Every time I turn on Turbotax on same computer it asks me to enter activation code, last time it said I have used activation code maximum number of times?

[MichelleLO]

@atlmom2 Please see the steps in this TurboTax FAQ for assistance: TurboTax 2019 and TurboTax 2020 requests license activation at every launch

If you continue to have issues please see the link below to contact one of our TurboTax representatives:

What is the TurboTax phone number?

[cckc]

There is definitely a bug in the product activation logic where can't deal with external USB storage correctly.  I had installed Turbotax on my Windows 10 laptop and activated it a month ago.  I opened the program on several occasions over the past few weeks and each time it updated Turbotax and restarted just fine.  Today I connected an external 5TB USB hard disk to backup some data and when I launched Turbotax, it ran the usual updates but after the program restarted, it prompted me for an activation code. I searched the forums and found others experienced USB thumb drives causing them issues.  I unplugged my USB hard disk and Turbotax no longer prompted me for activation.  When I plugged it back in, the problem return.  While I have a workaround for the issue, it's still annoying.  Turbotax needs to include a fix in one of their frequent updates to the product. 

[TiffanyL]

Thank you for your input and sharing your resolution. We are interested in improving the customer experience for all of our customers. 

[mesquitebean]

@ cckc 

As you experienced, I can also personally confirm that having a USB device (even as simple as a thumb drive) plugged in when launching TurboTax can confuse TurboTax and cause it to ask for an activation code.    I had no trouble launching TurboTax for weeks.   Then yesterday I forgot that I had a USB thumb drive plugged in, and TurboTax asked for activation.   As soon as I removed the thumb drive,  I was able to launch TurboTax normally without any request for activation.

It's common enough that I tell users that solution first.  TurboTax is detecting a USB device as a change in system configuration and thinks it is a different installation.

It may also work the other way around, too, but I have no way to test it.  For example, if one had a USB device plugged in when TurboTax was first installed, it might recognize the absence of the USB device as a system change.

[ds--]

same thing - 2019 asking for activation when new external disks are attached.

2020 asks for activation when the disks are removed....

what a mess turbotax! Even Microsoft abandoned tying their license to hardware long time ago..

[cckc]

The problem extends beyond USB drives.  I have a microSD slot in my laptop and I had a microSD card inserted when I originally activated Turbotax.  If I remove the microSD card, I will be asked to activate the product again. For my situation, I now have to remember to keep a microSD card plugged in but external USB storage must be disconnected. 

[mesquitebean]

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@ ds-- wrote:

same thing - 2019 asking for activation when new external disks are attached.

2020 asks for activation when the disks are removed....

what a mess turbotax! Even Microsoft abandoned tying their license to hardware long time ago..

---

It sounds like you installed 2019 TurboTax with no external device attached and that you installed 2020 TurboTax while an external device was attached.

In any case, it is unfortunate that TurboTax is not using a more refined method for system identification that is not subject to elective temporary devices that people commonly plug in and out.

[ds--]

Yep, I am sure thats what happened.

This is ridiculous - last time a major consumer company was doing something like this was Windows 95 and XP!

[msdanhash]

Thank you for responding to my question. I'll try them for sure. Regards,

[stevekayak]

I turned on my USB-connected Canon printer to print out a Quicken Tax Summary and TT started asking me for an activation code.   I've been using TT all day doing different returns and jumping between different returns; I'll bet I've opened and closed TT thirty times today alone, with no problems.

Turned the printer off and got in again with no problems.......

Learn something new every day.....

[mesquitebean]

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@ stevekayak wrote:

I turned on my USB-connected Canon printer to print out a Quicken Tax Summary and TT started asking me for an activation code.   I've been using TT all day doing different returns and jumping between different returns; I'll bet I've opened and closed TT thirty times today alone, with no problems.

Turned the printer off and got in again with no problems.......

Learn something new ever day.....

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Yes, adding or removing a USB device can sometimes make the TurboTax program think there's been a system change such as a new computer, and it can ask for activation again.   My USB thumb drive caused the same thing to happen to me.   Another user also reported an SD card did the same thing in his situation.  He had removed the SD card and was asked to re-activate, so he had to put it back in.  So it apparently can work in either direction, depending on the system setup when installed.

[stevekayak]

@TiffanyL 

Knowing that the problem is often tied to a simple fix such as turning a printer on or off, inserting/removing an external drive, hooking up/disconnecting a USB device, etc.  and knowing that lots of people are encountering this problem, WHY HASN'T INTUIT BEEN MORE FORTHCOMING WITH THESE SIMPLE SOLUTION SUGGESTIONS??  It is obvious that lots of folks are spending hours and hours and hours jumping through hoops and wasting time on both ends of the phone exhausting ludicrous amounts of time and effort when the problem is often so simple to solve?

Why do the 'official' TT solution threads not even suggest this may be a 'connected hardware problem' and should be their first investigation??

[lauriofam5]

THIS WORKED!

Thank you SNA for mentioning this. I plugged in a thumb drive (the same one I keep all my saved tax docs) and tried to open TT cd version and it said "enter activtion code".

I almost passed out having spent hours on my return and ready to finally file. I ejected my 4GB USB thumb drive

and it retried opening TT, it opened up perfectly, phew! 

Thanks for posting this for a quick fix!

[stevekayak]

@MichelleLO 

Please read the rest of the thread for the simple fix instead of directing people to incorrect links that only compound the problem (and can seriously screw up your pc and internet connection in the process) and make folks jump through all kinds of hoops!  Just unplug/plug in the same hardware; turn on the same printer, etc. as when you installed the program!!!!!

[Prof59]

I bought it via Amazon, who sent me the activation code in a confirm email a month ago. Suddenly Turbo Tax won't open unless I put it in again, and now I don't know it.

Amazon says it's not their problem, and Turbo Tax says it's not their problem.

So now I've paid for nothing? Unsatisfactory.