TurboTax error 190: how to open a file with missing state forms

What TurboTax error 190 means

TurboTax error 190 is a file-opening error in TurboTax Desktop. Intuit's help article says it shows up when a tax file contains one or more state tax forms that are not installed on the machine you are using. The program refuses to load the return rather than open it with states missing.

The important point is that the file itself is fine. Every entry you made is still saved in it. TurboTax simply needs the matching state program before it can display the return.

Situations that trigger error 190

• You moved the .tax file to a new or reset computer and installed only the federal program.
• You prepared a second state, such as a part-year or nonresident return, on another computer and only installed your home state here.
• Someone else prepared the file (a relative, for example) and it includes a state you have never downloaded.
• You reinstalled TurboTax after a Windows repair and the state programs were not reinstalled.

Fix error 190 in TurboTax: download the missing state and reopen the file

This is the fix Intuit publishes. It works the same way whether you bought a CD or a download.

1. Open TurboTax Desktop and choose Start a new return. You are not replacing your file; the new return only gives you access to the state download screen.
2. Go to the State Taxes tab.
3. Download each state that the problem file uses. If you are unsure which states those are, see the checks in the next section.
4. Exit TurboTax completely, including any window still open in the background.
5. Open TurboTax again.
6. Use File, then Open Tax Return, and select the original file.

Intuit notes that downloading more states than your edition includes may cost extra. Check the price shown on the State Taxes screen before you confirm.

Error 190 when the state is already installed

If you are sure you installed your state and the error still appears, the missing piece is usually a different state or a different year. Work through these checks before contacting Intuit.

Count every state in the return

A return for someone who moved mid-year can include two or three states. Take a worked example: a filer who lived in Ohio until June and then in Kentucky has both states in the file. If only Ohio is installed on the new laptop, TurboTax will still show error 190 until Kentucky is downloaded too. Ask whoever prepared the return, or look at last year's printed copy, to see which state returns were filed.

Match the tax year

State programs are made for one tax year, just like the federal program. Intuit releases a new TurboTax Desktop every year for that year's tax law, so a state installed in TurboTax 2025 does nothing for a file created in TurboTax 2024. The file extension shows the year, for example .tax2024.

Run the program update

Open TurboTax, choose Online, then Check for Updates, and let it finish before opening the file again. A state that was only partly installed can be completed this way. If the state download itself asks for a license code and fails with 606, use our error code 606 guide.

Opening prior-year files that trigger error 190

Error 190 on an old year's file is common when you open archived returns on a replacement computer. A 2023 return has to be opened in TurboTax 2023 with the 2023 state program installed. The current edition will not open it for editing.

1. Check the extension on the file to confirm its year.
2. Install TurboTax Desktop for that year, if you still have access to it through your Intuit Account.
3. In that year's program, start a new return and download the same states through State Taxes.
4. Restart that program and open the old file.

If you only need to view or print an old return, the PDF saved when you filed may be enough, and it does not need any state program. Our page on downloading a prior-year TurboTax return explains where those copies are kept, and the TurboTax tax file guide explains the difference between a .tax file and a PDF.

How to prevent TurboTax desktop error 190 next season

The error is almost always caused by moving files between computers without the programs they depend on. A short routine avoids it.

• Before you retire an old computer, write down every state listed on the State Taxes tab of each return you keep.
• Install the federal program and those states on the new computer before copying any .tax files across.
• Keep the PDF of each filed return next to the .tax file, so you can read it without installing anything.
• Sign in with the same Intuit Account on every computer, since your license code is saved there.

Our step-by-step guide to moving TurboTax to a new computer covers the rest of the move. For other numbered codes, see the full list of TurboTax error codes.