Document Recovery ( AutoRecover ) is not working for Excel 2016. System: Windows 8.1 64 bit Microsoft Excel 2016 MSO (16.0.8528.2126) 64 bit No fix even after a full Online repair of Office 2016 and, of course, all possible Office Updates. After working for hours on several Excel documents (which had previously been saved with a file name etc.), the power went out in our building. When the power was restored and Excel reopened, I was presented with the expected list of Recovered Documents on the left side. HOWEVER, every single one of these were simply "the Original version" or "the version last saved by user" (something like that). Meaning they did not contain ANY new data that had been entered since the last time I had saved them/reopened them despite the AutoRecover being set to 1 minute. NOTES : Document Recovery seems to be working for Word and PP. The settings in Options>Save are all the same for all Office products: currently set to AutoRecover every 1 minute. The ...AppData>Roaming>Microsoft>Excel folder contains no backup file/folder for new or reopened Excel Documents. Thank goodness, the AutoRecover does seem to be updating the equivalent folder for Word ("AutoRecovery save of DocumentX.asd" files get updated) and PowerPoint (the "pptXXX.tmp" file also updated). Edit: This is obviously some MSOffice Bug. Of the multiple 'test' spreadsheets I've been playing around with to study this, exactly 1 of them seems to actually back up. But absolutely no other ones and none of my previously created sheets ever backup to AutoRecover.

Holy Moly!! I have never noticed the option for "Disable AutoRecover"! (and, therefore, I guarantee you that I have never checked that box!) but, sure enough, some of my workbooks have that box checked. I am not sure if this is because I am on a Mac, but I do not see this feature at all? I only have password options in the save options dialog. I'd like to have auto-recover set up for my files, but it currently seems like nothing works unless it is saved to Sharepoint/OneDrive and then it defaults to auto-saving and also seems to do the auto-recover as well.

There was no autorecover information file for this, but I went into the Save options, and "Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only" was ticked. I have since checked all my regularly used workbooks, and found a few of them were ticked in this manner. I'm very sure I did not set them that way. Holy Moly!! I have never noticed the option for " Disable AutoRecover "! (and, therefore, I guarantee you that I have never checked that box!) but, sure enough, some of my workbooks have that box checked. I unchecked on one .... and a backup file did appear in the right spot! HOWEVER....like you say... not all of those boxes are checked and AutoRecover Files are not being created. And, again like you say, certainly no AutoRecover files are being created for any of the new Workbooks I'm testing right now either. If you stare at the backup folder long enough, sometimes you see something (like a file name) flash on and off again - but no new AutoRecover file is ever created. (too quick to read it) I wonder if this is showing us something. Good to know that there's probably no point in reinstalling Office (if your experience is representative). OK, Microsoft.... time to fix this. (Meanwhile, thanks for pointing out a box that should never be checked as a default setting!)

I am also having this issue. I know that previously the "Save AutoRecover information every 4 minutes) was working, because it did occasionally present me with a choice of autosaved files. Yesterday my computer shut down while I had excel open, and one workbook on which I had done a fair amount of work. Usually I also save frequently. There was no autorecover information file for this, but I went into the Save options, and "Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only" was ticked. I have since checked all my regularly used workbooks, and found a few of them were ticked in this manner. I'm very sure I did not set them that way. In any case, they should be saving autorecover information now. I created a new "testing.xlsx" workbook. I added a lot of information to it, and I've had the AutoRecover file location open in another window and have been watching it. The file is set to save AutoRecover file information every 4 minutes. 16 minutes have elapsed and there is nothing in that file location. Should there not be a file there? You've indicated to reinstall Excel. The last time I did this, following the Microsoft instructions, My complete set of Office 365 applications were deleted. The reinstall as per Microsoft instructions didn't work, and eventually someone from Microsoft had to connect to my computer and to the reinstall that way. I have Windows 10 now on a relatively new laptop, so perhaps that has something to do with the problem.

I am also having this issue. Since the last update of Excel, it does not recover any of my files that are saved on my hard-drive -- the file has been saved and I do some work on it -- Excel crashes and all of my work is gone. If the file is saved on Sharepoint, it is auto-saved every five seconds (it seems) so it doesn't have this issue. Excel is crashing on me multiple times a day, even when running no other programs. Since the update earlier this month (I do the fast updates), I've had multiple issues, but this one in particular is unsettling. Unless I literally save after everything I type, I am guaranteed to lose work, because Excel is crashing so often.

Excel 2016 AutoRecover not working - NO files being saved to the AutoRecover File location

Anonymous

Document Recovery (AutoRecover) is not working for Excel 2016.

