Microsoft Word 2016 – The Importance of AutoSave and AutoRecover

To avoid losing all your work when unexpected things happen, like the power suddenly goes out, or you accidentally close a file without saving, make sure AutoSave and AutoRecover are turned on.

How to ensure AutoSave and Autorecover are on:

Click File tab (Backstage view), then Options tab, then Save tab.

Make sure the ‘Save AutoRecover information every X minutes box is selected (X = the number of minutes)’.

In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, make sure the ‘Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving’ box is selected.

 

Important:  The Save button is still your best friend. To be sure you don’t lose your latest work, click Save Button image (or press Ctrl+S) often.

Tips:

To be extra safe, enter a small number in the minutes box, like 10. That way, you’ll never lose more than 10 minutes of work.

On the other hand, if you want to make Office faster operate, try entering a larger number in the minutes box, like 15 or 20 minutes.

Why is AutoRecover important?

AutoRecover saves more than your files. It also saves your workspace (if it can).

Suppose you open several documents in Word and the power goes out. When you restart Word, AutoRecover tries to open your documents again, laid out the way they were before.

Recovering your Office files:

If you didn’t save your most recent changes when an Office program unexpectedly closed, the Document Recovery task pane automatically opens the next time you open the program so you can get your file back.

Click the arrow next to the recovered file in the Document Recovery task pane, and choose Open, Save As, or Delete.