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AutoRecover, Environment, Options dialog box

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Use this page in the Options dialog box to specify whether to automatically back up files or not. You can also specify if you want to restore modified files if Visual Studio shuts down unexpectedly.

To access this dialog box, go to Tools > Options > Environment > AutoRecover.

Screenshot of the AutoRecover section in the Options dialog box

Save AutoRecover information every [n] minutes

Use this option to customize how often a file is automatically saved in the editor. For previously saved files, Visual Studio saves a copy of the file in %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\BackupFiles\[projectname]. If the file is new and you haven't saved it yet, Visual Studio autosaves it by using a randomly generated file name.

Use this option to customize how often a file is automatically saved in the editor. For previously saved files, Visual Studio 2019 version 16.2 and later saves a copy of the file in %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\BackupFiles\[projectname]. If the file is new and you haven't saved it yet, Visual Studio autosaves it by using a randomly generated file name.

Note

If you are using Visual Studio 2019 version 16.1 or earlier, the file location is %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Visual Studio [version]\Backup Files\[projectname]. For more information, see the Visual Studio 2019 Release Notes History page.

Keep AutoRecover information for [n] days

Use this option to specify how long Visual Studio keeps files created for autorecovery.

See also