AutoRecover is one of the useful features in Microsoft Office and sometimes, you may encounter AutoRecover not working. There is no need to worry about it because you can fix it easily with the solutions mentioned in this post on MiniTool Website.
What Is AutoRecover in Microsoft Office?
AutoRecover is an inbuilt feature in Microsoft Office that is available for Microsoft Excel 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019. It allows you to save a copy of open excel files at a fixed interval or location.
In other words, Microsoft AutoRecover makes an automatic backup of your files so that you can recover the most up-to-date version of the document when Microsoft Excel or your system crashes.
Are you looking for another way to create a scheduled backup for your folders and files? Try MiniTool ShadowMaker! In addition to the Excel files, this free backup software also supports backing up other files from User, Library, and Computers.
Why Is Excel AutoRecover Not Working?
In some cases, AutoRecover might stop working, so it is likely to result in unexpected data loss. There are two conditions that you might face AutoRecover not working:
Case 1: The AutoRecover Feature Is Disabled by Mistake
If this feature is disabled by mistake or you forget to enable it, the Excel files won’t be saved automatically when quitting the program unexpectedly. Make sure the Save AutoRecover information every * minutes option and the Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving option are checked.
Case 2: The Excel File Is Corrupted
The file might be corrupted due to a sudden power loss, a virus attack and so on.
How to Fix Excel AutoRecover Not Working?
Fix 1: Enable the AutoRecover Feature
First, make sure you have enabled the AutoRecover feature in Microsoft Excel.
Step 1. Launch Microsoft Excel.
Step 2. Click on Options in the lower left corner and hit Save.
Step 3. Tick Save AutoRecover information every * minutes and Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving.
Step 4. Set the time for Save AutoRecover information every * minutes and click on OK to save the changes.
Fix 2: Use the Open and Repair Feature
If your Excel file is corrupted, you can repair it manually with Open and Repair.
Step 1. Launch Microsoft Excel and click on Open.
Step 2. Tap on Browse to find the folder that contains the corrupted file.
Step 3. Choose the corrupted file > click on the arrow icon beside the Open button > hit Open and Repair.
Step 4. Click on Repair to confirm the action.
Fix 3: Fix the Corrupted File with Third-Party Recovery Tool
If AutoRecover not working is caused by corrupted files, a third-party data recovery tool - MiniTool Power Data Recovery may help you out. This tool is available for Windows users and can help you to recover 1 GB of files including documents, videos, pictures, audio and more for free. Here’s how to recover the corrupted file with it:
Step 1. Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery and go to Logical Drives.
Step 2. Select the target partition that contains the corrupted Excel files and hit Scan.
Step 3. After the process is done, preview and check the files you want. Hit Save and choose a storage path for it.
Suggestion: Create an Automatic Backup with MiniTool ShadowMaker
It is important to develop a habit of creating a backup of your daily work files so that you can use the backup copy to restore the files when your device experiences some unexpected disasters like system crashes, hard disk failures and more.
As stated earlier, Microsoft AutoRecover can only make an automatic backup of your Excel files. What if you need to back up files in other formats? Here is a top choice for you – MiniTool ShadowMaker. This tool is designed for Windows machines and allows you to create a backup just in a few steps. Follow these steps to know how it works:
Step 1. Launch this tool and go to the Backup page.
Step 2. Click on SOURCE > Folders and Files, and then you can choose the files you want to backup. As for selecting a destination path for the backup image, go to DESTINATION to choose a USB flash drive or external hard drive.
Step 3. Select Back Up Now to start the process.
For creating an automatic backup, you just need to: hit Options in the lower left corner > Schedule Settings > toggle it on manually > select Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or On Event > set to start the backup at a particular time point > click on OK to save your changes.
Wrapping Things up
This post demonstrates what is AutoRecover and how to fix AutoRecover not working. At the same time, Excel files and files in other formats are so important so you should back up them regularly to avoid data loss.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Aurelie is a passionate soul who always enjoys researching & writing articles and solutions to help others. Her posts mainly cover topics related to games, data backup & recovery, file sync and so on. Apart from writing, her primary interests include reading novels and poems, travelling and listening to country music.
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