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New Member
posted Jan 25, 2021 3:20:07 PM

I cannot save my return. I am told the file is locked and I do not have permission?

Why is the file I am creating  locked?

0 12 5292
12 Replies
Intuit Alumni
Jan 25, 2021 5:12:50 PM

Are you using a Mac computer?  If so, possible solutions would be to either save the file to your desktop or rename the file and try saving again.  Refer to this comment thread for more information:  When I try to save my turbo tax form to my file on my Mac it says that my file is locked...

New Member
Mar 5, 2021 6:59:38 AM

Why is this even happening in this day & age. I do not have the file locked yet it says its locked & I don't have permission to save it. I doubt I will buy Turbo Tax again because this is such a time waster.

Level 15
Mar 5, 2021 7:09:35 AM

TurboTax has a lot of bugs and other issues, even in this day and age.

Level 1
Sep 25, 2021 3:09:03 AM

I am having the same issue. It is infuriating. I duplicated the file and renamed it and it still doesn't work. I checked permissions and it says I do have read/write permission. Such a basic thing - being able to save the changes to your document. Get with it Intuit.

Level 1
Sep 25, 2021 3:23:55 AM

I figured it out. The Turbo Tax document has to be on the same drive as the software. In my case, I had the software installed on my laptop and the file was on a removable HD. When I duplicated the file to my laptop desktop I was able to save changes. This is understandable for security reasons, but there should be a simple pop-up that explains the problem and the solution.  

Level 15
Sep 25, 2021 6:52:27 AM

This is SOP for most programs ... they will not recognize things on another drive. 

 

I applaud you for saving the return to a separated removable storage medium (that you should not keep plugged into the main computer all the time for safekeeping ... if you get a bug the other drive will also be infected)    however do not MOVE it to the other drive ... only SAVE it there for safekeeping.  

Returning Member
Apr 14, 2022 8:59:59 AM

Same problem.  I need to save the return now.  How can I do that?

Intuit Alumni
Apr 14, 2022 4:25:00 PM

Are you trying to save the return on the same drive for example, (C:) or  (E:removeable drive) as the drive the software is on? If not try saving it to the same drive to resolve this issue of not being able to save. 

 

If that doesn't resolve the issue, would you let us know the specific error message or issue you encounter when attempting to save your return to your Mac?

 

@tframe2000 

Returning Member
Apr 15, 2022 1:24:42 PM

Nwewer problem.  Rejected tohave me determine Lorene AGI for previous year (2020).  I have opened last year files and copied the AGI reported there.  AGI shown is exactly what I reported to answer this year inquiry.  It is still being rejected.

Intuit Alumni
Apr 15, 2022 1:50:06 PM

You can request a transcript on the IRS Get Transcript site, to see exactly what the IRS has recorded as your AGI for 2020. You would not have to pay for this service. Keep in mind you will need to create an account with the IRS, which is also free to do!

 

@tframe2000

Not applicable
Jan 25, 2023 5:41:06 PM

This happens to me as well. My turbo tax file is on a different drive than the software installation.

Does Turbox tax has a plan to address this? It is OK if turbo tax reports this as not supported behavior. However, it is very concerning that it is unable to correctly report the error type. A well written software should be able to report the correct error message.

Level 15
Jan 25, 2023 6:24:15 PM

"A well written software should be able to report the correct error message."

 

meaningful messages that allow diagnosis are the exception not the rule.

@Anonymous