When you save your returns, you can use File>Save As to save them to a different location. TurboTax will then use the last folder it saved to as its “default”.
You can also move the files that are in the current default location using the Windows File Manager. Then in TurboTax, you can open them using File>Open, CTRL+O or the “Open an Existing Return” button on the Welcome screen.
Would be nice to be able select default folder in Preferences. I thought it was possible in some previous versions.
So in other words, the answer to the question posed is you CANNOT change the default file location.
There are of course ways to do a save-as or a file move, but none of those approaches changes the default file location as requested. TurboTax will create a TurboTax sub-directory under the logged-in user ID every time TutboTax is launched, and unless steps are taken to override the location (i.e., doing a save-as), will save to its default location.
As I said previously, you can change the default location by saving your file to another location, which then becomes the default.
What you are looking for is the option to change the default location when the program is installed, so that it never makes the “TurboTax” folder inside the “Documents” folder. Unfortunately, that doesn’t currently exist. But I will pass on your comments to our product development team so that they can consider adding that option in the future. Thank you for your input.
This is also an issue for me. I have specific organization structure for my files, and Turbotax forces me into a work-around scenario. Surely it would be easy for Intuit to set a default location, but allow users to change it to their own preference.
@kreim The default location for TurboTax CD/Download is C:\Users\yourname\Documents\TurboTax. You can change the default by simply saving your return to another location. After that TurboTax will default to saving to the new location.
You can also move the files after they are created, and use File > Open to get to them.
I am unable to change the save location in turbotax 2023 as you suggest. I get this message when trying to save to folder 2023 in the Turbo tax file I have used since 2018. What is the issue
You might have security software which is blocking TurboTax from saving files. For example, if you have Windows 11, turn off Controlled Folder Access or allow TurboTax in the Controlled Folder Access settings.
If you are trying to save to a network location, external drive or cloud drive, please try saving to your hard drive instead.
There also may be an issue with your installation of TurboTax. You should uninstall it and then use the download from our website to reinstall it. You can download TurboTax from here: https://turbotax.community.intuit.ca/community/product-information/help/where-can-i-download-the-cd-...
As a lobby for a default file location being set for an install of Turbotax on a PC. My wife and I have accounts on our shared Windows PC. I'm our tech support and install Turbotax, import last years tax info and then she does the tax return. I saved the file under "Public Documents", under the naive assumption that all would be fine. Not sure how, but after my wife spent many hours of preparing a 2023 tax return I went in to Turbotax to get some info. Low and behold, I was dealing with the original file I'd set up, and my wife's filled out Tax return was saved under "Documents\***". A file I can't get to from my Windows account.
It seems a basic minimum that TurboTax allows a File Location Preference to be set for a Turbotax install.
Please move this requirement well up the product fix list.