Figured out how to turn off autosave in Excel? Yeah, it’s not as straightforward as just clicking a toggle, especially because Microsoft kinda loves automating everything these days. If you work with sensitive data, or just hate the constant “autosaved” messages that pop up, turning this off can give you a bit more control — but at the cost of forgetting to save manually now and then. The whole process involves digging through the options menu, and depending on your version, it might look a little different, but the core steps are generally the same. Just a heads up: sometimes, on certain setups, autosave might stubbornly stay on even after toggling it off, or require a restart of Excel to truly stick. That’s normal — Windows and Office love making things complicated.
How to Disable Autosave in Excel
Method 1: Via the Options Menu
- Why it helps: Takes control back from Excel, so you decide exactly when your file gets saved. This is useful when working on complex spreadsheets where every change matters, or if you’re just not a fan of the auto-saving interruptions.
- When it applies: Usually when autosave is enabled by default or if you keep seeing “saving” pop-ups constantly. It applies broadly, but especially with files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint.
- What to expect: After this, Excel stops autosaving online files, and you’ll have to hit Ctrl + S or save manually.
- How to do it:
- Open Excel first — doesn’t matter if it’s a blank file or one you’re working on.
- Click on the File tab at the top-left corner. Yeah, that menu that opens when you want to save or load.
- Scroll down and select Options. This opens the whole Excel settings window.
- In the new window, click Save on the left side.
- Look for the checkbox that says Autosave OneDrive and SharePoint Online files by default. Uncheck that.
- Hit OK.
This basically tells Excel to stop automatically saving files stored online. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary. Sometimes, you need to restart Excel after toggling this, just to make sure it sticks. On some machines, the autosave toggle refuses to turn off the first time, then suddenly works after a quick restart.
Method 2: Via the Quick Access Toolbar (if applicable)
- Why it helps: Easier if you don’t want to dig into menus every time. You can add the autosave toggle directly to your toolbar for quick access.
- When it applies: If autosave is enabled and you prefer toggling it off/on quickly without going through settings.
- What to expect: You’ll have a dedicated button that turns autosave on or off instantly.
- Steps:
- Right-click on the ribbon or the toolbar area, choose Customize Quick Access Toolbar.
- Select More Commands.
- Under “Choose commands from, ” select All Commands.
- Look for Autosave or similar; the naming depends on your version.
- Add it to the toolbar and click OK.
That makes toggling Autosave easier while working. Still, if the file is stored locally, autosave might not be enabled by default, so check if it’s turned on in the first place.
Tips on How to Disable Autosave in Excel
- Because autosave isn’t always perfect, try manual saving with Ctrl + S often, especially before closing files.
- If you’re working with big or sensitive datasets, think about re-enabling autosave later — but only when the risk of losing progress is low.
- Inform colleagues if a shared file no longer autosaves, so everyone’s on the same page about saving habits and avoiding conflicts.
- For files stored locally or on a corporate network, check if there are group policies or admin settings that override these preferences.
- ‘Cause of course, sometimes Excel ignores your preferences due to updates or sync issues. Keep an eye on that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I want to disable autosave in Excel?
Disabling autosave is handy if you’re dealing with sensitive information or want to avoid accidental revisions, especially if you prefer to manually control your save points or are working offline and don’t want cloud sync interruptions.
Can I still recover unsaved work after disabling autosave?
Yep, Excel still offers a built-in recovery feature. Check under File → Info → Manage Workbook or look for Recover Unsaved Workbooks. Not foolproof, but better than nothing if Excel crashes.
Does disabling autosave affect all Excel files?
Usually, yes, unless you specifically re-enable autosave for certain locations or files. It’s a global setting for the app — not per file.
How do I turn autosave back on?
Just reverse the process: go back into options and recheck the autosave box. Same steps, really. Easy enough, but sometimes Excel ignores your preferences at first — a restart might be needed.
What versions of Excel support autosave?
Autosave is a feature in Excel 2016 and newer, often tied to OneDrive and SharePoint cloud services. If you’re on an older version, don’t expect to see an autosave toggle in the same place.
Summary
- Open Excel and a file or a blank sheet.
- Go to File → Options.
- Navigate to Save.
- Uncheck Autosave.
- Click OK.
Wrap-up
Turning off autosave isn’t horribly complicated once you get the hang of it. It’s mostly about finding the right menu — which isn’t always obvious — and toggling a checkbox. Just remember: without autosave, you gotta develop the habit of hitting Ctrl + S regularly. Otherwise, lost work is just a sudden crash away. On one setup it worked immediately, on another, I had to restart Excel. Totally normal. Fingers crossed this helps someone avoid that nagging auto-save annoyance, at least until you decide to turn it back on.