How to Control Autosave Frequency in WordPress with JetHost Total Care

WordPress automatically saves a draft of whatever you’re editing every 60 seconds. That safety net is useful, but on a busy site those constant background saves add database writes and extra load through admin-ajax.php. The JetHost Total Care autosave control lets you set a longer interval in one click – no code required.

What autosave does and why it exists

Autosave protects your work: if your browser crashes or you navigate away, WordPress keeps a recent copy of the post so nothing is lost. By default it runs every 60 seconds while an editor is open. The trade-off is that each autosave is a write to your database and a request to the server, so on sites with many editors – or on a tight hosting plan – very frequent autosaves can add measurable overhead.

Why change the interval

Lengthening the autosave interval – say to 120 or 300 seconds – cuts the number of background writes while still keeping a recent backup of your work. It’s a small, safe optimization that reduces database churn and admin-ajax requests, which matters most on content-heavy WordPress sites and busy editorial teams. On a well-resourced WordPress hosting plan the difference is modest, but it’s an easy win with no downside for most workflows.

How to control autosave frequency with JetHost Total Care

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Open the JetHost Total Care section from the sidebar.
3. Go to the Enhancements tab and find Control Autosave Frequency.
4. Enter the interval you want, in seconds (for example 120 or 300).
5. The change is saved automatically.

What happens after you change it

WordPress will simply autosave less often, at the interval you set. Your drafts are still protected – you just get fewer background writes. If you ever want the default behaviour back, set the value to 60 seconds. The setting applies site-wide, so every editor benefits from the lighter load.

Need more help?

Not sure which interval suits your site? Open a ticket through Client Area → Support and our team will help you tune it. Explore more JetHost Total Care guides to keep your WordPress site fast and lean.