Microsoft Word will save your files to the cloud by default

Microsoft Word for Windows is set to automatically save new documents to the cloud by default, with Microsoft saying autosave will be enabled as testing rolls out. The feature is currently being trialled by Microsoft 365 Insiders in the Beta Channel, who will receive it after upgrading to Word for Windows Version 2509 (Build 19221.20000) or later, released on Monday, August 28, 2025.

According to Raul Munoz, a Product Manager on the Office Shared Services and Experiences team, “Anything new you create will be saved automatically to OneDrive or your preferred cloud destination.” While the default will be OneDrive, users will also be able to select a folder on their own computer, and they can change how new files are created via the Save page in Word options.

The rollout will later extend to Excel for Windows and PowerPoint for Windows, with some known issues being addressed during testing, such as documents not automatically saving when a new Word session starts and delays refreshing recent files after renaming a document.