Thread: Change the DefauLt Location Where ExceL Saves FiLes

Save to save a new file in Excel, the program will immediately offer to save the file in your Documents folder, by default. But throwing all of your Office files into a giant, disorganized shoebox isn't my idea of an efficient filing system. Instead of doing that, you should set up a sepa¬rate folder for work projects and save your spreadsheets there.

Suppose that most of your spreadsheets belong in a folder named 'Forecasts'. Anytime you need to create a new worksheet, you'll want the Forecasts folder to be the default save location for the new Excel filii. To accomplish this result, start by launching Excel 2007 and clicking the Office button at the upper left. Click theExcel Options button at the bottom of that window.

In the Excel Options window, choose the Save option from the left-hand column. The top section of the right-hand pane is labeled' Save workbooks', and the last line is labeled 'Default file location'. Delete the entire contents of that box, and then type C:\Forecasts to establish the Forecasts folder as your default choice. Choose OK to save the setting and return automatically to Excel.



While in the Excel Options window, you may also want to alter another useful file setting. If you have to exchange Excel workbooks with other users, not all of whom use Excel 2007, you should save your files in the .xls file format (which versions of the spreadsheet app from Excel 97 through Excel 2003 work with) rather than saving them in the .xlsx format (which first appeared in Excel 2007).

You could try to remember to save files in the older format each time you create a new workbook, or you could use the 'Save files in this format:' box to change the default file format to .xls. Of course, you could always click File¬Save As after the fact to specify a different f6rmat when you need it, but changing the default file format to the more universal .xls helps you avoid having to Repeat that step over and over.