What does the ~ at the beginning of the TurboTax file name mean?

[TomK · Accepted solution]

The TurboTax file with the tilde in front is an automatic backup file. Use the main .tax20XX file as it is likely the most recent. https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4321842/amp

[jmann7]

This is a tilde-prefixed file which is the last backup saved by TurboTax the last time you exited from your primary TurboTax file.  If you have somehow the deleted the primary TurboTax file (...Tax Return.2024) and restart TurboTax then you will be asked if you want to begin what will be a new file because TurboTax does not recognize the tilde-prefixed as a primary file.   If you then use Window File Explorer to access the tilde-prefixed file by locating it in the TurboTax directory and clicking on it then Windows File Explorer knows that TurboTax created the file and will have TurboTax open it so that you can then exit TurboTax while making sure that TurboTax saves a backup.  This should leave you with a primary TurboTax file and a tilde-prefixed backup TurboTax file.