How to Setup AutoRecover and Get Unsaved Copy in Microsoft Word?

Did you ever face this situation – when you have almost finished a lengthy document and suddenly the computer crashes? Or your kid closed the Word app without saving the typed document? You would have frustrated with the data loss and wasted time. However, with some precautions, you can easily manage such situations. In this article, let us explain how to setup AutoRecover function in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to avoid data loss. Also, learn how to change embedded file name in Office documents.

How to Setup AutoRecover in Microsoft Word?

AutoRecover is a default feature in Microsoft Office applications to avoid unexpected data loss. It allows you to save the document in a predefined time interval. You can recover the document from the saved location, when you have closed the document without saving. In this article, we will explain with Word as an example, however you can use the same process for Excel, PowerPoint and other Office applications.

Follow the below instructions to setup AutoRecover.

• Click on the “File” menu and go to “Options”.
• It will open the “Word Options” pop-up and navigate to “Save” section. You need to enable first three options for saving your document automatically.
  • File Format – generally it should be .dotx, change the file format for auto saving if you need in different format.
  • Time Interval – enable the checkbox for “Save AutoRecover information every — minutes”. Enter the time interval you want to save the documents automatically. Remember, setting too short like 2 minutes will slow the processing speed when you type the content. Therefore, depending upon your need, setup anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes.
  • File Location – enable the checkbox for “Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving. This option helps you to recover the document when system crashes. Select the folder in which you want to keep the auto saved files. You can create a new folder like “Recovered Documents” anywhere on your computer and setup the path here. When there are problems, you can quickly look into this folder to recover the document.
• Click “OK” button to apply the changes.

Now you have setup AutoRecover function in Word. The settings are applicable for all Word documents and you do not need to setup for each document separately. However, if you want to setup AutoRecover for Excel and PowerPoint, you need to open and setup independently. The Word settings are only applicable for Word documents and has no impact to Excel or PowerPoint AutoRecover settings.

Creating Automatic Backup Copy     

In addition to AutoRecover function, Microsoft Word also offers another feature for automatically saving a backup copy of your last saved document. Whenever you save a document, Word will automatically update the backup ensuring you have the latest backup copy all the time.

• When you are in “Word Options” pop-up, go to “Advanced” section.
• Scroll down on the right pane and locate “Save” options.
• Enable the checkbox for “Always create a backup copy” option.
• Click “OK” to apply your changes.

Henceforth, Word will automatically create a backup file in the same location of your original file. The backup file will be with an extension of .wbk. Note that, Excel and PowerPoint does not offer this feature.

Using Document Recovery

When you face unexpected system crash or app crash, reopen the Word. You will see Word automatically show the auto recovered documents under “Document Recovery” pane.

You can click on the recovered document to open, save or repair.

As mentioned, the document recovery process is same on Excel, PowerPoint and Office documents. When you close the app without opening the recovered document, you will get a prompt to confirm retaining the recovered files for next use or not. You can delete or keep the files for later viewing as per your need.

Using OneDrive

OneDrive is the free cloud storage platform from Microsoft helps to synchronize all your content in one place. You can simply save the files in your OneDrive account to automatically enable version history. Anytime, you can browser through the available versions to restore or compare with the latest version.

Summary

We hope you have learnt how to setup AutoRecover in Microsoft Word and other Office applications. It is a onetime setup; you need to set on each application. This will help you to avoid data loss, auto saving the document and recover during system or app crashes.