Error message that says my return cannot be saved. Using Premier for Mac

[Wglenos]

Error says “no more files”

[AndyB5]

I am using Premier on an iMac with OS Catalina. I learned yesterday that my file, which I had been bringing up from the document folder, has not saved in my document folder since April 7, 2021; it had been more recently saving in my flash drive. I made some new entries while in the TT file located in the flash drive then saved the file. Today I brought up the TT program and it showed no file (current refund was "$0.00"). I then opened my flash drive and clicked on my TT tax file. It loaded into the TT program showing my most recent update!

Hope this keeps working. Using TT Premier this year has been a nightmare.

[nicarawattal]

Environment: MacOS 11.2.3 (Big Sur), TurboTax Deluxe 2020

Successive TT Deluxe 2020 updates have broken, then fixed, then broken the file save function in the past few weeks.

Today TT is once again unable to save my tax return file to a network volume. This problem was present a couple of weeks ago, then went away after a TT update, then appeared again today.

Adding the TT app to the System Preferences/Security & Privacy/Full Disk Access list makes no difference.

To work around this problem, I am having to keep my TT tax return file in a location different than all of the rest of my financial and tax files, just so that this one app (TT) can save the file to that location.

That's not the only way in which this single app is different than all others: unlike essentially all other apps, it does not have "Save As ..." option in the File menu. Instead it has a "Move To ..." option, which does a save to a new location and DELETES the copy that was previously in the original location, thus discarding a valuable backup copy.

The so-called "recommended" updates to TT are not just recommended -- they are actually mandatory, since the app refuses to launch and open an existing tax return without doing the updates. Since the updates are mandatory, the erratic behavior of TT file saving will probably
continue to change.

This issue is an object lesson in how a software company can throw long-term user loyalty into the trash. I used MacInTax (Mac-based predecessor of TurboTax for Mac) for tax years 1988-2003, then TurboTax for Mac for tax years 2004-2020.

This tax year (2020) is the last time I will be using TT.

[Stokestack]

If you happen to be using a thumbdrive to store these documents, you might try Disk Utility's "First Aid" function on it. Several apps exhibited baffling file-saving behavior with my thumbdrive, including being able to create a file but not save it after that; but instead you could "Save as" and write over it in the same location. The problem hasn't returned after "repairing" the drive, it it doesn't explain all of TurboTax's failings... but give it a try if this is your situation.

[paguthrie]

Re this problem with Mac Catalina and TT 2020:  The solution that worked for me was to give the application disk access .  I have been using a thumb drive without problems after that.

[AndyB5]

I've made more adjustments that seem to work. I opened my flash drive and selected my tax file "....3B".  Then I opened my  TT tax program. Today it brought up this most recent copy without my doing anything else. I entered more data in the program. But the file would not save; TT message said it was locked. I then renamed the file as "....3C" (in the flash flash drive). I was then able to save the file as "....3C"!

[tiosancho]

That's exactly the behavior I reported above, occurring with several applications. "Repairing" the thumbdrive with Disk Utility seems to have fixed that behavior for now.

[mimiwatts]

I have the same issue and had finished and had done a review, then it gives me the can't save because of read/permission.  Then, I can't print and I can't file. Then it ate my return and I have NOTHING! About 20 hours down the drain. I am going to contest the cost of the program since I can't use it.

I have been a turbo tax customer for 15 years, but now I'm investing in another company!

[jts09]

I just ran into the same problem.  AutoSave gave me an error saying that the file is locked.  I got around the issue by moving the existing file to Trash.  I was then able to save the most recent file manually.  By the way, there isn't a "Save As" option on Mac.

**Update - I guess it wasn't a solution.  Although I clicked "Save" and it appeared that a new file was created, I didn't see the file in Finder.  I recovered the original file from Trash and it seems to have all of the updated info?

[macuser_22]

---

@jts09 wrote:

"I just ran into the same problem.  AutoSave gave me an error saying that the file is locked.  I got around the issue by moving the existing file to Trash.  I was then able to save the most recent file manually."

That indicates that the lock or permissions were wrong.   You could have inspected that by using the "File -> Get Info" Mac feature to inspect and change that.

"  By the way, there isn't a "Save As" option on Mac"

Yes there is, and it is a standard Mac OS feature, not TurboTax.    The Top menu bar "File -> Duplicate"  will change to "File -> Save As" when the option key is held down.

[jts09]

I tried "Get Info" on my saved Tax file.  It said "You can Read & Write", but I still got the error?

Thank for the tip on "Save As".  I'm an ex-PC user, so I'm not fluent in Mac...yet.

[AndyB5]

Thanks much for your strategy. Today my "solution" of renaming my tax file residing in my flash drive then saving it there no longer worked. But sending the file to trash then bringing it back up to the program enabled me to duplicate it as "untitled", then rename and successfully  save it. 

[macuser_22]

@AndyB5  TurboTax does not play well with external removable media.  It is best to save to your HD and then copy to flash drive.

@jts09 The "Get Info" also had a "locked" check box near the top.

[jts09]

I saw the "Locked" check Box and made sure that it was not checked.

I think the issues arrive from Password Protecting the Tax File on the initial Save.  I created another Tax File and saved it without a password and I have no problems with any of the error messages I saw before.

[AndyB5]

Mauser_22's advice on doing a "Save As" file by holding down the option key while pressing File > Duplicate  is priceless. This man deserves a medal!