How do I stop TurboTax from requiring an update and a restart every time I start TurboTax and open my return even though I just closed it? Happened >5 times in a row.

[pwesling]

I think I've found the solution! Follow these steps:

1. Disconnect from the Internet: either turn off your WiFi connection to your router, or unplug your Ethernet cable. (You can also unplug the router itself, or disable the internet connection in other ways)

2. Open TT and get the "update" message, but now it says "To get software updates, you need to connect to the Internet".

3. Click on "Cancel"; TT comes up without downloading and installing the updates. You can open a previously started return, for example.

4. Re-connect your computer to the internet.

4. I've found that, next time you want to start TT after a shutdown, it'll come up without asking to do updates; it seems to now remember that you don't have access (even though you do).

6. At some point (say, prior to doing a final check), you might want to "force" an update (either download the 250MB update file, or do it from within TT -- Online / Check for Updates).

I hope this works for everyone!

[Joaurora]

How do I stop Turbo Tax from requiring updates every time I open it

[EbonyA]

Please check the response that DoninGA made above @Joaurora.

[dstump2]

You don't have to do all of this. When you click update and the new update window opens, just cancel the update. It will ask if you are sure and say yes. Then it will open TT without updating.  It used to give you an option but for some reason forces an update even months after you've filed your return and just need to look something up. Silly.

[mwarney]

This doesn't work.  TT will not open if I cancel.

[MrTom4]

I have a customer who doesn't have internet. He comes over here for me to update his Turbo Tax. But recently it's been complaining to him about contacting an update URL and won't let him run the software anymore until it does. We have the option to 'ask before update' and 'I don't have an internet connection' selected already.

He has a router with other computers, but no internet. My theory is that since his network settings has a Gateway and DNS programmed into it, TT thinks there is internet and tries to contact the update URL anyway, disregarding the option we've selected stating that we don't have internet.

I've told him when he takes it home to not enter any Gateway and DNS to see if TT will run again without internet. Very very annoying Intuit has a product that is REQUIRING an internet connection. This may very well be a bug, but it's one annoying one at that.

Hopefully if anyone else who doesn't have an internet connection having this problem can try to remove those network settings and hopefully have some success.

UPDATE 9/30/21: Turns out the Gateway and/or DNS had no issue. What made TurboTax actually not run was while a Seagate 5TB USB drive was plugged in, TT refused to run. Unplug the drive and TT runs, plug it back in and TT doesn't run. There's the major bug in TT. If anyone has USB drives or large drives plugged in, try and remove them before running TurboTax 2020.

[seven of 9]

Thanks for posting. Works like a charm.

[ThayGia]

That should not be the answer. Intuit messes up the program. Three years ago, the program would restart at the stopped-point of the last use. Now it restarts at the beginning.

[CapeCodBill]

This is good advise. I struggled for almost 2 hours searching all the "google" articles on this issue....between administrative name and PW requirements...to TurboTax just simply not allowing me to access my 85% done return. This is f....king insane! Who thought this was a good software feature.

my experience - turn off your computer power (I'm on a MACbook Pro). Power pack up. THEN - disconnect your physical internet connection OR kill your WiFi connection - whatever feeds you computer internet. Then you can access the TurboxTax saved file. No request for updates!.... and you are back to where you left off.

I haven't had this issue in 8 years - until this 2021 return. I will likely not use TurboTax again because of this "feature".

[Dave333]

I have spent 2-3 hours trying to bypass the required update; This is very frustrating. Also I did the manual update successfully but somehow the TT software does not recognize the update when I launch TT so what good is it?

[Dave333]

Finally, I was able to get a TT live help person who directed me to 1st update my Windows 10, and when that didn't fix the problem, he had me uninstall TT and re-install from my CD; Thankfully all works well now. The required TT software updates go thru without a problem.

[seven of 9]

TT does provide an option to achieve that goal.

Open TT, Select the 'ONLINE' tab, 'UPDATE PREFERENCE, 'ASK BEFORE GETTING UPDATES'.

[Dave333]

Thanks, I will take your advice while running TT going forward.

[apache42]

That's a really good tip!  

[PFSlow]

This actually works.

I found this a couple years ago and it worked for me. New Mac today, this nonsense started up again.

Launch TurboTax. Let it update (grrrrrr...)

When open, click on the TurboTax menu. Look at Check for updates and press your Option key. This will change to Download Latest Updates... Click on that and it will show there's an update available !?!?!? Click and let it run.

This fixed it for me today — again. It would be nice if Intuit would fix it, however.

I don't have a Win machine but it would surprise me if the Alt key didn't accomplish the same thing.