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How to Turn Word's AutoSave On or Off (and Set the Backup Interval)

Tap each step to see how to control Word's automatic saving behavior, in order.

  1. Open File, then Options

    Click the File tab in Word, then choose Options near the bottom of the left-hand menu.

  2. Go to the Save section

    In the Options window, select the Save tab from the list on the left.

  3. Set how often Word saves a backup copy

    Check the box for saving AutoRecover information at a set interval, and adjust the number of minutes to something shorter, like every 5 minutes, if you want more frequent backups.

  4. Check the separate AutoSave switch if your file lives in OneDrive

    If your document is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, look for the AutoSave switch at the top-left of the window and turn it on or off depending on whether you want changes saved to the cloud continuously as you type.

  5. Why this matters

    A program crash or sudden power loss can wipe out unsaved work, but a short backup interval limits how much you'd actually lose, and knowing the difference between the two features means you're not caught off guard by either one.

AutoSave and AutoRecover are two different features

OneDrive's AutoSave continuously saves your actual document to the cloud in real time as you edit it, while AutoRecover quietly creates a temporary local backup at set intervals purely as a safety net -- the two toggles live in different parts of the Options window and serve genuinely different purposes.

What happens after an unexpected shutdown

If Word closes unexpectedly, reopening it typically brings up a Document Recovery pane on the left side of the screen, listing the most recent autosaved versions it found, so you can open and compare them to your last manually saved copy before deciding which to keep.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are AutoSave and AutoRecover the same feature?

No. OneDrive's AutoSave saves your file to the cloud in real time, while AutoRecover creates a temporary local backup at set intervals -- they work independently of each other and are controlled from different places.

How do I recover a file after Word closes unexpectedly?

Reopen Word and check the Document Recovery pane that typically appears on the left side of the screen, where you can select and open the most recent autosaved version it found.