As a computer repair technician, you know when tax season rolls around. I have received quite a few Turbotax help requests. A common theme I have noticed is that Turbotax endusers try to install this software on a Macintosh and are abrubtly stopped.
What many of these users do NOT know is that Turbotax has specific requirements when it comes to what MAC operating system this software maker supports. Turbotax for MAC tax year 2017 requires MAC OS 10.11 which is El Capitan or newer. On the surface this may seem like an easy upgrade.
However, Apple corporation has required an Apple ID in order to upgrade your MAC operating system, for quite sometime now. Many Macintosh users do NOT even know their Apple ID password. Also, amazingly enough to me many Macintosh users do NOT even know their MAC password.
I downloaded the Turbotax 2017 onto my computer. I can?t open it. It says there was a problem.
I updated my computer. It also says I may have to re download it but don?t know how.
This individual was using a Macbook Professional. This Macbook had MAC OS 10.10.5 which is also known as Yosemite. If you do NOT know what version of MAC operating system is installed, you can click on the top menu, then select the Apple icon on top left menu.
Then choose “About this MAC”. My other customers had to upgrade to El Capitan which is MAC OS 10.11 before they could use Turbotax 2017. You would use the Apple Store, in order to upgrade your Macintosh.
In the Apple Store on the home page you might see a banner advertising a free upgrade to High Sierra. High Sierra is MAC operating system 10.13. You would just click on the “Free Upgrade”.
You would then download High Sierra and then install it. Yes, Turbotax 2017 will work with 10.11 El Capitan and 10.13 High Sierra as long as you have 64 bit Macbook pro. In order to find out if your Macintosh has x64 64 bit support you look for “System Report” on the “About this MAC” in the “Overview” tab.
Click on “System Report” and then on left hand side scroll down until you see “Software”. Click on “Software” to expand it and look for “64-bit Kernel and Extensions”. If it is marked with a Yes then you have 64 bit MAC operating system installed.
Two warnings before you proceed to upgrading your Macintosh. First, you will need to have an Apple ID. Also, you will need to know your Apple ID password.
Second, you will need to know your Macintosh administrator password. You will need to log in to the Apple Store with your Apple ID. After High Sierra or any other MAC operating system finishes downloading, it will prompt you to enter your Macintosh administrator password in order to begin the installationprocess.
The final task will be to click “Restart” which will reboot your Apple Macintosh and upgrade the operating system. If you do NOT have your Apple ID and administrator password, you will just waste time trying to upgrade. Finally, this might be a gold tip.
One of my customers was in communication with someone from Intuit and told them that next year, tax year 2018, Turbotax will require MAC operating system 10.13 High Sierra.