Where Word saves files (134725)

MORE INFORMATION

When you click Save on the File menu, Word looks in the following places to decide which folder to display in the Save dialog box:

• Original folder
• Documents setting in the Options dialog box(on the Tools menu, click Options)
• "My Documents" folder

This same hierarchy is used when Word is installed as part of Microsoft Office.

Original Folder

When you save an existing document, Word always saves it in its original location. If you want to change where Word saves an existing file, open the file, click Save As on the File menu, and select a new location.

Documents Setting in the Options Dialog Box

When you save a new file, Word proposes that you save the file in the folder specified on the File Locations tab in the Options dialog box.

To change this setting, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the File Locations tab.
3. Click Documents, and click the Modify button.
4. Type the new path that you want Word to use for opening and saving documents.
5. click OK, and then click Close.

When you make this change, Word registers the location in the Windows registry with a DOC-PATH setting at the following registry location:

• Word 2003

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Word\11.0\Options

• Word 2002

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Word\10.0\Options

• Word 2000

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Word\9.0\Options

• Word 97

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Word\8.0\Options

• Word 95

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Word\7.0\Options

When Word is initially installed, this setting is left blank by the Setup program. If this setting is left blank (not modified), Word will use the last option in the hierarchy, the "My Documents" folder.

Once you modify the Documents setting, any changes you make in the File Locations tab in the Options dialog box will be registered here even if the setting is returned to the original location (My Documents). This setting will take precedence over the original "My Documents" folder that was set at installation.

My Documents

If the Documents field in the File Locations tab is blank, Word displays the "My Documents" folder in the Save dialog box.

This folder is created during Microsoft Word and Office for Windows setup, and it is registered in the Windows registry. All Office programs save files in this location.

To change where Office applications store their files, you must edit the Windows registry.

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
To edit the Windows registry:

1. On the Start menu, click Run.
2. Type REGEDIT, and click OK.
3. Step down through the registry as follows:

        HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
        \User Shell Folders
   					

4. Select Personal. On the Edit menu, click Modify, and type the Value Data to the desired path.
5. Exit the Registry.

Note Every time that you move to a different folder by using the File Open dialog box or by using code, that folder remains the default folder until you move to a different folder or until the Word session ends. This behavior is by design.