System:

Windows 8.1 64 bit

Microsoft Excel 2016 MSO (16.0.8528.2126) 64 bit

No fix even after a full Online repair of Office 2016 and, of course, all possible Office Updates.

After working for hours on several Excel documents (which had previously been saved with a file name etc.), the power went out in our building. When the power was restored and Excel reopened, I was presented with the expected list of Recovered Documents on the left side. HOWEVER, every single one of these were simply "the Original version" or "the version last saved by user" (something like that).

Meaning they did not contain ANY new data that had been entered since the last time I had saved them/reopened them despite the AutoRecover being set to 1 minute.

NOTES:

Document Recovery seems to be working for Word and PP.
The settings in Options>Save are all the same for all Office products: currently set to AutoRecover every 1 minute.
The ...AppData>Roaming>Microsoft>Excel folder contains no backup file/folder for new or reopened Excel Documents. Thank goodness, the AutoRecover does seem to be updating the equivalent folder for Word ("AutoRecovery save of DocumentX.asd" files get updated) and PowerPoint (the "pptXXX.tmp" file also updated).

Edit: This is obviously some MSOffice Bug. Of the multiple 'test' spreadsheets I've been playing around with to study this, exactly 1 of them seems to actually back up. But absolutely no other ones and none of my previously created sheets ever backup to AutoRecover.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

I finally found the right location of the autorecovery files for Mac users of Excel!

See: this post on this forum

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94 additional answers

Anonymous

2017-10-24T20:28:58+00:00

Holy Moly!! I have never noticed the option for "Disable AutoRecover"! (and, therefore, I guarantee you that I have never checked that box!) but, sure enough, some of my workbooks have that box checked.

I am not sure if this is because I am on a Mac, but I do not see this feature at all? I only have password options in the save options dialog.

I'd like to have auto-recover set up for my files, but it currently seems like nothing works unless it is saved to Sharepoint/OneDrive and then it defaults to auto-saving and also seems to do the auto-recover as well.
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Anonymous

2017-10-24T20:01:25+00:00

There was no autorecover information file for this, but I went into the Save options, and "Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only" was ticked. I have since checked all my regularly used workbooks, and found a few of them were ticked in this manner. I'm very sure I did not set them that way.

Holy Moly!! I have never noticed the option for "Disable AutoRecover"! (and, therefore, I guarantee you that I have never checked that box!) but, sure enough, some of my workbooks have that box checked.

I unchecked on one .... and a backup file did appear in the right spot!

HOWEVER....like you say... not all of those boxes are checked and AutoRecover Files are not being created. And, again like you say, certainly no AutoRecover files are being created for any of the new Workbooks I'm testing right now either. If you stare at the backup folder long enough, sometimes you see something (like a file name) flash on and off again - but no new AutoRecover file is ever created. (too quick to read it) I wonder if this is showing us something.

Good to know that there's probably no point in reinstalling Office (if your experience is representative).

OK, Microsoft.... time to fix this. (Meanwhile, thanks for pointing out a box that should never be checked as a default setting!)
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Anonymous

2017-10-24T19:04:00+00:00

I am also having this issue. I know that previously the "Save AutoRecover information every 4 minutes) was working, because it did occasionally present me with a choice of autosaved files. Yesterday my computer shut down while I had excel open, and one workbook on which I had done a fair amount of work. Usually I also save frequently. There was no autorecover information file for this, but I went into the Save options, and "Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only" was ticked. I have since checked all my regularly used workbooks, and found a few of them were ticked in this manner. I'm very sure I did not set them that way. In any case, they should be saving autorecover information now. I created a new "testing.xlsx" workbook. I added a lot of information to it, and I've had the AutoRecover file location open in another window and have been watching it. The file is set to save AutoRecover file information every 4 minutes. 16 minutes have elapsed and there is nothing in that file location. Should there not be a file there?

You've indicated to reinstall Excel. The last time I did this, following the Microsoft instructions, My complete set of Office 365 applications were deleted. The reinstall as per Microsoft instructions didn't work, and eventually someone from Microsoft had to connect to my computer and to the reinstall that way. I have Windows 10 now on a relatively new laptop, so perhaps that has something to do with the problem.
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Anonymous

2017-10-23T21:41:52+00:00

I am also having this issue. Since the last update of Excel, it does not recover any of my files that are saved on my hard-drive -- the file has been saved and I do some work on it -- Excel crashes and all of my work is gone. If the file is saved on Sharepoint, it is auto-saved every five seconds (it seems) so it doesn't have this issue.

Excel is crashing on me multiple times a day, even when running no other programs. Since the update earlier this month (I do the fast updates), I've had multiple issues, but this one in particular is unsettling. Unless I literally save after everything I type, I am guaranteed to lose work, because Excel is crashing so often.
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