Automatically save and recover files

AutoSave, a feature that is available in Mac OS X Lion, saves your file automatically on a periodic basis. You can set how frequently files are saved. For example, if you set AutoSave to save every 5 minutes, you may recover more information in the event of data loss — such as from a power outage — than if it's set to save every 10 or 15 minutes. By default, AutoSave saves Office files every 10 minutes.

AutoRecover, a feature that is available in some Office applications, attempts to recover files automatically in the event of data loss. AutoRecover uses the same save interval as AutoSave.

Do any of the following:

Change how frequently files are automatically saved

1. On the Excel menu, click Preferences.

2. Under Sharing and Privacy, click Save .

3. Select the AutoSave or AutoRecover info every check box, and then enter how frequently you want Excel to save workbooks.

Find an automatically saved or recovered file

The next time that you open an application, files in the AutoRecovery folder are listed in the Open Recent list. Or you can find the files in the /Users/username/Library/Application Support/ Microsoft/Office/Office 2011 AutoRecovery.

• In the Finder, find automatically saved files in /Users/username/Library/Application Support/ Microsoft/Office/Office 2011 AutoRecovery.

  Note  If you close a file and click Don't Save, the file is deleted from the AutoRecovery folder.