TurboTax

File with experts
File your taxes
Experts at your fingertips

An expert helps with your taxes, or does them for you
TurboTax Expert Full Service

TurboTax Expert Assist

TurboTax Self-Employed
Prior year taxes
File myself
File myself
Do it yourself

We'll guide you step-by-step
TurboTax Do It Yourself

TurboTax Self-Employed

TurboTax Desktop
TurboTax Free

Activate your product

Prior year taxes
Business
Business
Business taxes

Get your T2 corporate return done right, your way
TurboTax Business

TurboTax Business Desktop
Tax situations
Tax situations
Tax situations

Find extra guidance for your big life moves
For investors

For 25 and younger

For self-employed

For new to Canada

For life changes
Resources
Resources
Resources

Explore tax tools, get tips, and read reviews
Personal income tax calculator

RRSP savings calculator

Learning hub

TurboTax support (FAQ)

TurboTax community
Pricing

Level 1

Question

Turbo Tax Desktop - Please keep it

Forum|Forum|5 months ago
December 15, 2025
8 replies
0 views

I read that the future of TurboTax is online only? Please do not eliminate local installs for TurboTax. In an increasingly online world, the ability to keep data stored locally and privately is more important than ever. Installing TurboTax is not a hassle (as the Intuit advertising email claims), and the online-only version does not work for many people. If TurboTax moves to a solely online model, I will choose to find another way to do my taxes. Hope Turbo Tax continues to empower people, LOCALY.

M-MTax

Level 15

@user17658219065 wrote:
Hope Turbo Tax continues to empower people, LOCALY.

You are far from alone in that hope.

My sense (and only mine) is that desktop won't disappear in the short-term but, eventually, TurboTax (as well as other tax software developers' products) will be 100% online. Hopefully, this will occur later rather than sooner.

jmwcpacma

Level 2

They took Quickbooks Pro Desktop away for the online version. After decades of using desktop, and also being somewhat fluent in the online version of Quickbooks, I will find an alternative. The underlying accounting hierarchy is the same for all accounting packages.

user99562

Level 2

I agree. I really don't want to have to switch from desktop to online. Signature Block

LenSegal47

Level 2

I agree. I do not store any of my personal or financial info in the cloud. I absolutely will not use a product that forces me to do so.

VeryLongSigh...

Level 2

The ability to work on my taxes, view everything in a current or past return (including all the worksheets, etc., not just the filed info) and, if necessary, work on an amended return without internet access is essential. And I don't want anything shared with anyone other than is minimally necessary for transmission of my return, and even that should be deleted from intermediary sites as soon as the return is accepted by the IRS and state. If Intuit cannot, or won't, agree to these fundamental issues of reliability and confidentiality, I'll find another service provider that will.

M-MTax

Level 15

@VeryLongSigh... wrote:
If Intuit cannot, or won't, agree to these fundamental issues of reliability and confidentiality,

I'm not sure I understand your issue. As far as I have been able to determine, Intuit fulfills your requirements with respect to their desktop programs at least.

VeryLongSigh...

Level 2

As the originator of this thread and numerous others have indicated, the only reasonable interpretation of their "The Future of TurboTax is Online" promotion is that they intend to fully eliminate, or reduce support for, the desktop product. If so, my concerns will not be met and I'll be looking for alternatives. I'm a long-term user, not entirely satisfied but not dissatisfied enough to change... yet.

cchammond

Level 2

If the desktop app is obsoleted, I will look for other options

M-MTax

Level 15

@cchammond wrote:
If the desktop app is obsoleted, I will look for other options

You may not have any if that winds up being the case. All other providers will probably be 100% online as well at that time.

The only other option is a tax pro, but many of them use tax prep software where the data entered is stored in the cloud anyway.

LenSegal47

Level 2

Wrong!

If the only option is in the cloud, I'll just revert to doing it manually, as I did for many years before there was tax software available. Also, due to the change in tax laws, most of my "deductions" are no longer deductible, so I've been using the standard deduction for the last few years, so it won't be a big deal. Also, in 1971, I was doing taxes professionally in Boston for a lawyer, and life was much more complicated back then . . . I had a musician client who needed to depreciate a Stradivaris violin (they last 100s of years) and a person who was a convicted murderer who was running a headshop . . . just a couple of examples of challenges.

bobw75087

Level 2

TOTALLY AGREE! I don't use the cloud for ANY financial data; Quicken - Desktop only! TurboTax - Desktop only! PC protected w VPN(s), Norton, etc etc. I'd rather have ZERO exposure to outside, and keep it to a minimum. TurboTax should always be an installable, Desktop only program for those of us who want it that way!!

M-MTax

Level 15

@bobw75087 wrote:
TurboTax should always be an installable, Desktop only program for those of us who want it that way!!

It will be installable (desktop) for as long as it makes financial sense for Intuit to make it so.

howjltx

Level 4

I agree I will stop using TurboTax if the force me to go online.

M-MTax

Level 15

@howjltx wrote:
I agree I will stop using TurboTax if the force me to go online.

I don't think Intuit is going to be leading the charge in this respect.

if others start migrating to online only, then Intuit will almost certainly follow. Ultimately, however, the day will come to pass where tax prep will be done online exclusively.

LRC11

Level 4

Also, the forms option and ability to move around while entering data is critical. I don't want to spend 30 hours working on taxes then find the last thing won't work. With online, you are neaver really sure of anything until you are completely finished.