That is controlled by the option "Always create backup copy" in the Tools >
Options > Save dialog (in Word 2007, Office button > Word Options > Advanced >
Save).
You have a couple of misconceptions, though: The backup is not saved when you
create a document, it's made each time you save *after* the first save (it's
just a renamed copy of the file as it was before you hit the Save button, so it
isn't the same as the latest copy). The backup does not "jam up your memory"; at
worst it clutters the hard drive a little, and you can delete the backups at any
time.
Most important, though, if you turn off the backups in a misguided attempt to
run "clean", the day will come when you'll mess up a document and wish you had a
backup.
A better backup (and a real copy of the current file, not a one-version-back)
can be made with fellow MVP Graham Mayor's macro at
http://www.gmayor.com/automatically_backup.htm. One of the things it does is to
save the backups to a different folder than the document's location, which means
you won't have to see them unless you go looking for one.
--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
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