How to Delete Turbo Tax Deluxe

You can permanently delete TurboTax Deluxe software and all associated files from your PC or Mac. The main thing to avoid is simply moving the desktop or folder icon to the trash folder or recycle bin. This may leave data files on your computer and use up storage space on your hard drive.

If you're a Mac user, start by opening the Finder from the dock. In the left-hand navigation menu, you can click on "Applications." If that option is not available, click on your hard drive (often named "Macintosh HD") and then double-click on the blue folder named "Applications." Find or search for the TurboTax Deluxe icon.

Apple suggests right-clicking on the unwanted application icon and clicking "move to trash." But according to TurboTax, this method can leave behind relevant files stored in other locations on your Mac. Fortunately, it's easy to find and delete those other files.

Click once on the TurboTax application name to expand the entire name. Highlight and copy the file name. Next, paste the name into the search bar in the top right-hand corner of the Finder window and press enter. Only some of the TurboTax Deluxe files will be displayed, so the next step is to set up the correct search parameters to show all of the files.

Start by clicking the plus icon located just under the Finder search bar and to the right of the "Save" button. In the leftmost drop-down that appears, select "Others." Type "system" into the search bar of the pop-up window and press enter. Make sure the box under "In Menu" column is checked for "System Files" and click OK.

Go back to the same drop-down where you selected "Others" and select "System Files" instead. Make sure the drop-down menu to the right says "are included." Multiple files should now appear in the search results. Click through the files to ensure they are relevant to TurboTax by looking at the file path at the bottom of the Finder window; the main TurboTax folder should be somewhere in the path.

Highlight all relevant files, right-click and click "move to trash." Then right-click on the trash icon in your dock and select "Empty Trash" to permanently delete TurboTax Deluxe from your Mac.

Deleting TurboTax Deluxe from a modern Windows operating system is more straightforward. In the search bar, type in "TurboTax Deluxe," but do not press enter. The computer will display the TurboTax Deluxe program information to the right of the search results. You'll see a list of actions you can perform, including "Uninstall" at the very bottom.

Click "Uninstall" and follow the on-screen prompts until the uninstallation process is confirmed. It should only take a few minutes.

If you want to stop using TurboTax Deluxe Online, you may decide to delete your account and all sensitive information from the TurboTax database. Although you can't delete your TurboTax account, you can remove the personal information associated with your account and then abandon the account. Because TurboTax only requires payment when you file, you won't get charged a recurring fee by abandoning an online account.

To remove your personal information, log in to the online TurboTax program. Click "Intuit Account" at the top of the screen, and then click "Account Settings." Under both the profile and security sections, remove or modify the data. For fields that cannot be left blank, just fill in a series of A's or zeroes in order to successfully save your changes.