About places to save files

You can save the file you're working on, whether it's new or has been saved before, and you can also save a copy of the file with a different name or in a different location. You can save any file as a Single File Web Page (MHTML) (Single File Web Page (MHTML): An HTML document saved in MHTML format, which integrates inline graphics, applets, linked documents, and other supporting items referenced in the document.) so that it can be viewed and used on the Internet.

My Documents

When you open the Open and Save As dialog boxes after starting a Microsoft Office program, the My Documents folder appears by default. The My Documents folder is a good place to save files you're working on, such as documents, worksheets, or databases.

My Network Places

My Network Places, which is located on the My Places bar (Places bar: The bar on the left side of certain dialog boxes (such as Open, Save As, or Insert Picture) that contains shortcuts to the My Recent Documents, Desktop, My Documents, My Computer, and My Network Places folders.) in the Open and Save As dialog boxes, is a good place to save files you want to copy or publish (publish: To save a copy of a file in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format to a Web server.) to folders on network file servers or Web servers. Saving files to a server (server: On a local area network, a computer that controls access to all or part of the network and its resources, such as printers. On the World Wide Web, a computer running Web server software that responds to HTTP protocol requests. Also called a host.) allows others easy access to them.

With a fast save, your Microsoft Office program saves only the changes to a file. Saving only the changes takes less time than a full save, in which the complete, revised file is saved. A full save, however, requires less disk space than a fast save. You should do a full save when you finish working in a file and save it for the last time. Save Options are available in the Save As dialog (Tools menu) that allow you to enable or disable fast saves, as well as select other options.

Note The Allow fast saves option is only available for Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Add a place to store your files

The My Places bar is on the left side of some dialog boxes, such as Save As, Open, and Insert Picture, that allows you to specify a folder where you want to store your files. You can use the My Places bar to help save time getting to your folders and help make it easier to access your files in your various folders. After you update the My Places bar in one dialog box, the changes are available in the other dialog boxes with the My Places bar.

Notes

• The Insert Picture dialog box shows the My Places bar when you insert a picture from a file (Insert menu, point to Picture, From File command).
• Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 has the My Places bar only in the Save As and Insert Picture dialog boxes. To see the My Places bar in the Insert Picture dialog box, you need to have a message open.

By default, the My Places bar contains shortcuts to the My Recent Documents, Desktop, My Documents, My Computer, and My Network Places folders. You can add up to 256 folders to the My Places bar. You cannot add files to the My Places bar.

1. To choose a folder, use the Save in list.

2. The location of the My Places bar.

3. To add your folder to the My Places bar, click the folder you want by using the Save in list, and then click Add to "My Places" on the Tools menu.

4. To see more folders that you added to the My Places bar, click the arrow.

Add a shortcut to the My Places bar

1. On the File menu, click Save As.
2. In the Save in list, click the drive, folder, or Internet location that contains the folder that you want to create a shortcut to in the My Places bar.
3. Click the folder that you want to add to the My Places bar.
4. On the Tools menu, click Add to "My Places".
   Your shortcut appears at the bottom of the My Places bar.

Remove a shortcut to the My Places bar

1. On the File menu, click Save As.
2. On the My Places bar, right-click the shortcut that you want to remove, and then click Remove on the shortcut menu.

Note You can remove only the shortcuts that you added to the My Places bar. You cannot remove the default shortcuts, such as My Documents, unless you edit your Microsoft Windows Registry. For more information about how to remove the default shortcuts, refer to the See Also section of this article.

Rearrange shortcuts on the My Places bar

1. On the File menu, click Save As.
2. On the My Places bar, right-click the shortcut that you want to move, and then click Move Up or Move Down on the shortcut menu.

Change the size of icons on the My Places bar

1. On the File menu, click Save As.
2. Right-click the My Places bar, and then click Small Icons or Large Icons on the shortcut menu.