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How do I switch from TurboTax Desktop to TurboTax Online?

by TurboTax76 Updated 1 month ago

Follow these instructions to switch from TurboTax Online to TurboTax Desktop.

You can transfer your tax data file (with a filename extension .tax[year], such as .tax2023) only if you're switching a prior year return.

  • You can't transfer your current year return.
  • You won't be able to transfer a PDF, it must be a tax data file with a filename extension .tax2023.
  • Remove any password protection from the data file before transferring. Follow these instructions.

Here's how to transfer:

You have to use TurboTax Online on your computer to do this transfer (it won’t work from a mobile device).

Note: If your TurboTax navigation looks different from what’s described here, learn more.

  1. Sign in to TurboTax Online and start a new return, or open and continue a return you already started.
  2. On Tax Home, select Start or Continue to enter your return. 
  3. Select Tax Tools from the left menu, then select Tools.
  4. In the pop-up window, select the Transfer last year's TurboTax return from your computer link (if you don’t see this option, you may need to clear and start over).

Follow the instructions to finish transferring your file. Once you're done, follow these instructions to return your Desktop copy of TurboTax.