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.

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!)

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.

I'm sorry I do not know about Macs but, in case it is of any use, here is a picture of where that stupid box is in the window that opens when Windows users go to File>Options>Save... I truly hope that might help. This having no certain backup is really terrible.

Anna Bon... I'm wondering if you are still planning on following up on this issue - which is not resolved? Meanwhile, I have a further update. New workbooks I'm creating do not have that " Disable AutoRecover " box checked but they still do not save anything in AutoRecover. SOMETIMES, however, if I save the file first, then sometimes there will be backup files created in the folder. However, this is not predictable or reliable. Sure would be good to have Microsoft actually get involved here!

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

2017-10-24T20:01:25+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

2017-10-24T20:28:58+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

2017-10-24T20:41:32+00:00

I'm sorry I do not know about Macs but, in case it is of any use, here is a picture of where that stupid box is in the window that opens when Windows users go to File>Options>Save...

I truly hope that might help. This having no certain backup is really terrible.
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5 people found this answer helpful.

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Anonymous

2017-11-02T16:37:14+00:00

Anna Bon...

I'm wondering if you are still planning on following up on this issue - which is not resolved?

Meanwhile, I have a further update.

New workbooks I'm creating do not have that "Disable AutoRecover" box checked but they still do not save anything in AutoRecover. SOMETIMES, however, if I save the file first, then sometimes there will be backup files created in the folder.

However, this is not predictable or reliable.

Sure would be good to have Microsoft actually get involved here!
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2 people found this answer helpful.

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