Magnetic Autotape is a system for digital information storage on magnetic tape using analogue and digital recording. It is primarily used for computer data storage and archival purposes, and nearly ubiquitous throughout the settled worlds. It was developed in -8 UT by the Theotech Corporation after a failed reverse engineering project of solid state NAND-Flash storage.

Autotape relies on a variable-gain tape head to read and write data. By adjusting the gain of the head, the drive can access different magnetic layers at varying depths within the tape substrate, rather than recording on the surface alone. This layered approach provides a degree of random access, since data stored at one depth can be read without sequentially scanning past data at another. The technique is most effective in smaller tape formats (typically sub-50), where the thinner substrate allows the head to distinguish between layers more reliably. In wider formats, increased crosstalk between layers makes depth selection less precise and may require additional error correction.

Autotape media is rewritable, with each layer independently overwritable by matching the gain level used during the original recording. However, repeated rewrites to a single layer can gradually degrade the signal quality of adjacent layers through magnetisation bleed. To prevent accidental data loss, most Autotape cartridges include a mechanical write-protection switch, usually a sliding tab, that disables the write circuit at the hardware level. Some later cartridge revisions also store a software write-lock flag in the tape header, which compatible drives read automatically on insertion.