You should have a TurboTax program file that installs the software, and the tax files (.tax20XX) are the actual tax returns that can be opened up using the software. If you saved last year's return to your computer as a tax data file, you can find it by following the instructions for Mac or Windows:
Windows (use this link if you have Windows)
Your tax data file (.tax file) is not the same thing as a PDF copy of your return. A .tax file can only be opened in the TurboTax Desktop software. Because it's stored locally on your computer, we can't retrieve tax data files prepared in the TurboTax Desktop software. E-filing doesn't keep a copy of your return on our servers.
TurboTax can save your tax return as a tax data file (also called a tax file, data file, or a .tax file) and as a Portable Document Format (PDF).
- Your tax data file can be opened, read, and edited in TurboTax.
- Your PDF is a noneditable "snapshot" of your tax return that can be opened, read, and printed in a PDF viewer program. @SandyF
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