the tips there are helpful, specifically one by a user @maukro  who has posted some detailed steps which has helped several Mac users.  So look for maukro's steps.  I've also tagged maukro for this post.    If that's not successful, you can also post your question in that thread and see if the other Mac users offer a suggestion:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/after-you-file/discussion/re-turbotax-2024-will-not-print/01/35208...

[SteamTrain]

@mesquitebean 

Almost sounds as if the issue is the button for the Print option shown in middle of the main page, either just before, or just after they've e-filed....but creating a PDF from the top Menu seems to work OK...usually?

[maukro · Accepted solution]

Thank you, mesquitebean.

For those of you who are having problems printing from TurboTax 2024, here are two workarounds that might help.  Recommend you try them in order, as the first one is much more convenient than the second one … but it does NOT work for everybody. 

TurboTax Will Not Print

EM99 -- and anybody else who's still having trouble printing ...

I recommend you first try this simple workaround, which was posted by bpayseno and others:

Method 1 posted By bpayseno:

Work-around until Intuit fixes the print function.

1)  Use the "Save to PDF" option in the "File" menu of the desktop program and save a copy of your returns to location you can easily find on your computer.

2)  Open the PDF of your returns in your PDF reader program (acrobat, Preview, etc.) and use that program to print to your local printer.

^ That solution seems to work for most people now.

But if that doesn't work for you, then try this more cumbersome workaround.

Method 2 posted by maukro (me):

Here's how I eventually got my 2024 Tax Return to print (Mac Desktop with TurboTax Desktop Version, HP printer)...

1) With TurboTax open on my desktop and on the Save For Your Records tab ...

2) I clicked on "File" from the TurboTax menu in the top menu bar ...

3) Then I chose "Preview" at the bottom of the "File" dropdown menu ...

4) Upon doing that, a new Preview window opened up.

5) Ensure that "2024 Federal Tax Return" is checked on the left hand side of the new window.

6) Choose which 2024 Tax Return forms you'd like to print. (I stuck with the default labeled "Recommended forms & worksheets."

7) Click on the blue "Preview" button in the lower right of that same window.

8. Another new window will open up -- this one, at least on my computer, is a very tiny version of my entire 2024 Federal Tax Return.

9) Put your cursor over the tiny preview window (ie, over your mini-tax return). A small 4-item menu will appear (if it's not already there).

10) Click on the little icon to the left of the download arrow. (The download arrow on the far right of that 4-item menu did not function properly for me. It would not download the preview.) The icon you should click on looks like an ink bottle in front of a square piece of paper.

11) Now, a new window will open up in the "Preview" app. In my case, the new document that opened up had a strange document name with six letters and numbers followed by "-Unknown.pdf." I changed the document's name to my own choosing prior to taking the next step so that I could find my file after I saved it.

12) Now, from the Preview menu in the top menu bar, Click on "File."

13) Click on "Print" at the bottom of that "File" menu.

14) You will now be able to Save your TurboTax return as a PDF ... and/or ... you will be able to Print your TurboTax return.

15) Phew. That's a lot of work, TurboTax! You need to do better.  

Best Wishes!

Signed,

maukro

**Please say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in my post

[maukro]

Was posting that from my iPhone. Should have waited until I got home to my desktop or laptop. It’s kind of a mess. 

To be more clear … 

Method 1 above is easier and quicker, but it doesn’t work for everybody. 

Method 2 above is more cumbersome, but it seems to work for everybody (EXCEPT those whose operating systems are already advertised as not compatible with TurboTax).

[LexingtonLes]

Thank you Mauro.  I have used TurboTax for over fifteen years.  Reading posts on this forum and my own experience has convinced me that Intuit has become either incompetent or unconcerned in supporting Mac users. I called Intuit Support and spent an hour with an individual who was completely clueless about Macs.  Intuit appears to depend on its users to support their products.   That is a very dangerous approach for financial software.  Next year I will find another application.

[maukro]

@LexingtonLes , I'm so glad it worked for you! Thank you for letting me know.

The Print problem has been so frustrating for so many. It's surprising to me that Intuit hasn't addressed it yet! I've used TurboTax since it first came out -- decades ago. Like you, I'm disappointed with (and confused by) their apparent lack of concern. 

[RonMox]

Thank you. I did the steps, and when I click on the Preview, the program hangs, just like before. I am glad it worked for you, but it did not work for me.

[maukro]

@RonMox 

Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I assume you're on a Mac, since you're choosing Preview from the File menu as I suggested. 

Is the Preview application in your Dock (ie, in the bottom row of your MacBook or Mac desktop)? 

If you open up any other PDF or jpg or png, etc, from your Mac Finder, does the Preview app open up? (Is the word "Preview" just to the right of the apple in the top left corner of your screen?) 

Is your Mac OS compatible with 2024 TurboTax?

• macOS Ventura 13 or later (macOS Monterey 12 not supported)
  • Specific macOS: macOS Ventura 13, macOS Sonoma 14, macOS Sequoia 15

Is your Hard Disk at least 1GB? 

Are you possibly using TurboTax Business? (It's advertised to be compatible with Window only.) 

[RonMox]

I am using Mac with Sequoia OS, with more than 1GB of memory. I can open all other PDF files on Preview. I have the Personal Turbotax Premier software.

