What is AutoRecover in Excel?
AutoRecover is an Excel feature that automatically saves your workbooks at regular intervals. This allows you to recover unsaved changes in the event of a crash, power outage, or other disruption.
When AutoRecover is enabled, Excel creates temporary backup copies of your workbooks and saves them to a specified location. The default save interval is every 10 minutes, but you can adjust this to save as frequently as every 1 minute.
If you ever close a workbook without saving, the AutoRecovered version will be available the next time you open Excel. You’ll be prompted to view the AutoRecovered copy, allowing you to recover your lost changes.
Why Use AutoRecover?
AutoRecover serves as an essential “safety net” to prevent data loss. Here are some key reasons to use it:
- Recovers lost changes after a crash or freeze
- Restores unsaved work if you forget to save a workbook
- Protects against power outages or computer shut downs
- Saves work in the event of a program error forcing Excel to close
Without AutoRecover, any unsaved changes would be lost in these situations. The amount of potential data loss grows the longer you go without saving manually.
How AutoRecover Works
When AutoRecover is enabled, Excel periodically saves a snapshot of all open, unsaved workbooks. These temporary backup files are stored locally:
- Windows: C:\Users\\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel\Excel14\XLSTART
- Mac: /Users/[Username]/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/Data/XLSTART
The file name contains the original workbook name followed by a timestamp.
If Excel closes unexpectedly, the next time you launch the program, a prompt will appear showing the AutoRecovered files available:
Opening an AutoRecovered file lets you regain access to your unsaved changes. You can then save the recovered workbook to preserve the changes.
How to Enable AutoRecover in Excel for Mac
Follow these steps to turn on AutoRecover in Excel for Mac:
- Open any workbook in Excel.
- Go to the Excel menu and click Preferences.
- Click Save in the preferences pane.
- Check the box next to “AutoRecover workbooks every:”
- Set the save interval, such as every 10 minutes.
- Click OK to enable AutoRecover.
Once enabled, Excel will now automatically save your open, unsaved workbooks at the selected interval.
You can confirm AutoRecover is on by seeing “AutoSave” briefly display in the title bar of unsaved workbooks as they’re backed up.
Customizing AutoRecover Settings
In addition to the save frequency, you can adjust other AutoRecover settings:
- Save location – Specify a custom folder location if desired.
- AutoRecover file limit – Increase the number of incremental versions beyond the default 5.
- Clear AutoRecover files – Manually delete all AutoRecover versions for a workbook to save disk space.
To modify these settings in Excel for Mac:
- Go to Preferences > Save.
- Click “AutoRecover options”.
- Adjust the settings as desired.
- Click OK to save the changes.
Restoring AutoRecovered Files
If Excel quits unexpectedly, follow these steps when you relaunch the program:
- The AutoRecover file prompt will appear automatically. Click “View AutoRecover files”.
- Previews of the AutoRecovered files will load.
- Double click the file you want to restore.
- The workbook will open, containing your unsaved changes.
- Click File > Save to preserve the restored work.
You’ll then have an identical saved copy containing the recovered changes. The original unsaved file will still exist in the AutoRecover save location as a backup.
Disabling AutoRecover
If desired, you can turn AutoRecover off in Excel for Mac:
- Go to Preferences > Save.
- Uncheck the box next to “AutoRecover workbooks every:”
- Click OK to disable.
With AutoRecover disabled, Excel will no longer create automatic temp backups of your workbooks.
Be cautious when disabling, as you’ll lose protection against lost changes from crashes or unsaved file closures.
AutoRecover vs. AutoSave
Excel for Mac also has an AutoSave feature, separate from AutoRecover. Here’s how they differ:
- AutoRecover – Saves backups at set intervals, but you still need to manually save.
- AutoSave – Automatically saves your actual working file at set intervals.
AutoRecover provides an extra level of protection, retaining unsaved changes that AutoSave would overwrite. It’s recommended to use both for maximum file preservation.
AutoRecover Limitations
While invaluable, AutoRecover isn’t foolproof. Be aware of key limitations:
- Won’t save new unsaved workbooks – Only applies to open workbooks.
- Temporary backups only – Must be manually saved.
- Extra protection only – Not a substitute for manual saving.
- Limited retention – Default is 5 most recent versions.
Make sure to save your workbooks regularly in addition to using AutoRecover. And avoid closing Excel before important unsaved changes are preserved.
AutoRecover Best Practices
Follow these tips to get the most out of AutoRecover in Excel:
- Set the save interval to every 1-10 minutes for frequent protection.
- Increase the AutoRecover file limit if you update files extensively.
- Save critical workbooks immediately don’t rely solely on AutoRecover.
- Rename confusing AutoRecover filenames to clarify the version.
- Review AutoRecover files after a crash to identify recovered changes.
- Delete old AutoRecover files periodically to conserve disk space.
Conclusion
AutoRecover serves as an automated backup system for Excel, helping mitigate risks of lost data from crashes or forgotten saves. Enable it for any important unsaved workbooks.
Customize the AutoRecover frequency and location as needed for your workflow. Just be sure to manually save important changes instead of only relying on the automatic backups.
Using AutoRecover along with other Excel file protection features like AutoSave and version history provides powerful, layered protection against data loss. Guard your workbooks by taking advantage of these built-in safeguards.