topic Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020 in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

DnD — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:43:43 GMT

I completed 2020 yesterday! Is there a way to recover from the Desktop Business 2020 program? It just wants me to find the file, and I can't find it. When I saved it, I might have renamed it.

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

VolvoGirl — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:41:37 GMT

It should be in your Documents in a Turbo Tax folder. Or search your computer for all files ending in .tax2020. Do you need it to transfer to 2021? If you don't have the main .tax file you might have one that starts with a Tilde sign ~ like "~your name.tax2020". That file is if your computer crashes or your real file gets lost or deleted or corrupt so you can restore it.

Here's an idea. Do you still have 2020 installed? Try opening 2020 program and see if you can get your 2020 return to show up in it. Go to FILE - OPEN. Then save it again with a name and place you can find. Go to File - Save As. Then start a new 2021return and transfer from the 2020 file.

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

DoninGA — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:43:17 GMT

The 2020 tax return will have a file extension of .tax2020. By default TurboTax will store any saved tax data files and PDF's in the Documents directory and in the sub-folder TurboTax.

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

DnD — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:46:23 GMT

All I can find are PDF files for 2020 Business

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

VolvoGirl — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:59:54 GMT

One user found his files in the Administrator account. Don't know if this will help any Turbo Tax users but one Quicken user found them......

What I found was that my Quicken Data files ended up in the One-drive Recycle bin. Not sure how, but I found them there. I placed the files back onto the laptop and brought the files into Quicken and now have all my data back.

Also check the recycle bin and your backups. Check in One Drive, Drop Box, etc. It should be in your Documents then in the Turbo Tax folder. Also if you have multiple Windows user accounts, log into each one and do the search for the *.tax2020 data file from within each one and checking the Recycle Bin in each one.

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

DnD — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 19:54:33 GMT

@DoninGA

Tried that, didn't find it.

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

DoninGA — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 20:21:31 GMT

@DnD The tax data file should be in the TurboTax folder if you saved the tax return before exiting the TurboTax program.

If a tax data file was saved it should be on the hard drive(s) of your computer or an external or cloud drive depending on how you save your files.

Do a search on your hard drive and any other drives you may have, including a cloud drive. Use the search parameters using a wild card for the file name, eg. *.tax2020

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

DnD — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 21:10:42 GMT

@DoninGA , @VolvoGirl

Thank you both for your time and help. I tried everything both of you suggested. and the file is lost forever, I'm afraid. After all the time searching, I could have simply started a new return from scratch, which is what I'm resorting to doing.

I really appreciate that you took the time to offer what seem to be great suggestions (if I saved the file).

Honestly I do recall a brief power outage just as I'd finished printing the 1065, and it's possible that my computer shut down and when I rebooted it, I simply forgot to save the document, or the program thought I was finished. I don't know.

THANK YOU BOTH, AGAIN!!

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

mjerel — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 21:04:11 GMT

Can you upload a 2020 PDF into the Home & Business Desktop Software for PC for the purpose of completing your 2021 return, when it asks for you to browse your computer for last year's return (2020)?

Also, 2020 PDF (original) is file size: 2.32 mb

Re: Desktop Business 2021 can't locate Desktop Business 2020

VolvoGirl — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 21:24:54 GMT

FYI - the tax files for the Business program and the personal versions both end in the same .tax2020 so you need to transfer from the right one.