The greyed-out sidebar in TurboTax 2025 is typically a navigation lock that occurs when the software requires you to finish a mandatory sequence before allowing you to skip ahead.
Try these troubleshooting steps:
The most common cause is being stuck in the "Introduction" or "Personal Info" section. You must keep clicking the Continue or Done button at the bottom right until you reach a major section (like "Income"). The sidebar will remain locked until the software confirms your basic profile is complete.
Click the Find (magnifying glass) icon at the top. Search for a specific tax topic (e.g., "T4" or "Medical"). Selecting a topic and clicking Go can often "jump" the program into the active interview mode and refresh the sidebar.
In the top right or bottom left, click Forms. This exits the EasyStep interview and shows the actual tax forms. Clicking back to EasyStep frequently resets the interface and unlocks the buttons.
Make sure the software is up to date.
Thank you for choosing TurboTax.
