How to set up "pick up where you left off" in a word doc (and please don't advise shift + F5)

No specific setup will be required for this to work. However, you won't see the "Welcome Back // Pick up where you left off" prompt unless the previous edit was made after page one. It follows that the function won't work with single page documents.

This feature is available for local files as well as those in OneDrive and DropBox.

It takes you to the last editing point, not to the last cursor or viewing point. If you move around much in a document without editing, it will lose track.

I know of no way to set this in a particular document. However, you can press the spacebar, or any character, and then backspace to delete the character and save and close the document to set the return point.

The smaller icon, without the message, persists for much longer.

Hello @Dr. M. Isabelle Dugast,

Thank you for your question and for explaining your situation so clearly. I completely understand how useful the “Pick up where you left off” feature can be, especially when working on long documents. 

Based on my research and testing, this functionality works when two conditions are met: 

1. You are signed in with your Microsoft account in Word. 
2. The document is saved on OneDrive or SharePoint. 

When these conditions are in place, Word will automatically display a prompt such as “Welcome back, pick up where you left off” or a small bookmark icon on the right-hand side of the scroll bar when you reopen the document. Please note that this prompt may only stay visible for a few seconds. 

I tested this on my side with a file saved on OneDrive while signed in to a Microsoft account, and the feature worked as expected. 

Unfortunately, there is no permanent setting to enable this feature for local files only, as it relies on cloud synchronization to track your last position. 

To assist you further, could you please confirm whether you are signed in with a Microsoft account and if your document is stored on OneDrive or SharePoint? I look forward to your response so I can assist you further if possible. 

Best regards, 

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.