Want a demonstration? Take a look at our How to Download & Install TaxAct Professional Editions video.
Downloading and Installing
Once you receive your order confirmation and know your Username and Password, follow these instructions to download and install your TaxAct Professional and/or Desktop Editions.
Note - You can re-download and install any previously purchased software (back to 2011) at no additional charge by following these same instructions.
- Sign In to your TaxAct account.
- Click the Orders and Downloads tile.
- Click the Download link by the product you wish to download. If multiple products are available, click the View link to access the individual Download links.
- Save the file to a location you will have access to such as "Downloads," "My Documents" or "Desktop."*
- Once downloaded, double-click on the file icon to install the software.
* If you are using Windows SmartScreen, we recommend using the default Windows "Downloads" folder if you are getting a corrupt or invalid download error.
Download times vary depending on your Internet connection and how much traffic is on the website.
Download Difficulties
If it seems nothing happens after you click download, or you don't know where your browser saved the download, you can find a Downloads menu item or icon on your browser, or use keyboard shortcut Ctrl + J in Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox. This will open the downloads location and allow you to choose the TaxAct installation file. You can also use Windows search to locate the installation file on your computer. TaxAct installation file names begin with "taXX" (where XX is the last two digits of the year).
If you click on the installation file and get an error, this could be because the download is not complete. A temporary or part file is created while the file is downloading. This is usually designated by a change to the filename, for example by adding an underscore and "part." Make sure the download is complete so that you have the completed installation file to run. Check your browser for any messages showing progress of download, or change the setting on your browser to run downloads directly rather than saving first. You can also try using a different browser. Incomplete downloads can also be due to Internet connection problems.
Security software can also prevent downloads and installation, or prevent the TaxAct program from working properly after installation. You may need to temporarily disable your security software during download and installation. You can also try right-clicking on the installation file and on the context menu clicking "Run as administrator."