Excel 2021 Professional Plus activated and connected to OneDrive, but AutoSave toggle is missing

Question

Excel 2021 Professional Plus activated and connected to OneDrive, but AutoSave toggle is missing

Frank Reiter 0

Hello,

I am using Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2021.

Product status:

Activated successfully
Updated to Version 2605 (Build 16.0.20026.20076)
Signed in with Microsoft account
OneDrive connected and working
Files are stored in OneDrive

Problem:

AutoSave is available and working in Microsoft Word.

However, AutoSave is completely missing in Microsoft Excel.

What has already been verified:

Office is activated.
Microsoft account is signed in.
OneDrive is connected.
Excel files are stored inside OneDrive folders.
New workbooks created directly in OneDrive do not show AutoSave.
Existing workbooks and newly created workbooks behave the same.
Excel version is: Microsoft Excel 2021 MSO Version 2605 Build 16.0.20026.20076 32-bit
Word in the same Office installation displays AutoSave correctly.
Outlook, Word and other applications work normally.
No policy settings were intentionally configured.

Question:

Why is AutoSave available in Word but not available in Excel on the same Office installation and Microsoft account?

Thank you.

Komentarze: 0

Odpowiedzi: 4

Twoja odpowiedź

Answer 1

Disclaimer: Since you are using English for this post, I will respond in the language you are using. As this is the Polish forum, you are welcome to let me know if you need me to respond in Polish. I respond in the language you are comfortable with.

Hello Frank Reiter

Thank you for sharing the detailed information about this issue.

Since you are using Office Professional Plus 2021, please note that AutoSave is mainly available for Microsoft 365 subscribers when files are saved in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online.

This means that even if Office is activated, OneDrive is connected, and the workbook is saved in OneDrive, Excel may not show the AutoSave toggle under a perpetual Office 2021 license.

However, because Word shows AutoSave while Excel does not, it is also worth checking whether Excel is being affected by a workbook-specific or app-specific condition. Here are some quick checks for you:

Make sure the workbook is saved as .xlsx, not .xls.
Open the file from Excel > File > Open > OneDrive, instead of opening it from File Explorer or Recent files.
Go to File > Options > Save and check whether the AutoSave option is available or disabled.
Start Excel normally, not with Run as administrator, as elevated mode can prevent Office from communicating correctly with OneDrive.
Temporarily disable Excel add-ins from File > Options > Add-ins to test whether an add-in is blocking AutoSave.

If AutoSave still does not appear in Excel after these checks, it is likely due to license feature availability or an Excel-specific limitation/setting, rather than an activation or OneDrive connection issue.

As a workaround, you can continue using Ctrl + S and make sure AutoRecover is enabled under File > Options > Save to help protect your work.

I hope this helps clarify why AutoSave may appear in Word but not in Excel.

Feel free reply back to this post if you need further assistance, I'll be happy to help

Answer 2

Frank Reiter 0

Thank you for your reply.

I understand that AutoSave is mainly associated with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

However, in my case AutoSave is available and working correctly in Microsoft Word 2021 using the same Microsoft account and the same OneDrive location.

Additional information:

Word displays the AutoSave toggle normally.
Excel does not display the AutoSave toggle at all.
Files are stored in OneDrive Personal.
Excel files are saved as .xlsx.
Excel is not running as administrator.
Add-ins were tested and disabled.
Office is fully activated.
OneDrive synchronization is working correctly.

Because AutoSave works in Word but is completely missing in Excel, this appears to be an Excel-specific issue rather than a licensing limitation.

Additionally, I recently discovered that after an Office repair/update, my Office installation changed from 64-bit to 32-bit. AkrutoSync, which had been working for years, now reports:

"Incompatible version. Please install 32-bit version of AkrutoSync."

Could the change from Office 64-bit to 32-bit be related to the missing AutoSave toggle in Excel?

Thank you.

Frank Reiter 0 Punkty reputacji

2026-06-02T08:47:22.0233333+00:00
Thank you.

I have already verified all suggested points:

.xlsx format

OneDrive location

Excel not running as administrator

Add-ins disabled

AutoRecover enabled

However, Word 2021 on the same Office installation and the same Microsoft account displays AutoSave correctly, while Excel 2021 never displays the AutoSave toggle.

Additionally, I discovered that after an Office repair/update the installation changed from 64-bit to 32-bit. AkrutoSync now reports an architecture mismatch.

Could this architecture change be related to the missing AutoSave feature in Excel?
Xavier-D 13,745 Punkty reputacji Pracownicy zewnętrzni firmy Microsoft Moderator

2026-06-02T23:53:26.34+00:00
Hello Frank Reiter

Thank you for the detailed update.

The bit-version change is definitely worth noting. Based on Microsoft documentation, the switch from 64-bit to 32-bit Office is explicitly documented to affect add-in compatibility

Because the Office architecture changed unexpectedly and AkrutoSync now no longer matches, reinstall Office in the intended bit version to restore add-in compatibility and rule out an installation inconsistency. Changing between 32-bit and 64-bit requires uninstalling the current bit version first, then installing the required one. You can refer to here on how to reinstall:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/download-and-install-or-reinstall-office-2021-office-2019-or-office-2016-7c695b06-6d1a-4917-809c-98ce43f86479

If AutoSave is still missing only in Excel after reinstalling the correct Office bit version, then it would be reasonable to treat this as an Excel-specific client issue and contact Microsoft Support for further assistance:

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.

