Saving a file is critical for editing, preserving, and sharing your work. If the program closes or your computer shuts down unexpectedly while you are using Word, don’t worry. By default, Word automatically saves your work every 10 minutes and will reload that save upon reopening the program. However, it is still a good idea to save every once in a while. Show Practice Question
To save a file, you can click the Save icon in the top-left corner, click File>Save, or use the shortcut Ctrl+S (Command+S for Macs).  Click the save icon (above) or File>New (below). Whichever method you choose, you will see the backstage view with some option about where to save your file. (Pre-2016 versions of Word will skip straight to the dialog box—If this applies to you, skip ahead to the Save dialog box.) First, you must choose where you want to save your file.
Once in the Save dialog box, you can choose the folder you want to save your file in. Select that folder, then type a name for your file in the File name field. Ensure that you are saving the document as the correct file type. There are a variety of options to choose, but you will almost always choose Word Document (which is the default). Click Save in the bottom-left corner next to the Cancel button. Congratulations! Your file is saved! As you continue to edit your file, you can click the save icon, select File>Save, or use the shortcut Ctrl+S (Command+S for Macs) to save the file again. Practice Question
Save AsIf you have already saved a file, you can save another copy of it in a different location or with a different name or file extension. Click File>Save As and the Save dialog box will once again appear. You can save a file to a folder on your hard disk drive, a network location, the cloud, a DVD, the desktop, or a flash drive. While you must identify the destination, if it is different than the default folder, the saving process is the same regardless of what destination you choose. By default, Microsoft 365 programs save files in the default working folder. Additionally you can save a file in a different file format, such as RTF, CSV, or PDF. Saving a file to OneDrive or SharePoint allows you to access it on any device and enables features such as AutoSave and Version History, which can help prevent data loss if your file closes unexpectedly. To save your file:
Tip: Save your file to a cloud location, such as OneDrive or SharePoint, to be able to access it anywhere, collaborate with others in real-time, and access Version History. Microsoft 365Office 2016 - 2021Office 2013Office 2010 By default, if you're signed in, files are saved to your OneDrive. If you want to save the current file somewhere else, click the Location drop-down to see additional recently-used locations. If the location you want isn't there, you can open the full Save As window by selecting More save options. Tip: If you save your file to OneDrive or SharePoint, AutoSave will be enabled by default, so you don't have to remember to save as you go. If you'd like to change the default location for these saves to one of your other recently-used folders, select the Location drop-down, right-click the folder location you want to set as the default and select Set as Default Location. If you want to save to a location other than your recently-used folders, select More locations. If you haven't received this update yet, your Office applications will continue to use the File menu for saving. Tips:
Save a copy as a new file (Save As)Tip: If you're going to create a new file based on an existing file, but only want your changes saved in the new file, it's a good idea to Save a Copy before you've made any changes. That way your original file will remain unchanged and all your edits will be in the new copy. You can also right-click the original file and select Open a copy.
Your original file will be closed and you'll now be working in the new copy you just created. Tip: If you find yourself creating new files based on existing files often, you may want to use templates to make the process easier and safer. See Create a template for more information. Save as a different formatYou might want to save your file in another format so that you, or somebody else, can open the file in a different program or older version. For example, you might want to save your Word document as a Rich Text File (RTF) or your Excel workbook as a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file. Important: If you save an Office file in a format other than the Open XML format (such as .DOCX, .XLSX, or .PPTX) some connected experiences and modern features like AutoSave or Accessibility Checker won't work on that file.
Back up and recover your filesHow you back up and recover your files depends on where and when you saved it. To learn more about a feature, including which versions of Office support it, select the name of the feature in the table below. Saved to OneDriveFeatures AutoSave AutoSave saves your file automatically when a file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint in Microsoft 365. Version History Version History lets you view and restore previous versions of files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint in Microsoft 365. Back up with OneDrive On your Windows PC, you can back up your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders using OneDrive PC folder backup. Also see Files save to OneDrive by default in Windows 10. Restore your OneDrive (subscription only) You can restore your entire OneDrive to a previous time if your OneDrive files are deleted, overwritten, corrupted, or infected by malware. Restore deleted files or folders in OneDrive You can restore files and folders you deleted from your OneDrive. Saved to your deviceIf AutoRecover is turned on and your file closes unexpectedly, Document Recovery opens the next time you open the Office app. You can also recover an earlier version of an Office file. Important: Even if AutoRecover is turned on, you should save the file frequently while you're working on it to avoid losing data because of an unexpected power failure or other problem. You can , or in , or to in Office 2016. Save a copy as a new file (Save As)Tip: If you're going to create a new file, based on an existing file, but only want your changes saved in the new file it's a good idea to do the Save a Copy process first thing; before you've made any changes. That way your original file will remain unchanged and all your edits will be in the new copy.
Your original file will be closed and you'll now be working in the new copy you just created. Tip: If you find yourself creating new files based on existing files often, you may want to use templates to make the process easier and safer. See Create a template for more information. Choose a different location to save your fileDuring the Save, or Save a Copy, process described above you can choose a different location to save your file.
Save as a different, or older, formatYou might want to save your file in another format so that you, or somebody else, can open the file in a different program or older version. For example, you might want to save your Word 2016 document as a Rich Text File (RTF) or your Excel workbook as a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file.
Save as a copy, or to a different location in Office 2013.
Select what you’d like to do
When you use the Save As dialog box, you can also save the file to a new location by using the Navigation pane.
You can also use the Save As dialog box to rename a file or change the location of where you save the file by clicking a different folder. You might want to save your file in another format so that you, or somebody else, can open the file in a different program or older version. For example, you might want to save your Word document as a Rich Text File (RTF) or your Excel workbook as a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file.
If you are using Office 2010, you can save files in an earlier version of Microsoft 365 by selecting the version in the Save as type list in the Save As dialog box. For example, you can save your Word 2010 document (.docx) as a 97-2003 document (.doc). Notes:
For information about saving Microsoft Access 2010 .ACCDB files into the older .MDB format see Convert an .accdb database to an earlier file format.
Select what you’d like to do
When you use the Save As dialog box, you can also save the file to a new location by using the Navigation pane.
You can also use the Save As dialog box to rename a file or change the location of where you save the file by clicking a different folder. You might want to save your file in another format so that you, or somebody else, can open the file in a different program or older version. For example, you might want to save your Word document as a Rich Text File (RTF) or your Excel workbook as a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file.
If you are using Office 2010, you can save files in an earlier version of Microsoft 365 by selecting the version in the Save as type list in the Save As dialog box. For example, you can save your Word 2010 document (.docx) as a 97-2003 document (.doc). Notes:
For information about saving Microsoft Access 2010 .ACCDB files into the older .MDB format see Convert an .accdb database to an earlier file format. We're listeningThis article was updated January 29, 2020 as a result of your comments. If you found it helpful, and especially if you didn't, please use the feedback controls below to let us know how we can make it better. |
