How do I move my tax data file to another computer?

by TurboTax •   79
Updated December 11, 2025 4:31 AM

Here's how to securely move it to your new computer while minimizing the chances of data corruption:

  • Make sure your new computer has TurboTax installed on it.

  • Connect a thumb drive or other portable device to your old computer.

  • Copy or move your tax data file to the device. (We recommend copying instead of dragging and dropping.)

  • After copying, disconnect or eject the portable device and connect it to your new computer.

  • Browse to the portable device, select your tax return file, drag it to your desktop (or other easy-to-find location), then release the mouse key and copy (instead of moving) the file.

  • After copying, open TurboTax, browse to where you copied your tax file and open it to make sure it didn't get corrupted.

    • If your file somehow got corrupted, delete it from your device and your new computer and repeat these steps from the beginning.

You might want to delete the file from your portable device for security purposes.

Don't email it to yourself. Email isn't secure.

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