Open a website link - Contact - Microsoft Support

In the box below "We're here to help", type Microsoft 365, click "Get Help", and then click "Contact Support" below.

In this section, you will need to sign in to your Microsoft account.

Select "Microsoft 365 and Office" under Products & Services, select "Technical Support" as the category, and click to confirm

You can select " Chat with a support agent in your web browser " to access the chat window.

Answer 3

Frank Reiter 0

Thank you for your reply.

I agree that the unexpected change from 64-bit Office to 32-bit Office may be the key issue.

Before proceeding with another Office reinstall, could you please advise:

Is there an official Microsoft tool recommended for completely removing the current 32-bit Office installation before reinstalling the 64-bit version?

What is the recommended source for downloading and reinstalling Office Professional Plus 2021 64-bit?

Do you have any recommendations regarding the reinstall procedure to avoid losing activation and existing Outlook profiles?

My Outlook profile, PST file and all accounts have now been successfully restored, so I would like to minimize the risk before performing another Office reinstallation.

Thank you.

Xavier-D 13,745 Punkty reputacji Pracownicy zewnętrzni firmy Microsoft Moderator

2026-06-03T23:46:49.67+00:00
For your questions:

Official removal tool: The Office uninstall troubleshooter (the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant uninstall flow) can be used to remove Office 2021 completely from the same Windows PC before reinstalling.

Official download source: If the license is already linked to your Microsoft account, the official reinstall source is the Microsoft account dashboard, where the 64-bit version can be selected during installation.

If the product key is still being redeemed for the first time: the key should be redeemed first through https://setup.office.com/?ms.officeurl=setup, and then Office can be installed from the associated Microsoft account.

To help reduce risk before reinstalling, these precautions would be helpful:

Back up Outlook data first by exporting mail, contacts, and calendar to a**.pst** file before uninstalling Office. This is a supported backup method. Refer here for instructions

Do not store the backup .pst in OneDrive. Outlook .pst files in OneDrive can cause sync issues.

Use the same Microsoft account that originally activated Office when reinstalling. In many cases, Office activates again when an app is opened and the same account is used after installation.

If Office was installed from the Microsoft Store, the reinstall source should be the Microsoft Store Library instead of the standard Office installer flow. Refer here for instructions

Answer 4

Frank Reiter 0

Hello Xavier,

Thank you for all the advice. Is it worth using MS software to remove the previous version of Office 2021 or other remnants, such as Office 2007?
Best Regards
Frank Reiter

Xavier-D 13,745 Punkty reputacji Pracownicy zewnętrzni firmy Microsoft Moderator

2026-06-05T00:26:33.08+00:00

Yes, it would be worth using the official Office uninstall troubleshooter before reinstalling Office 2021 64-bit. It is designed to remove Office 2021 more thoroughly than a normal uninstall and can help clear leftover Office components that may interfere with a clean reinstall.

If Office 2007 or any older Office version still appears in Installed apps or Programs and Features, removing that as well would help give the system a cleaner starting point before reinstalling.
Frank Reiter 0 Punkty reputacji

2026-06-05T08:06:33.5133333+00:00

Ok., thank you. Can you provide me with a reliable download link for this Office uninstaller and remnants? Using this program won't delete the Profile with accounts saved in the Control Panel. Reactivating it with the old Outlook settings and email accounts took 5 minutes. I wouldn't want to lose that ability.
Xavier-D 13,745 Punkty reputacji Pracownicy zewnętrzni firmy Microsoft Moderator

2026-06-06T01:37:09.8766667+00:00
Hello Frank Reiter

Yes, you can use the official Office uninstall troubleshooter to remove the current Office installation more thoroughly before reinstalling. Here is the official link:

https://aka.ms/SaRA-officeUninstallFromPC

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/uninstall-microsoft-365-or-office-from-a-pc-9dd49b83-264a-477a-8fcc-2fdf5dbf61d8

For reinstalling, the correct download source depends on how Office Professional Plus 2021 was licensed:

If it was linked to a Microsoft account, sign in to your account and install from there: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/download-and-install-or-reinstall-office-2021-office-2019-or-office-2016-7c695b06-6d1a-4917-809c-98ce43f86479

If it is a volume-license / Professional Plus installation, the valid installer usually comes from the organization’s licensing portal or the source originally provided with that license.

Regarding your Outlook profile, I could not find an official article that explicitly confirms the uninstall tool will always keep the Control Panel > Mail profile unchanged. Since your Outlook accounts and settings are working again, the safest approach would be:

Export Outlook to a .pst backup first:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/export-emails-contacts-and-calendar-items-to-outlook-using-a-pst-file-14252b52-3075-4e9b-be4e-ff9ef1068f91

Keep that .pst outside OneDrive

Run the uninstall troubleshooter

Restart Windows

Reinstall the correct 64-bit Office edition from the proper source for your license

That way, even if the profile needs to be recreated, your Outlook data is still protected.

Best regards
Xavier-D 13,745 Punkty reputacji Pracownicy zewnętrzni firmy Microsoft Moderator

2026-06-10T07:35:44.0566667+00:00

Hi,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the previous replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.