How AutoSave really works in Excel

AutoSave writes your file every few seconds — but only with a Microsoft 365 subscription and the file stored on OneDrive or SharePoint; local files still need manual saves. The toggle sits top-left in the title bar. The catch: with AutoSave on, every experiment lands in the original, so Microsoft's advice for what-if edits is File > Save a Copy before you start, not Save As afterwards. Version history still adds snapshots about every 10 minutes.

Source: support.microsoft.com · checked 2026-07-04

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