Son of Captain of the Guard Boris Ivanovich Buturlin, who died in 1708, and grandson of Boyar Ivan Vasilyevich Buturlin, he was raised by his older brother Pyotr Ivanovich Buturlin, known as "Prince Papa" under Peter I.

In 1714, he was enlisted as a soldier in the guard, and from 1716 to 1720 he studied at the Naval Academy, where he learned navigation, fencing, and foreign languages. In 1720, Peter I took him as a personal attendant, and Buturlin accompanied the tsar on campaigns against the Swedes and Persians, participating in battles and carrying out secret assignments.

Under Catherine I, he became a court junker, then a chamber junker, and finally a chamberlain of the Tsarevna Elizabeth, with whom he had a close relationship. Under Peter II, already a knight of the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky, he was promoted to major general and lieutenant of the Cavalry Guard Corps. However, after a conflict with Prince I. Dolgorukov, he was sent to Little Russia.

In 1731 and 1733, he participated in battles against the peoples of the Caucasus, and in 1735 he became the governor of Smolensk. In 1738, under the command of Minikh, he fought against the Turks, and then again took the post of governor of Smolensk.

Anna Leopoldovna promoted him in 1740 to General of the War Commission and General Lieutenant, and Elizabeth in 1741 appointed him the chief ruler of Little Russia. In 1742, due to the war with Sweden, he led troops in Estland, Livland, and Velikiye Luki and was promoted to General Field Marshal.

From 1742, he became a senator and Moscow Governor-General, although he often lived in St. Petersburg. In 1747, he received the title of General Adjutant, in 1749, the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment, and two years later, the Order of Saint Apostle Andrew the First-Called. In 1756, he became a field marshal and participated in a conference of ministers.

In 1760, Buturlin and his descendants received the title of count of the Russian Empire. During the Seven Years' War, when Commander Saltykov fell ill, Buturlin took command of the army. However, his caution and strained relations with the Austrian commander Laudon allowed Frederick to gain the advantage. The Empress expressed her dissatisfaction upon learning that the Prussian General Zieten had penetrated into Poland and destroyed the warehouses organized by Buturlin.

With the rise of Peter III, Buturlin was recalled from the army and again became the Governor-General of Moscow. Catherine II awarded him a diploma and a sword adorned with diamonds.

Alexander Borisovich Buturlin died in Moscow on August 30, 1767, and was buried in St. Petersburg at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.