Changing the WordPress auto-save interval

This article describes how to change the auto-save interval in WordPress.

About the WordPress auto-save feature

The WordPress auto-save feature periodically saves a draft of your post as you edit it. By default, WordPress saves a draft every 60 seconds.

However, there are situations where you may want to change this interval. For example, if you have a slow internet connection, you may want to increase the interval so your browser does not "hang" as frequently when WordPress saves a draft. Alternatively, if you want to minimize the chances of losing edits to a post, you can decrease the auto-save interval so WordPress saves them more frequently.

Changing the auto-save interval

To change the length of time that WordPress waits between automatically saving drafts, follow these steps:

1. Log in to cPanel.

2. In the Files section of the cPanel home screen, click File Manager.

3. Navigate to the directory where WordPress is installed.

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   Tip

   Typically, WordPress is installed in the public_html (document root) directory. However, if you installed WordPress in a subdirectory, navigate to that directory instead.

4. Right-click the wp-config.php file, and then click Edit.

5. Add the following line to the wp-config.php file. Replace X with the number of seconds you want WordPress to wait between saving drafts:

   define( 'AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL', X );
   

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   Note

   Make sure the auto-save line above comes before the following line in the wp-config.php file, or else the setting has no effect:

   require_once(ABSPATH. 'wp-settings.php');
   

6. Click Save Changes.