In the desktop editions, it does not auto-save. When you need to close the program you can either click on the File menu at the top left of the desktop program screen and then click on Save. Or you can either click on Exit or the X in the upper right of the screen and the program will ask you if you want to save the tax return, click on Yes.
The desktop version will not autosave. You will be prompted to save any time you close the return. You can also choose File from the menu and then Save.
I am seeing the opposite problem. On the 2024 Mac Desktop App version, it seems to Autosave even if you don't want that feature turned on. Example, I made one test change to a single TT form, closed TT, it then asks me to: "Save", "Revert Changes" or "Cancel". I clicked "Revert Changes" but it was too late because autosave had already updated the file. So in this case, TT saved changes I told it not to save.
I suggest Intuit should add a very clear option menu for users to toggle on/off any autosave feature on all versions of the desktop App. Then warn users that if autosave is on, the "Revert Changes" will not work as expected.
I have a related but not identical issue. I agree with the need for an adjustable auto-save. But in prior years, the program would create an extra backup copy of the tax file. These were identified by a curlicue at the beginning of the file name. This is not happening.
Main problem is that the initiation or start up screen was not able to find a file we had saved 4 days earlier, the last time we used the program. The OPEN function could not find it, so thinking it was lost I started another new filing. After redoing some data import and entry, I stopped. I turned off TT but saved the file, and used search function, and the file from 4 days ago was right there on my system. I clicked on the file and it opened inside TT. I should have restarted TT first, to see what it would do, but I did not.
There is an issue here. Another sign of a problem was that when I saved the second file (using auto populated file name), it did not ask if I wanted it to overwrite or replace the first file, indicated the program at that time did not know the first file existed. These programs are released with bugs so the users can ack as troubleshooters, thus the repeated updates right up to filing deadline.