SAVE, BACK UP, AND RECOVER A FILE IN MICROSOFT OFFICE

LS6 – Digital Citizenship

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, Office 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:

1. