Crashes happen. The power goes out. And sometimes, people accidentally close a file without saving.

To avoid losing your work when the unexpected happens, save your files to OneDrive or SharePoint and use AutoSave to save your changes in real-time. This feature is only available if you have an Office 365 subscription. If you are an Office 365 subscriber, make sure you have the latest version of Office.

For files not stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, or if you are not an Office 365 subscriber, make sure AutoRecover is turned on using the directions below.

If you've already experienced a document closure and the Document Recovery task pane appears, see Recover your Office files.

Newer versionsOffice 2007

1. In Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher or Visio, click File > Options > Save.
   
   In Outlook, click File > Options > Mail.
   
2. Make sure the Save AutoRecover information every x minutes box is selected.
   
3. In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, make sure the Keep the last autorecovered version if I close without saving box is selected.
   
   Important: If you're not using AutoSave or if your file is not stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, the Save button is still your best friend. To be sure you don’t lose your latest work, click Save (or press Ctrl+S) often.
   
   

Accessing the AutoRecover settings is slightly different in each Office 2007 program. Choose a program below for specific instructions.

Excel

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Excel Options.
   
2. Click Save.
   
3. Select the Save AutoRecover information every x minutes check box.
   
4. In the minutes list, specify how often you want the program to save your data and the program state.
   
5. Optionally, you can change the location (specified in the AutoRecover file location box) where the program automatically saves a version of files you work on.
   

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

Outlook

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
   
2. On the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options, and then click Advanced E-mail Options.
   
3. Select the AutoSave items every: x minutes check box.
   
4. In the minutes list, specify how often you want the program to save your data and the program state.
   
5. Optionally, on the AutoSave items in menu, select the folder where you want Outlook to automatically save items.
   

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

PowerPoint

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click PowerPoint Options.
   
2. Click Save.
   
3. Select the Save AutoRecover information every x minutes check box.
   
4. In the minutes list, specify how often you want the program to save your data and the program state.
   

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

Publisher

1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Save tab.
   
2. Select the Save AutoRecover information every x minutes check box.
   
3. In the minutes list, specify how often you want the program to save your data.
   

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

Visio

1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Save/Open tab.
   
2. Select the Save AutoRecover information every x minutes check box.
   
3. In the minutes list, specify how often you want the program to save your data.
   

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

Word

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.
   
2. Click Save.
   
3. Select the Save AutoRecover information every x minutes check box.
   
4. In the minutes list, specify how often you want the program to save your data and the program state.
   
5. Optionally, you can change the location (specified in the AutoRecover file location box) where the program automatically saves a version of files you work on.
   

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

Tip

The amount of new information that the recovered file contains depends on how frequently a Microsoft Office program saves the recovery file. For example, if the recovery file is saved only every 15 minutes, your recovered file won't contain your last 14 minutes of work before the power failure or other problem occurred. To be extra safe, enter a small number in the minutes box, like 5 or 10. That way, you’ll never lose more than 5 or 10 minutes of work.

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