My copilot will not work.

Question

I am in EXCEL and trying to use copilot but get this message.

AutoSave is turned off. I only work with files that have AutoSave turned on. Turn it on to continue.

And then there is a button to turn it on.

I click on the button and nothing happens.

And BTW, AutoSave is actually already turned on.

***Moved from Microsoft 365 and Office / Excel / For business / Windows***

Answer 1

Hello, Deedee Stroud.

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

It sounds like you're facing an issue with Excel's Copilot feature where it's not recognizing that AutoSave is already turned on. Here are some troubleshooting steps to resolve this problem:

**1.**Ensure the File is Saved in OneDrive

• Copilot and AutoSave require your file to be stored in a cloud location like OneDrive or SharePoint. Local files saved on your computer will not allow AutoSave to work. Verify that the file is saved to the correct location by checking:
  • Click on File > Option.
  • Go to the tab of Save, Ensure the option of AutoSave files stored in the Cloud by default in Excel has checked.

2. Clear Excel Cache

• If Excel is still not working as expected with AutoSave, clearing the cache may help. You can do this by:
  • Closing Excel.
  • Navigating to %appdata%\Microsoft\Excel in File Explorer and deleting the XLStart folder contents.
  • Reopen Excel and try again.

3. Reset the Excel regedit value

Sometimes the wrong registry key may not allow Microsoft Excel and your Copilot Pro to work correctly. Please try to rename your Excel specific key and it will be automatically generated the next time you open it.

Press Windows+R > type regedit.exe > then copy and paste the following path, rename the Excel folder (right-click it and select Rename, for example, rename Excel to Excelold);

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Excel

After performing the above operations, check the problem.

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, h**owever, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.**For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click here to view the article.

For more detailed troubleshooting directly from Microsoft, you can visit the AutoSave Troubleshooting Guide.

Let me know if you need further assistance!

Best Regards,

Hannah.Z- MSFT |Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Dear respected Deedee Stroud,

Good morning! Thanks for posting in the Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

I'm sorry that you're having a uncomfortable experience using Copilot in Excel, and from the situation you've encountered, we deeply understand the inconvenience caused and apologize for it.

According to your description, I understand your concern and I would like to collect more detailed information to better investigate the scenario, and in order to protect your privacy, I just sent you a private message, please access the private message by clicking this icon.

I appreciate your patience and understanding, and I appreciate your time and cooperation.

Sincerely

Mia