I just bought and downloaded TurboTax Home Business 2017 (Mac) but it crashes immediately when I try starting! What to do?

[mesquitebean]

Are you trying to install on OS X 10.10.5?

The 2017 software requires OS X 10.11 or later.

FAQ:   Minimum System Requirements for TurboTax Mac Software

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899173-minimum-system-requirements-for-turbotax-mac-software

You could use Online TurboTax since it's done through a browser.   The Self-Employed Edition is the same level of product as Home and Business, but the state return is an extra fee, and there is no Forms Mode.   Only 1 Federal return can be prepared per online account per year.

Or if you have another computer, such as a Windows PC, you could ask Support to put a Windows version in your download account.  (Windows 7 SP1 or later)

Did you purchase the download from TurboTax?   If so, you can use this online refund request form:

https://support.turbotax.intuit.com/forms/refund-request.jsp

[numbernine]

I'm having the same problem with the same software (2017). My app crashes when I try to open the tax file I previously started because it doesn't have the second state file. When I select the state and click purchase, it crashes. I'm running Catalina (10.15.1). 

Regarding your answer, my understanding was that you can't complete a prior year's return on the online version of TurboTax. I thought we had to buy the desktop version. (The user that asked the question is using 2017 and your response is in 2019... So I would think that's not actually an option... Right?)

Additionally, I'm disappointed that your alternate solutions are to try on a Windows machine or just get a refund. I don't have any Windows machines and I don't just want a refund––I HAVE to do my taxes! Why can't your engineers figure this out? I've seen several similar questions on your help forums.

I really need to finish my 2017 taxes ASAP. Please help.

Thank you.

[Critter]

First the dates on this thread are not real ... when the forum was migrated to this new system all the prior year posts got early june 2019 dates ... so that answer is OLD.

Next your issue has to do with Catalina issues ...  you can thank MAC. 

If you get the message "TurboTax cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software" then that is caused by the Apple "Gatekeeper" introduced with OS X 10.15 (Catalina).

That has nothing to do with TurboTax and will happen for any application not purchased from the Apple Store.

See this Apple article on this: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491

And this TurboTax help article: https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/troubleshooting/help/turbotax-for-mac-won-t-open-when-installed/00...

For older Mac systems when TurboTax will not open.
See:

Be sure that System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> General -> Allow apps downloaded from App Store and identified developers is checked.

Go to the Applications folder and select the TurboTax application in the Finder and right click with the mouse (or control click) ans select the top "open". That should force the first open. After that it should open normally.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899267-administrator-rights-mac