# TurboTax is no longer sold on CD Source: https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/turbotax-desktop/turbotax-cd-discontinued Publisher: Tax Software Desk (taxsoftwaredesk.com), independent editorial site Topic: TurboTax Desktop Problems Last updated: 2026-09-23 > Intuit stopped selling TurboTax Desktop on CD from tax year 2025. The desktop program still exists and works the same way once installed, but it now arrives as a download with a licence code instead of a disc. Old returns are unaffected, and a computer without a disc drive is no longer a problem. ## Key facts - Last CD: Tax year 2024 - How you get it now: Download with a licence code - Is desktop discontinued: No, only the CD is gone - Operating system needed: Windows 11 for personal products ## Is TurboTax Desktop discontinued? No. The desktop program is still sold and still works the way it always did once it is on your machine. What ended is the physical disc: from tax year 2025, Intuit offers TurboTax Desktop as a download only. This matters mostly to people who bought the same boxed product every year out of habit, and to anyone who assumed the disc was the licence. It was not. The licence is a code, and it works the same whether it arrived on a sleeve or in an email. ## What replaced the CD? A download plus a licence code, bought either from Intuit directly or from a retailer that sells the code rather than a box. 1. Buy the tier you need and receive a licence code. 2. Download the installer for that tax year from Intuit. 3. Run the installer and enter the code when asked. 4. Install the state program separately if your return needs one. > **Retail boxes still exist:** Some retailers still sell a card or box for TurboTax Desktop. What is inside is a code, not a disc. Check what you are buying if you specifically wanted media. ## I have no disc drive. Is that still a problem? It stopped being a problem, which is the one genuinely good part of this change. Laptops have shipped without optical drives for years, and [installing TurboTax Desktop from a download](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/turbotax-desktop/turbotax-installation-problems) removes the workaround people used to need. The requirement that replaced it is the operating system. TurboTax Desktop personal products now need Windows 11, and on Windows 10 the installer will refuse. That is covered in [TurboTax Desktop on Windows 10](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/turbotax-desktop/turbotax-windows-10-end-of-support). ## What happens to returns I filed from the CD version? Nothing. Your .tax data files and any PDF copies you saved are files on your own computer. They do not depend on how the program was delivered, and last year's installed program keeps working. - The current year's program can transfer last year's .tax file to carry figures forward. - A .tax file needs the matching tax year's program to open it. - A PDF copy opens on anything, which is why it is the copy worth keeping longest. - Reinstalling an old year means finding that year's installer and licence code, not the disc. > **Keep the code:** With no disc sleeve to file away, the licence code now lives only in your email or your Intuit account. Save it somewhere you will find it if you ever need to reinstall an old year. ## Should you switch to TurboTax Online instead? Desktop is still the better fit for some households, and the reasons to [weigh TurboTax Online against the desktop download](https://taxsoftwaredesk.com/choosing-software/turbotax-online-vs-desktop) have not changed with the CD going away. | | Desktop download | Online | | --- | --- | --- | | Multiple returns | Several returns on one licence | One return per account | | Where data sits | On your computer | On Intuit's servers | | Operating system | Windows 11 required | Any modern browser | | Forms view | Direct access to forms | Interview only | Desktop against online, for the 2027 filing season If you file for several family members from one machine, desktop still earns its place. If you file one straightforward return, online avoids both the operating-system requirement and the install. ## You already bought a CD for an older year It still works on a machine with a disc drive and an operating system that version supported. Nothing about the current change reaches backwards into discs you already own. The catch is reinstalling later. If you ever need to put an old year back on a new computer, you need both the disc and a machine that can read it, and newer machines increasingly cannot. Copying the installer off the disc to a folder or external drive now costs nothing and removes that problem. > **Do this once:** Copy the contents of any TurboTax disc you still rely on to a labelled folder on an external drive, along with the licence code. Discs degrade and drives disappear. ## Boxes still on shelves: what is inside them Retailers still list TurboTax Desktop in packaging, and the listing often looks exactly like the boxed product people bought for years. What is inside is a licence code and download instructions. - Read the product description for the words download or code before buying if you specifically wanted media. - A listing that shows a disc image may be using an old photograph for a current product. - Marketplace sellers offering genuine older-year discs are selling exactly that: an older tax year, which cannot file the current year's return. - The tax year is printed on the product. Check it matches the return you intend to file. That last point catches people every season. A cheap TurboTax box is often cheap because it is last year's. ## Common questions ### Is TurboTax still available on CD? No. From tax year 2025 Intuit sells TurboTax Desktop as a download only. The program itself continues; only the physical disc was withdrawn. ### Where do I get TurboTax Desktop now? Buy the tier you need, receive a licence code, then download the installer for that tax year from Intuit and enter the code during setup. ### Can I still install my old TurboTax CD? Yes, if the machine still has a disc drive and an operating system that version supported. Older installed versions also keep working where they already are. ### Do I lose my old tax files because the CD is gone? No. Your .tax files and PDF copies are stored on your own computer and do not depend on how the program was delivered. ### Is desktop or online better now? Desktop still suits households filing several returns from one machine and anyone who wants direct access to the forms. Online avoids the Windows 11 requirement and the install entirely. ## Sources - [TurboTax Desktop download (Intuit)](https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/cd-download/) - [Discontinued TurboTax products (Intuit)](https://turbotax.intuit.com/discontinued-products/) - [What do I need to know about TurboTax Desktop (Intuit)](https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/license-information/need-know-turbotax-desktop-2024/L8hOK0AYA_US_en_US)