Quick Links

• Check the File's AutoSave Status

• Save the File Manually

• Change the AutoSave Frequency

• Check the File Format

• Check Your OneDrive Storage

• Review the File's Permissions

• Unofficial Hack: Wake Up OneDrive

• Reset OneDrive

• Repair Microsoft 365

• Reinstall OneDrive

Microsoft 365's AutoSave feature can be a lifesaver if things suddenly go wrong, as it automatically uploads your file to the OneDrive cloud as you work. However, sometimes, AutoSave doesn't function as expected. If you find yourself in this situation, here are some fixes to try.

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1 Check the File's AutoSave Status

You might have already taken this step, as it's probably how you realized that AutoSave isn't working.

To check whether AutoSave is activated in a PowerPoint, Excel, or Word file, look at the AutoSave toggle in the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). If it says "Off," click it to turn it on.

If you can't see this button, right-click any tab, and click "Show Quick Access Toolbar."

If you still can't see the AutoSave button, with the QAT on display, click the "Customize Quick Access Toolbar" down arrow, and make sure "Automatically Save" is checked.

2 Save the File Manually

The word "AutoSave" is actually quite misleading, as you have to save the file manually before AutoSave kicks in.

If you haven't yet done this for a file you're currently editing, press F12 to launch the Save As dialog box, name the document, and save it to a sub-folder of the OneDrive folder, which you can locate by finding the blue cloud icon.

If everything else is working as expected, when you click "Save" to close the dialog box, the AutoSave toggle will turn to "On."

Alternatively, to be 100% sure that the file is saved in a cloud-enabled folder, click File, and in the Save As menu, click the "OneDrive" option. Then, name your file, choose an appropriate folder, and click "Save."

3 Change the AutoSave Frequency

There's nothing worse than losing some of your hard work to a sudden app crash or the dreaded blue screen of death. AutoSave is meant to be your safety net in these situations, but you might still find that you lose, say, the last five minutes' worth of work.

This is probably because the file's AutoRecover information is only saved every 10 minutes, which is the default setting on the Excel, Word, and PowerPoint desktop apps. That means that if your computer stops working at minute nine, you're set to lose quite a bit of work!

To adjust this, click File > Options, and in the Save tab, change "10 minutes" to a smaller interval.

This change will take effect as soon as you click "OK."

Personally, I set mine to save every minute, but if you do the same, be aware that this might adversely affect the app's performance by eating up CPU time.

4 Check the File Format

If your Excel, Word, or PowerPoint file is in an older file format with the ".xls," ".doc," or ".ppt" extension, you won't be able to save it with AutoSave. This might be the case if you're working on a file someone shared with you, for example.

To make a file compatible with OneDrive's AutoSave, you'll need to modernize the file format—in other words, the file needs to have the ".xlsx", ".docx", or ".pptx" extension.

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Press F12 to launch the Save As dialog box, and in the Save As Type drop-down menu, click "Excel Workbook," "Word Document," or "PowerPoint Presentation," depending on the app you're using.

Now, after naming your file and clicking "Save," you'll have two copies of the file, but only the duplicate you just created with the modernized file format will save automatically as you work.

5 Check Your OneDrive Storage

AutoSave won't work if OneDrive is full. In this scenario, you'll see an alert at the top of the Excel, Word, or PowerPoint's app's workspace. You'll also see one when OneDrive is nearly full.

To preempt this hurdle, first, click the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray area of the taskbar. Next, click the cog in the top-right corner of the OneDrive pane, and select "Settings."

You can then see the OneDrive storage capacity and current usage in the bottom-left corner of the OneDrive Settings window.

If you need to free up some space, click "Manage Storage."

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6 Review the File's Permissions

When a file is in Read-Only mode, you can't make any changes, so AutoSave is deactivated.

Here are some reasons why you might encounter this restriction when you open an Excel, Word, or PowerPoint file, and how you can go about making the file editable again:

Cause of Read-Only Mode	Program(s)	Fix
You or another author has restricted editing via the Review tab.	Word	Click "Restrict Editing" in the Review tab, select "Stop Protection" in the resultant pane, and enter the password if prompted.
You or another author has protected the workbook, worksheet, or certain cells via the Review tab.	Excel	Click "Protect Sheet" or "Protect Workbook" in the Review tab (whichever button appears pressed), and enter the password if prompted.
The file is marked as Final via the Info tab on the welcome screen. A banner along the top of the window makes this clear.	Excel, Word, or PowerPoint	Click "File," then "Info." Then, select "Protect Workbook," "Protect Document," or "Protect Presentation," and click "Mark As Final." Alternatively, click "Edit Anyway" in the banner.
You're accessing a shared file with view-only permissions.	Excel, Word, or PowerPoint	Ask the owner of the file to change the permissions, or press F12 to save an editable copy of the file in a OneDrive-supported folder.
You've opened a recovered file, as indicated by a banner along the top of the window.	Excel, Word, or PowerPoint	To save the file and continue editing, click "Save As" in the banner (or press F12) to save the recovered file in your OneDrive storage.
The file is in Protected View to prevent it from carrying malware into your system. You'll see a banner at the top of the window in this case.	Excel, Word, or PowerPoint	Click "Enable Editing" in the banner, and make sure you save the file in a folder in OneDrive.

7 Unofficial Hack: Wake Up OneDrive

Before I run through some heavier-handed approaches to fixing your broken AutoSave, here is a hack that often works for me (and takes only a few seconds).

If I haven't used AutoSave or OneDrive for a while, the syncing process can appear to fall asleep. I've resolved many of my AutoSave issues by simply clicking the OneDrive cloud icon in the system tray area of the taskbar to reawaken it.

Failing that, opening File Explorer (Win E) and clicking the "Refresh" icon in the cloud-linked folder where the file you're working on is stored can kick the syncing process back into action.

You can check whether these options have worked by seeing whether the Date Modified property of the file in question updates to the current date and time.

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8 Reset OneDrive

If you've run through all the above fixes without success, it's time to take more drastic action. Resetting Microsoft OneDrive can often resolve AutoSave issues by resetting all the sync connections.

9 Repair Microsoft 365

Repairing a program can often fix any issues with its functionality, including its ability to save automatically to the cloud.

10 Reinstall OneDrive

We all know too well that turning any faulty tech device off and back on again often fixes the problem—and the same can be said for uninstalling and reinstalling software.

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Even if you're sure that AutoSave is turned on and working as expected, I'd still recommend keeping that old-school habit of pressing Ctrl S every couple of minutes, just to make sure!

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