How to Prevent the Possible Loss of Data in Microsoft Excel

Prevent data loss from sudden power failure or other unexpected shutdowns.

Microsoft Excel 2010 has the ability to save a copy of an open workbook at regular intervals to facilitate easy recovery in case of failure. The saved file will contain the most recent data entered into the workbook based on an interval that can be set for one minute increments between one and 120 minutes. Learn how to access the settings for this feature to ensure data is not lost in case of a hardware or power failure.

Instructions

1. Launch Microsoft Excel 2010.

2. Click "File" and "Options" from the menu bar.

3. Click "Save" from the "Excel Options" menu on the left.

4. Click the check box next to "Save AutoRecover Information Every" if it is unchecked and adjust the number of minutes to any number between one and 120. This number indicates how often, in minutes, a snapshot of the entire workbook is taken and saved to a temporary file location.

5. Click the check box next to "Keep the Last Autosaved Version if I Close Without Saving" if it is unchecked.

Tips & Warnings

• Save the Excel workbook regularly with the "Save" button on the left end of the title bar or by clicking "File" and "Save."

• Excel automatically prompts to open the "Autorecover" file if the power is lost or Excel closes unexpectedly the next time it is launched.

• Open the recovered file the first time the prompt appears if it contains information that must be retrieved.

References

• Microsoft Office: Getting Started with Excel