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Level 3

Question

2025 Tax Return Disappeared

Forum|Forum|6 months ago
March 12, 2026
79 replies
743 views

I completed my Federal and Illinois tax returns for 2025. All of a sudden those completed tax returns completely disappeared and I could no longer find them on my computer. This disappearance happened after saving both tax returns many, many, many, many times. I had to recreate my tax returns from scratch spending a great deal of time to do that recreation. A friend of mine had the exact same thing happen to him. This is not how a product like this should function.

S. Kimel

Northfield, IL

Show previous replies

martoon

Level 2

I had a similar issue. Mine is gone too and I need to start over. I was all finished and it was preparing the final return and the desktop app became unresponsive. So had to force quit the app. When I opened the app back up, no more tax return. I'm on a mac.

DaveF1006

Level 15

Instead of starting over, search to see if the file saved into your return. Here are some suggestions on how to look for your file on your Mac computer.

1. Search for the File Extension

TurboTax files have specific extensions based on the tax year. In Finder, click the Magnifying Glass (top right) or press Command + Space and search for:

.tax2025 (or whatever year you are filing) ~ (Search for the tilde symbol; TurboTax often creates a temp backup file that starts with this character, e.g., ~ReturnName.tax2025).

2. Check the Default Folder

By default, TurboTax for Mac saves files in your Documents folder. Manually navigate here in Finder:

Macintosh HD > Users > [Your Name] > Documents > TurboTax
Look for any file with the TurboTax icon. If you see one, double-click it directly rather than opening the app first.

3. Use "Open" instead of the Welcome Screen

Sometimes the app's "Recent Returns" dashboard glitches after a crash.

Open TurboTax.
Ignore the blank starting screen.
Go to the top Mac Menu Bar and select File > Open.
Navigate to your Documents folder to see if the file appears in the selection window

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ddunlap

Level 3

No matter how many times an "expert" tells me how to find a tax file, I have already done that many times. The past returns are not there!!! I made several phone calls with TT help. They could not help me. One example was an error on one form. The red mark was letting me know there was an. But it would not show me where the error was. Even the TT help person could not find it when looking at the return and that form. Click on form errors and it tells me that there is no error, but that red mark was still there. TT is okay as along as you just have a W-2 to file. If there are other conditions such as depreciation, etc. you are screwed because you have lost a year with all this information to carry forward. Then you have to try and figure it out on your own. Talk about a waste of time. I just wish TT would own up to their mistakes, but those returns are gone forever. Those were the only files I lost, nothing else is missing!

savuti94

Level 2

I am a long time TurboTax user and fairly tech savvy. I installed TurboTax 25 on my Mac back at the beginning of February. I filed my Federal and State returns and got refunds by mid-February. I also printed a copy of my return (thankfully!).

I met with my financial planner today. He wants a copy of my 2025 tax returns to consider a tax strategy for the future. I went back to my Mac and opened TurboTax 2025. There were updates to install for Federal and State. Both were installed. However, when I right click on the TurboTax icon in my Dock and click on the 2025 return listed, nothing happens. I went to the Finder on my Mac and searched for .tax files. I see every other TurboTax return I have filed back to 2019. But nothing for 2025. The icon in the Dock thinks there is a file there for 2025. But there is nothing on my Mac. I know I haven't deleted the file. Thankfully, I had printed a copy of the return. I can at least scan it and give it tom my financial planner. What stinks is it will be like starting from scratch next year when I file taxes for 2026. That is, IF I use TurboTax again. At this point, the is a big IF.

I called TurboTax support line. The gentleman was very professional. It was the second call he got today on the same subject. I had him look at this thread, too. He understood my frustrations. But in the end, he could not solve my issue.

Houston.....I mean Intuit......you have a problem.

ddunlap

Level 3

Sorry to hear about that. It is definitely a Turbo Tax problem, and I am always able to figure things out on the computer, fairly tech savvy too. It really puts people in a bind for next year especially if it involves depreciation, other incomes, self employment tax, etc., the needed forms that tie together when you input information in one form and it flows automatically to another form. How do we know if things are being computed correctly? ie tax owed etc.

TEGUNN

Level 2

My tax return for 2025 for one of my clients completely disappeared, and I also saved it many, many times. I also sent the printed reports to my client, and the K1 printing feature is missing the federal form. It only printed the state forms.

TEGUNN

Level 2

Dont explain how to search for files on my computer explain how to recover 2025 tax returns TURBO

tax programs deleted.

TEGUNN

Level 2

This is an absolute turbo tax issue.

NCperson

Level 15

are you using Online or Desktop? Windows or MAC?

If Desktop / Windows , is it possible it ended up in your “recycle bin”? Look there or look at your back-up of your hard drive (I assume you do that?) . Turbo Tax will not have a copy on its servers.

why are you stating ‘”for your clients”? the software is not to be used for professional purposes.

RedFrog

Level 2

Count me in on this. I have been searching and searching for my 2025 files as well as the 2025 PDFs that I had saved also. Not new to MACs, and have been using Turbotax for quite a while (which may change soon), This is being used on a MacBook Air and I do not use the cloud for storage. Someone needs to at least admit that there may be a flaw, since this many PAYING customers are now having to spend so much time searching for a .tax or .tax2025 that is non existent! Where are our files!!!

NCperson

Level 15

do you maintain a backup of your hard drive? did you look there?

RedFrog

Level 2

Thanks...Yes I do a backup both auto and manual especially on tax items. Two seperate returns done for 2025 and no sign of them. At all… I have all the years of past Turbotax and not a singe burp.

M-MTax

Level 15

Are you sure they’re not in a hidden system folder, a cached directory, or a sandboxed container?

M-MTax

Level 15

BTW, it’s ALWAYS a good idea to back up your tax data to external media, such as a flash drive.

RedFrog

Level 2

Thanks for the suggestions. Still digging thru. And yes, I use external drives for backup.

JRowan66

New Member

YES. Just happenend to me. FInished but needed to file an extention. Spent hours doing business and personal and not nothing shows and there is NO file or .tax file on my system. I did NOT delete a single file. The computer was off during a move and the last project was my tax return. Where did it go?