@202037
If you used desktop software downloaded/installed from a CD to your own computer, then the tax files are stored locally on your own hard drive or any backup device you used like a flash drive. They are not stored online. If you cannot recover them due to a hard drive failure, etc. you can get a free transcript from the IRS or for a fee of $43, an actual copy of your tax return. The IRS saves returns for seven years, so some of the returns you are missing are just gone.
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506.pdf
If you do not have the 2020 tax file saved on your own hard drive, and the IRS does not have it either, then you are out of luck with the "lost" return. You could try preparing another 2020 return if you cannot come up with a copy of the one you think you filed.
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
