Change your default Save As folder in Office

When you save a file in an Office application, the program opens the Save As dialog box with My Documents (in Office 2003) or Documents (in Office 2007) as the default folder to store it in. If you're saving an image, Windows wants to put it in My Pictures, and it wants to put audio files in My Music and videos in My Videos. (Vista uses the same folder nomenclature, minus the "My".)

You can stick with these if you wish, but I prefer to store my personal files on a USB thumb drive with folders organized by project rather than by file type. That way all the files for a project--regardless of type--are stored in the same place. It's easy to change the default save-as locations in Office and other Windows apps.

Microsoft Word: In Word 2003 and previous versions to 97, click Tools > Options > File Locations, highlight Documents (it may be chosen by default), and click Modify. Navigate to the folder of your choice, and click OK twice. In Word 2007, click the Office button, choose Word Options at the bottom of the window, click Save in the left pane, select Browse to the right of Default file location, browse to the folder of your choice, and click OK twice.

Reset the default file save-as location in Microsoft Word 2007.

Microsoft Excel: For all versions of Excel, start by opening Windows Explorer and navigating to the folder you want to store your worksheets in. Copy the folder path in the Address bar, open Excel, and in Excel 2003, click Tools > Options > General. In Excel 2007, click the Office button, choose Excel Options at the bottom of the window, and select Save in the left pane. In both versions, paste the folder path into the text box to the right of Default file location, and click OK.

Microsoft PowerPoint: As with Excel, start by opening Windows Explorer, selecting the folder you want to store your presentations in, and copying the path in the Address bar. Then open PowerPoint (2003 and earlier versions), click Tools > Options > Save, paste the folder path in the text field below Default file location, and click OK. In PowerPoint 2007, click the Office button, choose PowerPoint Options at the bottom of the window, select Save in the left pane, paste the folder path in the text field to the right of Default file location, and click OK.

I was hoping to find a way to change the default save folder for Microsoft Paint, but I haven't yet found the right Registry key to edit. I'll keep looking and let you know if I find it.

Tomorrow: a utility that lets you uninstall programs that Add/Remove Programs can't get rid of.

[djr1904]

I would like to know how to change the default save location in Outlook so that when I save email attachments it doesn't default directly to some temp folder buried deep within Windows. Give me that one and you'll be my personal hero.

[doreilly]

Note that the change requires a Registry edit, which can cause problems anytime, so you might want to create a restore point before you begin. With your Registry backed up, open Windows Explorer and select the folder you want to save your attachments in (you can skip this step if you know the folder path by heart). Copy the folder path in the Address bar. Next, click Start > Run, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate in the Registry Editor to this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders. Double-click Personal in the right pane, and paste the folder path you just copied into the text box (or type it in if you know what it is already). Exit the Registry Editor, and restart Outlook. This worked for me in both Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007. You'll find more information about this at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/252732.

[Mr._Jalvo_From_PA]

I've not been able to figure that one out either but I did come up with a workaround that helps. I put shortcuts to the places I want to save to in the Outlook Temp folder. That way as soon as the ''Save To'' box pops up I can select the right folder. You can find the location of the Temp folder by using the drop down box that also lets you navigate to a different location.

[GenieJan]

Thank you so much for this info. Like you, I file multiple types of docs in the same folder. My question is: When I do a Right Click on a photo to save it, how do I get my preferred directory path to appear instead of the usual "My Pictures"?

[slceravolo]

What happens when this change doesn't stick? The correct default shows in the options page but when I try to Save or Save As it goes back to the system default for documents. Any ideas?

[xixino1]

Hi, does anyone know how to change the default Save As location with Adobe?

[sbidaho]

I am using Vista but still using my Office 97 software. How can I get Word and Excel to let me set the default open and default save as locations so I don't always have to search for that particular folder?