topic Finding a previous tax return in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Finding a previous tax return

Michael68 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:48:06 GMT

I have done this many times before but am confused by what I see this year. TT is not automatically finding previous tax returns. When I try to navigate to previous versions end with year 2012.app it is all greyed out. The only thing that is not greyed out is my saved pdf versions but I don't think that will work. So what to do? Weird,

Re: Finding a previous tax return

xmasbaby0 — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 22:48:50 GMT

You have to access your own account and/or print it for yourself using exactly the same account and user ID that you used when you prepared the return.

Start a 2022 return online and enter some personal information so that the menu on the left opens up and lets you access your past year returns.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/01/27010

Many people have multiple TT accounts and forget how to access them. Log out of the account you are in now.

Account Recovery

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901535-forgot-your-turbotax-online-user-id-or-password

Or did you use the desktop version of TurboTax? If so, the files are on your own hard drive or any backup device you used like a flash drive.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901486-how-many-turbotax-accounts-do-i-have

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901535

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901659-find-your-tax-data-file-in-mac

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900721-find-your-tax-data-file-tax-file-in-windows

To get a copy of your previously filed returns prepared with online TurboTax https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900748-how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-in-turbotax-online

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900748-how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-this-year-in-turbotax-online

SAVE YOUR TAX RETURN !

EVERY year before mid-October you should save a copy of your tax return as a pdf and print a copy of it for your records. That way you will not be searching online frantically when you need it for a lender, FAFSA forms, your next tax return, etc.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900937-why-should-i-save-a-pdf-copy-of-my-return

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899779-what-s-the-difference-between-the-tax-data-file-and-the-pdf-file

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1912466-how-do-i-save-my-return-as-a-pdf-in-the-turbotax-software-for-windows •

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1912533-how-do-i-save-my-return-as-a-pdf-in-the-turbotax-software-for-mac•

Re: Finding a previous tax return

Michael68 — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 22:50:06 GMT

So I just opened the 2021 return whose name on the computer is Turbotax 2021.app. But in it's open form it shows the name to be my name 21.tax2021. I hit save key thinking this will change the fill name on the oomputer but it does not. I suspect this is the problem. If this is a glitch in the program from last year I would assume everyone is having this issue

Re: Finding a previous tax return

Michael68 — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 22:52:59 GMT

If this is a response to my issue sorry but that is not helpful. Yes a desktop. I know exactly where everything is. Please next post.

Re: Finding a previous tax return

Michael68 — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 22:56:37 GMT

Well I tried to rename it with the tax2021 suffix but it forced the .app as the end,