Autosave Microsoft Word and Review Version History

Microsoft Word on Mac OS X doesn't support autosave or versions. It does support AppleScript though, so you can have a script run periodically to force a save. While you could save every X minutes, I prefer to schedule the save after I've stopped typing for a few seconds. This way, the save operation doesn't interrupt while I work.

I use a clever utility app, Scenario ($5, Mac App Store) to schedule AppleScripts which should be run whenever the Mac goes idle for 10 seconds. The following AppleScript snippet will save all open Microsoft Word documents, and should be placed in the ~/Library/Scenario folder used by the Scenario app.

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Scenario app can be used to schedule AppleScripts to run at specific events such as login, logout or when your Mac goes idle. Click icon to see app on Mac App Store.

tell application "Microsoft Word"
    if it is running then
        set alldocs to documents
        repeat with i from 1 to count of alldocs
             set adoc to item i of alldocs
             save adoc
        end repeat
    end if
end tell

I use such scripts to automatically save all open documents in OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner and other document-based apps. If you're familiar with Keyboard Maestro, the powerful automation utility on Mac OS X, you may prefer the approach described on TUAW.com to autosave Microsoft Word documents.

Draft Control keeps track of every save and shows you differences between any two versions. Click icon to see app on Mac App Store.

For access to past versions, I'm using a new app, Draft Control, which keeps a history of every document you want it to track. It has a convenient text-comparison feature where you can focus on the specific content changes between versions. It works with both Microsoft Word and Apple Pages. Using this app makes it possible to boldly delete "dead content" in my documents, knowing that I can retrieve or review it from past versions, if so required.

Alternatively, you can tap into version history by keeping your Microsoft Word documents in folders synced by Dropbox or OneDrive. You need to log onto the website to access past versions of your synced files.