What Is AutoSave In Excel?
The AutoSave in Excel is a feature that allows us to save and protect our workbook in case of power failures, closing unsaved Excel files, or any other unexpected situations. The AutoSave in Excel is a feature that can be enabled when we can save our workbook file in specific time intervals.
If we are working on an important company’s data and we need to save the file periodically, we can use the AutoSave feature to save the data.
For example, consider the below table showing the yearly performance of ABC company. Now, let us learn how to use AutoSave in Excel with the following steps.
In the table,
- Column A shows the various incomes and expenditures of ABC Company.
- Columns B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, and M lists the monthly transactions.

The steps used to save a file using AutoSave in Excel are as follows:
Step 1: First, go to the File tab and select More…
Step 2: Next, click on Options from the list of suggestions. The Excel Options window pops up.
Now, select Save from the window and click the Save AutoRecover information every – minute checkbox.
Step 3: By default, excel will save the data after every 5 minutes.
Step 4: Then, select Excel Workbook option in the Save files in this format: box. Also, set the AutoRecover file location: box.
Step 5: Next, click the Save to Computer by default checkbox and then, click OK. After every set time, the data will be saved automatically.
Likewise, we can use Autosave in excel to save our files in equal intervals.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- AutoSave in Excel is a feature that saves time and data periodically.
- By default, the AutoSave feature sets the time of 15 minutes in the AutoSave configuration settings. Therefore, it will save the data every 15 mins.
- We can change the AutoSave time as per our requirements in Excel.
- The AutoSave feature monitors the user’s work and updates the changes in the content to a share point or one drive.
- Also, using the AutoSave feature in Excel, multiple people can do editing in the document simultaneously.
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How To Turn ON / Enable AutoSave In Excel?
We can turn ON AutoSave in Excel using the below steps;
Step 1: To begin with, go to the File tab.
Step 2: Next, select the More… option from the list.
Step 3: Then, choose Options from the list.

Step 4: The Excel Options window pops up.
Step 5: Select the Save option.
Step 6: Next, under the Save workbooks, check the Save AutoRecover information every – minutes option and set the time limit.

Step 7: Also, select Excel Workbook under the Save files in this format: option.

Step 8: Set the AutoRecover file location:

Step 9: Next, check the Save to Computer by default checkbox.
Step 10: Click OK.

Likewise, we can turn ON AutoSave in Excel.
How To Turn OFF / Disable AutoSave In Excel?
We can turn OFF AutoSave in Excel using the below steps;
Step 1: First, go to the File tab.
Step 2: Next, select More… and click on Options from the list of suggestions.

Step 3: The Excel Options window opens up.
Step 4: Then, select the Save option.
Step 5: Now, uncheck the Save AutoRecover information every – minutes option.
In no time, Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving, and Auto Recover file location: options become disabled.
Step 6: Click OK.

Likewise, we can turn OFF AutoSave in Excel.
How To Recover The AutoSaved File?
To recover the AutoSave file in Excel by following the below steps;
Step 1: To begin with, go to the File tab.
Step 2: Next, select More… and choose Options from the list of suggestions.
Step 3: Then, select Save from the Excel Options window.
Step 4: Now, copy the AutoRecover file location: data

Step 5: Next, open the File Explorer and paste the copied path from the Excel Options window into the Quick access bar.

Step 6: A window with Auto Recovery files and folders gets displayed. Now, we can click on the file we want to recover, and then make changes.
Also, we can save the workbook with a new name.

Similarly, we can recover files from Excel.
AutoSave Not Working In Excel
The Auto Save feature may not work in Excel due to the following reasons;
1.The AutoSave feature is Enabled-
- To begin with, go to the File
- Next, select More… > Options.
- The Excel Options window pops up.
- Next, select the Save option from the list.
- Click the Save AutoRecover information every – minutes checkbox and set the time limit from the Save workbooks.
- Then, set the Excel Workbook in the Save files in this format: box.
- Similarly, set the AutoRecover file location:
- Then, click the Save to Computer by default checkbox.
- Click OK.
2. Older formats of Excel not supporting-The AutoSave feature is not supported in older formats like .xls, .doc, or .ppt.; In such cases, we need to change the file extension.
3. The Corrupted Files should be fixed-If the Excel file is corrupted, the AutoSave function may not work. So, we need to repair the corrupted Excel file.
To do that, first, launch Excel and go to the File tab. Next, click on the Open option and select the file we want to fix.
Then, click the Open drop-down button and tap on the Open and Repair option to fix the repair option in the Excel workbook. If the Repair function doesn’t work, then the Extract feature extracts values and formulas from the sheet.
4. Resave Excel Temp Files-If the AutoSave feature does not work in Excel, then, we can recover our Excel files from temp files. Those files are present in the C drive at the location C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\.
Also, the Excel temp file is resaved with XLS or XLSX extension to recover the workbook.
5. Repair or Reinstall Microsoft Office- Even after trying the other options, if the AutoSave feature is not working, we need to reinstall or repair Excel files.
To repair the feature, we need to go to Settings > Apps. Next, choose the Microsoft Office module, and then click on the Change option.
The message will prompt us to repair the program using two methods. They are, Quick Repair and Online Repair. Now, we need to choose one of the two options and click on the Repair button to start repairing Office.
If the AutoSave feature fails to work even after repairing, then, we can uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Office and then, check if the AutoSave feature is working.
Important Things To Note
- If the AutoSave in Excel feature is not enabled, we must save our work on worksheets more frequently.
- To save our file to One Drive or Share Point, we should use the latest version of Excel because there is a button on the top left of Excel which will automatically save the data every few seconds.
- If we want to increase the worksheet performance, increase the AutoSave time to time digits like 20 Min, 25 Min, etc.
- We should keep a lesser or small number for AutoSave time, like 4 min, 5 min, etc., to save the data more frequently.
Frequently Asked Questions
The AutoSave in Excel automatically saves the new documents we forget to save. Also, we can set the time interval to save the document automatically using AutoSave in Excel. This feature helps keep our documents from getting deleted due to any reason.
The AutoSave in Excel is a feature to save the changes or progress of work. It will help us reduce the risk of losing data.
We can AutoSave our files in excel with ease.
For example, consider the below table listing the prices of various fruits. Now, we need to use the below steps –
In the table,
1. Column A lists the fruits.
2. Column B shows the price.
The steps to AutoSave in Excel are as follows:
Step 1: First, enter the data in the worksheet.
Step 2: Next, go to the File tab.
Step 3: Then, select More… > Options.
Step 4: The Excel Options window pops up.
Step 5: Next, select the Save option from the list.
Step 6: And then, click the Save AutoRecover information every – minute checkbox and set the time limit as ‘5’ minutes from the Save workbooks list. It will save the data after every 5 minutes.
Step 7: Also, set the Excel Workbook in the list of the Save files in this format: option.
Step 8: Next, set the AutoRecover file location:
Step 9: Then, click the Save to Computer Checkbox by default.
Step 10: Click OK.
Likewise, we can AutoSave our files in excel.
We can access AutoSave in Excel feature using the below steps:
1. First, go to the Quick Access Toolbar.
2. The window, Excel Options pops up.
3. Next, select the Customized Quick Access Toolbar.
4. Then, click on the drop-down arrow button of the Customized Quick Access Toolbar.
5. Next, select the AutoSave in Excel option.
6. Then, click the Add button.
7. Click on the OK button.
Download Template
This article must help understand AutoSave in Excel with its formula and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
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