@Nwesu
The squiggle "~" file is a backup file that TTX creates....in case your computer crashes or shuts down (think laptop battery is empty) in the middle of a session. That ~ file is sometimes a few steps behind the main file, but can be used if your main file gets corrupted after an unusual shutdown.
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As to why the 2020 desktop software seems to be starting as-if you didn't already have a 2020 file to work on?
That can happen if you had to re-install the 2020 software. i.e. it doesn't know the 2020 datafile exists (yet). It might also happen if your 2020 lost the path to your 2020 file(s) for some reason.
If you have the .tax2020 file on your computer, you can normally just go up to the "file" menu item up top and select "Open Tax Return" and browse to your file to open it........but there is a BUT to that.
....the BUT..being that if your .tax2020 datafile has a state tax return in it, you may instead need to start a dummyfile first.....pretending it's a new one, and get far enough into the software such that you can download the state software you need...before you open that older file. Make sure you use "Save_As" to name it as a dummyfile, so that it doesn't accidentally overwrite your real one.
____________*Answers are correct to the best of my knowledge when posted, but should not be considered to be legal or official tax advice.*
