set new "autosave" toggle to off by default

Hi Jonathan,

The AutoSave is a new feature available for Office 365 subscribers wherein changes made on the file are saved in every few seconds. Regarding your concern, we cannot turn off the AutoSave feature by default in Excel 2016. However, we can turn this off to a file and Excel 2016 will keep it every time you reopen that file. To know more about the AutoSave feature and the FAQ's about it, feel free to check this link.

Let us know if you need further assistance.

I am joining the scores of replies to voice my frustration, too, with the new AutoSave "feature".  Completely annoying and had to restore a prior version of a Master document because of it.  Who decided this "feature" was something everyone would appreciate to the point where you cannot even set it to default "off"?!  I hope the Microsoft folks are listening to their paying customers' complaints and reversing this unwanted feature.

Over the years I have frequently seen evidence of Microsoft's arrogance in updating their software in a way that forces users to change to the MS-preferred way of working. This is just another example. They don't seem to have learned anything since the last time they implemented AutoSave in Excel 97, in 2001 - see https://support.microsoft.com/en-nz/help/213943/how-to-use-autosave-in-excel .

They don't seem to consider that many users do not operate with cheap, reliable, fast internet connections. Nor do the majority work in an on-line collaborative environment (unlike MS itself?) where AutoSave would offer some minor advantage over the AutoRecovery and document sharing of the previous release of Office365..

Hi Jonathan,

The AutoSave is a new feature available for Office 365 subscribers wherein changes made on the file are saved in every few seconds. Regarding your concern, we cannot turn off the AutoSave feature by default in Excel 2016. However, we can turn this off to a file and Excel 2016 will keep it every time you reopen that file. To know more about the AutoSave feature and the FAQ's about it, feel free to check this link.

Let us know if you need further assistance.

I am joining the scores of replies to voice my frustration, too, with the new AutoSave "feature".  Completely annoying and had to restore a prior version of a Master document because of it.  Who decided this "feature" was something everyone would appreciate to the point where you cannot even set it to default "off"?!  I hope the Microsoft folks are listening to their paying customers' complaints and reversing this unwanted feature.

Bless you :)

Hello Simon,

To disable the AutoSave feature in your Office 365 is ideal. You may please raise this as a feedback ticket in Office365 UserVoice.

Meanwhile, we would like to set your expectation that in Office 365 ProPlus, you can disable it by adding registry items. You may check this link that talks about How to disable AutoSave in Office 365 ProPlus.

Note: You can turn AutoSave Off for a file, and the program will remember to keep it off every time you reopen that file. This method will require discipline. If you switch it back On for a file, it will remember to keep in on for that file. See more here.

Best regards.

It's extremely annoying to have as a default. I often open an old spreadsheet to use as a basis of a new file. If I forget to do a save as immediately I have to go back through the document history to restore the original file. Very annoying and time consuming.