You'll need to sign in or create an account to connect with an expert.
your new computer may come with an app to move documents like xxxx.tax2021 to your new computer. if not then you can use a thumb drive to move it from the MAC to the thumb drive and from there to the new PC. another method is you can attach the file to an e-mail from yourself on the MAC to your PC e-mail account
note that an e-mail is only as secure as your email in general.
BEFORE you lose access to the prior year returns ... if you have not yet saved all the prior year returns as both a PDF and a .taxfile then do so now so you can open the return in the future if needed.
Then the WIN 2022 program will be able to transfer the 2021 tax file from the MAC machine without issue.
You can't transfer the programs. They have to be installed from the CD or Download. You don't need to install the prior year programs unless you need to amend that year. Before you move your tax return files make sure you have saved each year as a PDF file. So you may want to open each year and do that. FILE - SAVE TO PDF
What I would do is just copy the whole Turbo Tax folder that is under your Documents. That should be where the .tax files and PDF files are stored. Then copy that folder to a flash drive or best yet is to burn it to a CD or DVD and then you will have a backup of them. Then on the new computer copy the folder (or files) from the flash drive to your Documents folder. Those can always be at least read by any system, even if they can't be used directly by the program.
Save the PDF for each year twice.
1) Once as the tax return for filing (this contains just the filing tax forms)
2) Again as the tax return, but with ALL the forms and worksheets (this contains all of your worksheets and shows all of your entries on some form or another).
The selection of the bare tax return, or the extended tax return with everything is made during the Save-to-PDF process.
And back those PDFs up to a backup USB or CD....every year we get tons of folks begging for access to a tax return on a crashed disk....TTX doesn't have it...only you do when you use the desktop software.
See this TurboTax support FAQ concerning moving tax files to a new computer - https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901474-how-do-i-move-my-tax-data-file-to-another-computer
This is my mini version of a tutorial that should be in the downloaded program:
Forms Mode lets you view and make changes to your tax forms "behind the scenes."
If you're adventurous, you can even prepare your return in Forms Mode, but we don't recommend it. You may miss obscure credits and deductions you qualify for, and you may forget to report things that will come back and haunt you later.
Forms Mode is exclusively available in the TurboTax CD/Download software. It is not available in TurboTax Online.
If you want to play around with different figures and tax scenarios without affecting your original return you can ….
Once you have filed successfully … you can shut off the auto updater function and then save the return & .taxfile.
It's always a good idea to make a backup copy of your tax data file, in case your original gets lost or corrupted. Here's how:
If you make changes to your original tax return file, repeat these steps to ensure your original and backup copies are in-synch.
AND save it as a PDF so you have access to a copy even if you don’t have the program still installed and operational :
AND protect the files :
*** Other clues to the downloaded program ***
In the forms mode ... double click or right click on a box on a form to data source it ... sadly it doesn't work on all boxes.
When you look at an onscreen tax form using Forms Mode, you might wonder why one figure is blue and the one next to it is red or black.
These colors indicate the source of that data.
Color | Meaning |
Blue | You entered this data, either in the interview or Forms Mode. |
Black | The program entered this data or calculated this amount. |
Red | This data has either been overridden or is invalid (for example, a ZIP code that doesn't exist). |
Red italics | You marked this amount as estimated. |
Black italics | The program calculated this amount from an amount you marked as estimated. |
Purple | This information has supporting details. |
Aquamarine | This data was transferred over from last year. |
Green | This data was imported from Quicken or QuickBooks. |
Yellow fields (Windows) | Yellow fields allow user input. Anything you enter here shows up in blue. |
Still have questions?
Make a postAsk questions and learn more about your taxes and finances.
caudle14601
New Member
Alar
New Member
moed77
New Member
CC-OceanBlue
New Member
Squinish
Level 1
Did the information on this page answer your question?
You have clicked a link to a site outside of the TurboTax Community. By clicking "Continue", you will leave the Community and be taken to that site instead.