TurboTax keeps asking for activation after updates (same device, same network)

Forum|Forum|4 months ago
February 6, 2026
2 replies
50 views

I just spent 1.5 hours on the phone with TurboTax tech support specialist who advised to uninstall TurboTax and install again. This did not work - same activation request screen... And the tech person just disconnected, never called back. Internet is suggesting asking TurboTax to reset the activation code before all 5 are used up. Does anybody try that?

user17633334293

Level 2

I found the following on a different thread...

Hi,

I didn't need to call customer service. I uninstalled Bitdefender Internet Security (my PC then defaulted to Windows Defender) the Turbo Tax update processed without asking for an activation code.

user17704079517Author

Level 2

I am not that versatile in the computers and do not feel comfortable messing with it. The question was if anybody was successful in restoring number of actual activations? - not the fake ones TurboTax forced you to do.

Also, from the thread I understand that this is persistent Turbo Tax issue that goes back at least 6 years.

This is question to Turbo Tax support: why the issue has not been fixed and the tech support is mediocre (to say the least) in their knowledge of the issue and how to resolve it?

DianeW777

Level 15

Sometimes antivirus can cause this. If you try to run TurboTax Desktop as Administrator it may help.

Close your tax return
Right click on the TurboTax Desktop icon
Select Run as administrator

@user17704079517

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greg_caruthers

Level 2

Here's what I did to get past this annoying problem. I had a previously saved return for the current version I was using, and opened it. I had to close the one that was asking me AGAIN for the activation code. Opening the old one I had been working on and saved, unfinished allowed me to re-open where I had left off. Maybe this will work for you.