Microsoft could have added an option to save documents locally when using AutoSave, but it has not. Note that this applies to Office 2021 as well, even though it is not mentioned.ĪutoSave may be useful in work environments and also for home users who don't mind publishing their documents to the Microsoft cloud. The latest Administrative Templates for Microsoft 365 Apps needs to be imported to make the change. Any change made to existing files with AutoSave enabled will be saved, even if the user exists without hitting the save button, e.g., when running what-if changes.ĪutoSave can be disabled in the Group Policy.Editing existing files and saving them under new names, e.g., when doing quarterly reports, no longer works, as the existing file is changed automatically as well.Microsoft published a huge list in a support article, here are the highlights: The old AutoRecovery behavior is still available to periodically save copies of changed files to help minimize data loss in the case of an unexpected scenario, such as a crash.ĪutoSave may have a number of implications on workflows, especially in work environments. There is no option in Office 2019 or 2021 to use AutoSave locally according to Microsoft:ĪutoSave is not available when working with local files. Change the default save location for local files and personal templates.Default is C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\ Change the AutoRecover cache location.LibreOffice supports the same functionality, but it is turned off by default.
There you may change the following options: