Excel Save and AutoRecover

Saving a Workbook

1. Press Ctrl+S, or open the File tab and choose Save
2. The first time you save a new file, pick Save As and choose a location
3. Type a file name that describes the content, such as Q1-Budget
4. Choose a file format from the dropdown, then click Save

Common File Formats

AutoSave vs. AutoRecover

These two features are easy to confuse. AutoSave is available in Microsoft 365 when a file is stored on OneDrive or SharePoint; it saves your changes continuously, every few seconds, directly to that file. AutoRecover is available in every version of Excel and instead saves a temporary recovery copy at set intervals, which can be used to restore work after a crash or an accidental close without saving.

• AutoSave: continuous saving to the actual cloud file, only active for cloud-stored files
• AutoRecover: periodic saving of a separate recovery file, used only for crash recovery
• Both are meant to reduce lost work, not replace deliberate saving

Changing AutoRecover Settings

Open the File tab, choose Options, then Save. Here you can set how often AutoRecover saves a recovery file (the default is every 10 minutes) and where those recovery files are stored on your computer.

Recovering Unsaved Work

If Excel closes unexpectedly, it usually reopens with a Document Recovery pane showing any recovered versions. If that pane does not appear, open the File tab, select Info, and use Manage Workbook, then Recover Unsaved Workbooks, to browse recent AutoRecover files.