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Program Options-Save dialog box

How to get there

Choose Edit > Program Options and select Save.

What it does

In this category, set Finale to save automatically at regular intervals, make backups while saving

or save preferences while quitting Finale.

Auto Save File(s) Every ___ Minutes. If you tend to forget to save your work to your hard disk every so often (by choosing Save from the File menu), Finale’s Auto Save command is a good safety net. When this feature is on, Finale will update a second copy (not the one you’re working on) at regular intervals. This second copy of your file is stored in the folder specified in the Folders page of the Document Options dialog box. Select this checkbox; in the text box, specify how often Finale should save your work to the duplicate copy of the file you have open. After the number of minutes you specified have passed, a message will appear, letting you know that Finale is saving your work. (This feature does not save your changes when you exit from Finale, however. Be sure to save changes to your primary file when you exit.)
Make Backups When Saving Files. If this option is selected, Finale will automatically save a backup copy of your file in the Backup folder specified in the Folders group box. If no folder is specified, the backup files are stored in the Music folder. Although the concept of a backup seems simple enough, it does warrant a little explanation. The first time you save a file, you have to give the file a name. All subsequent times you save this file, you are automatically replacing an earlier version of the file with the same name. When you turn the Make Backups When Saving Files feature on, and perform a Save command, this earlier version of the file is preserved as a backup. Therefore the backup is always one version behind your current file (in case you just saved something you shouldn't have). Keep in mind that the first time you save a file, no backup is made, since there isn't a previous version to preserve. Similarly, no backup is made when you perform a Save As function.
Save Preferences When Exiting Finale. This option is selected by default. When selected, Finale automatically saves your preferences each time you exit the application. However, if you prefer that Finale saves your preferences only on command, make sure this option is not selected. If that’s the case, Finale will only save your preferences when you choose the Save Preferences command from the File menu.