What's the difference between AutoSave and AutoRecover?

AutoSave

AutoSave is a newer cloud-based feature. You can find it at the top left of any Office desktop app document window. When turned on, AutoSave will automatically save your file to your OneDrive.

AutoSave Tips

• Double-check that AutoSave is enabled, particularly if you are collaborating on the file with others. It is not always enabled by default. Enabling AutoSave will also allow you to see live edits by other collaborators. 
  • And while you can technically can open files from OneDrive and turn off AutoSave, it's not recommended as that can cause sync issues and data loss. 
• When you click to turn on AutoSave on a new file, it will by default save to the root folder of your OneDrive. If you'd like to move the file to another sub folder in OneDrive, you can click on the filename at the top of the document window. From there, click the Location dropdown and it will open a new window where you can browse to the folder you want to move the file to.
  

AutoRecover

This is an existing Office feature that periodically saves a temporary version of your file to your local computer. You can adjust the settings by doing the following in the Office app you want to customize:

1. Navigate to File, then click Options at the bottom left.
2. A new window will open. Navigate to Save in the left menu. 
3. Here you can change how often AutoRecover saves local copies of the files you are working on within the chosen app. You can also change the location for where it saves the AutoRecovered files. 
   

AutoRecover Tips

• If you need to AutoRecover a file, you can open the desired Office app, then navigate to File > Open. At the bottom of that window, you'll see a button to Recover Unsaved Workbooks. Any available AutoRecovered files for that app will be located in that folder. 
• If you set AutoRecover to save very frequently, your computer's performance may be affected. 
• If you don't have AutoSave enabled, remembering to save documents manually periodically is a good practice. (I personally use the Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut every few minutes or after every major change!)