TurboTax won't open on Mac: fixes for macOS

Why TurboTax won't open on Mac

When TurboTax won't open on Mac, the cause is usually one of four things: a macOS version that is too old for your edition, Apple's security check blocking the app, a copy running from the wrong place, or damaged preference files. The fixes below go from fastest to slowest.

Note what happens when you click. An icon that bounces in the Dock and disappears points to a version or file problem. A message that the app cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it points to the security block. A spinning wheel after the app opens is a freeze, covered further down.

TurboTax Mac requirements: check your macOS version

Start here, because nothing else helps if the Mac is too old. Open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac to see the macOS name and number.

Both editions need an account with administrative rights, and a monitor of 1024x768 or higher is recommended. If your Mac runs Ventura 13 or earlier, the 2025 edition will not run. If it cannot move past Sonoma, it will not meet the listing for the next edition either. The release timing for that edition is on when does TurboTax come out.

Older Macs that cannot upgrade

If Software Update offers no newer macOS, the Mac has reached Apple's limit. Your options are to prepare the return in TurboTax Online in a browser, or to use a newer computer. Older TurboTax editions for earlier tax years keep their own, older requirements, so a prior-year return may still open on that Mac.

Permissions and security prompts

macOS Gatekeeper sometimes blocks a newly installed TurboTax with a message that Apple cannot check it for malicious software. Intuit's help for TurboTax Desktop for Mac gives this fix:

1. In the error message, choose Show in Finder.
2. In the Applications folder, right-click (or Control-click) the TurboTax app and choose Open.
3. When the same message appears again, choose Open. TurboTax should now launch normally from then on.

Other settings Intuit lists

• Administrator rights: Apple menu, System Settings, Users & Groups; your user should have Allow user to administer this computer turned on.
• App sources: Apple menu, System Settings, Privacy & Security; allow apps from the App Store and identified developers.
• Access prompts: when TurboTax asks for access, enter your Mac password and choose Always Allow.
• File sharing: Intuit suggests turning off the options under Content & Media in System Settings, General, Sharing while you install.
• Security software: temporarily turn off third-party firewall or antivirus tools, then turn them back on once TurboTax runs.

TurboTax not working on Mac after an update

If TurboTax worked until an update, Intuit's guidance is to make sure the program runs from the Applications folder, not from the downloaded disk image or another drive. A copy launched from the mounted installer window may open once and then fail to update or relaunch.

1. Quit TurboTax. If it will not quit, press Command+Option+Esc and choose Force Quit.
2. Empty the Trash, which Intuit lists as part of its update fix.
3. Open TurboTax from Applications and run the update again.
4. If the update will not download, restart the computer and router, ideally on a wired connection.

TurboTax desktop frozen on Mac

If the app opens but beach-balls, give it a few minutes on the first launch after an update. If it stays frozen, force quit and open your return file directly by double-clicking it in Finder instead of starting the app from the Dock.

TurboTax Mac file error with iCloud

Users in Intuit's community have reported launch and file errors when the return file sits in an iCloud Drive folder that is not fully downloaded, such as Documents with Optimize Mac Storage turned on. Move the file to a local folder on the Mac, then open it from there.

Reinstall TurboTax on a Mac without losing the tax file

When nothing else works, Intuit's remedy is to remove TurboTax and reinstall it. Deleting the app does not delete your return, which is a separate file with an extension such as .tax2025.

1. In Finder, search for .tax2025 and copy the file to a USB drive or cloud folder.
2. Quit TurboTax and drag the TurboTax app from Applications to the Trash.
3. Empty the Trash and restart the Mac.
4. Sign in to your Intuit account and download the Mac installer again.
5. Open the installer and drag the TurboTax icon into the Applications folder shortcut, as the installer window shows.
6. Open TurboTax from Applications, then open your saved return.

If you are moving to a new Mac rather than reinstalling, follow TurboTax transfer to a new computer. For clicks or scroll bars that do not respond once TurboTax is open, see TurboTax mouse not working. Other Desktop symptoms are grouped in the TurboTax Desktop troubleshooting hub.