I have turned the computer on and off several times, and used the second set of "complicated' instructions. Once I click on Preview, I enter the hang-hell..

Thank you.

[maukro]

@RonMox  

Hi. I'm sorry to hear that you're still having problems, despite checking all the boxes for compatibility.

(None of this is going to make the TurboTax Print button work, incidentally. Intuit has to fix that. We're trying to get your Mac's Preview app to work, or an alternative PDF viewer to work, so that you can successfully apply one of the workarounds.)

I'm not sure if you're aware, but lots of Mac users experienced problems with the Preview app after upgrading to Sequoia.  A quick google search of that topic will show you the kinds of problems people were having, some of the suspected reasons, and what people have done about it. 

Apple did come up with a Sequoia update (version 15.2), which seemed to address a lot of the Preview problems, amongst other things. As of now, the current Sequoia version is 15.3.1. Your first step should be to verify that you have the latest Sequoia updates. Given that everything else is in order, I'm guessing that you do. If you don't, update to the latest version, then see if either workaround now works.

Some people's Preview apps continued to give them problems even after the Sequoia updates. Perhaps you're one of those people. You could try 2 other simple things before trying the third thing I'm going to suggest. ... That is ... See if Preview is running in the background. Click on the Apple in the top left corner of your screen. Then Click on Force Quit from the drop down menu. If Preview is amongst the open apps, it will appear on the Force Quit pop-up menu, select Preview from the list, then Click on "Force Quit" to close Preview. Next, while holding down the Shift Key, click on the Preview app icon in your Dock to open it. Now try the 2 workarounds, in order. 

If selecting Preview STILL causes the app to hang, then I suggest you download the latest free Adobe Acrobat Reader, so that you can use it as your default Reader / PDF Viewer for now. It may already be in your Applications list, which you can access from your Finder app. Just make sure you have the latest version before proceeding.

1) Once the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader is on your Dock, click it to open it.

2) When you do, it will likely ask if you want to make it your default PDF Viewer (or it might say "default PDF Reader" -- same thing). Select YES. (You can change it back later. The goal here now is to get your IRS Tax Return to print.)

3) Then sign into Adobe Acrobat Reader. Try the 2 workarounds again -- first (easiest, quickest) one first. 

4) If you were not yet offered the opportunity to make Adobe Acrobat Reader your default PDF Viewer, take the next few steps to make it so. 

4a) Open your Finder.

4b) Select Documents from the left hand pane. 

4c) From the displayed documents in the right pane, Right-Click on any PDF document. 

4d) From the dropdown menu that opens up, click on Get Info.

4e) From the new Get Info box that opens up, look half way down the box for the "Open with:" prompt. I'm guessing your dropdown menu window will currently say "Preview (default)."

4e1) If the dropdown menu window DOESN'T say "Preview (default)," then select "Preview" from the drop down menu ...  then Click on the "Change All" box below the dropdown menu ... then Click on CONTINUE from the new box that opens up. THEN, try both versions of the workaround again, in order -- ie, easiest to most complicated. 

4e2) If the dropdown menu window DOES say "Preview (default)," then select "Adobe Acrobat Reader" from the dropdown menu ... then Click on the Change All box below the dropdown menu ... then Click on CONTINUE from the new box that opens up. THEN try the FIRST, easier, quicker version of the workaround again.

That is:

1) Use the "Save to PDF" option in the "File" menu to save a copy of your returns to a location, and with a file name, that you can easily find on your computer.

2)  Open the PDF of your returns in your PDF reader program (in this case, Adobe Acrobat Reader) and use that program to print to your local printer.

4f) After you're done printing your return, if you ended up switching your default Reader / Viewer to Adobe Acrobat Reader and if you want to make Preview your default PDF Reader / Viewer again, just follow the same steps I listed in step 4e1 above. After that, if you ever encounter PDF Preview troubles again, I would consider contacting Apple and have them walk you through the process to get Preview up and running properly. 

PHEW!! Good luck!! If these steps don't help, you might consider contacting Apple Support to let them know your Preview app is acting up (hanging) after the Sequoia upgrade. I think anything else you could do would take too much explaining here. Best of luck, @RonMox ! 

[houseofclayton]

THANK YOU so much for the second work-around -- it worked for me and I'm very grateful.

Not only was I initially unable to print a copy of my 2024 return on my Macbook Air, it wouldn't even download a .pdf of the return until I tried your solution.

Absolutely no more Turbo Tax after this debacle -- and I've been a user for well over a decade. Obviously, this company does not care about mac users or its Premium version purchasers. 

[hanlon3493]

I called customer support 3 weeks ago, twice over two days, and they seemed to know nothing about the printing problem and had no fix. Sent me a link to request a filing transcript from the IRS! It seems that this problem goes back to at least January if not sooner, is exclusively or mostly a Mac issue, and TURBOTAX HAS NOT PROVIDED AN UPDATE TO FIX IT. Fortunately the work-around worked for me, thanks to those from the Community that posted it. I also could not create a pdf without the work-around. Intuit loses a lot of credibility and customers on this one! DO YOU MONITOR THESE POSTS INTUIT? TAKE ACTION PLEASE!

[CatinaT1]

There has been progress made on resolving this issue. However, the expected release date is not for another 2 weeks.

Please sign up to be notified for updates when this issue is rectified using the following link: Why am I not able to Save to PDF on TurboTax Desktop MAC?