Learn to Automatically Create an Excel Recovery File

The simplest way of ensuring that your valuable data stays protected is to save the file you are working on at regular intervals. Microsoft Excel will allow you to close all workbooks and programs in a very controlled manner even if it faces an occasional problem so that your files do not get corrupted. In spite of these precautions, it is possible that your files get damaged or corrupted. A power outage might mean that you are not able to save the changes to your file or a sudden hard disk crash could leave your current Excel files damaged beyond repair. In such cases, it is important to know how you can fix Excel files using the AutoRecover option.

Let us first quickly see at what steps we need to take in order to enable the AutoRecover option in Microsoft Excel. From the main 'Microsoft Office' button, you can view most of the prominent Excel options open to you by clicking on 'Excel Options'. Proceed to the 'Save' category and under the option titled 'Preserve backup information for your workbooks', you can select the checkbox next to 'Save AutoRecover information every ...' and specify the interval at which you would like the information to be saved. You should also specify the location where you would like this recovery file to be saved ' a place other than the current hard disk would be advisable ' in the box next to 'AutoRecover file location'. You have now given enough details for the program to start saving backup information that will prove immensely helpful to fix Excel files if they are ever damaged.

Another recovery option is to enable Excel to always create a back up file of the XLS file that you are working on. From the main 'Microsoft Office' button, you can select 'Save As'. When you click on the arrow next to 'Save As', you will be taken to the 'Tools' option, from where you can choose 'General Options' ' simply select the checkbox next to 'Always create a backup copy'.