Why does TurboTax create a copy of a data file with the character "~" or "~~" prefixed to the file name?

[SweetieJean · Accepted solution]

The file with the tilde (~) in front is the temporary copy of your return while the main file is open in TurboTax for Desktop.

When you close TurboTax completely, this action usually deletes the temporary file automatically. Start TurboTax, open your tax file, save it, then close TurboTax. If the temporary file is still there, you may delete it.