If you are receiving an error message when opening a return that says, "Unable to open [file path, file name] - Please verify the file still exists on your computer" the error is likely caused by one of two things:

• The file's Read Only attribute is selected.
• The file has become corrupt.

To deselect the Read Only attribute:

1. Close the TaxAct program or webpage.
2. In the taskbar at the bottom of your computer screen, click in the field that says Type here to search, then type "file explorer", and click Open.
3. Navigate to the file that will not open, then Right-click the file, and click Properties.
4. In the window that appears, click the Checkbox next to Read Only to uncheck it (if it is not already unchecked), then click Apply, and click Ok.
5. Return to the TaxAct program, and click File in the upper menu bar, click Open client return, then click Ok.
6. Navigate to the file, Double-click the file name to open.

If the Read Only attribute is not selected:

• Go to our How to Back Up Returns or Restore Backups with TaxAct Desktop FAQ (you may want to check the date modified of the files in file explorer first). If they have the same date and time, it makes no difference which you use to restore. If they have different time stamps, you will want to decide which is best for you to restore.

If you are unable to restore the file, you may need to recreate the return from scratch.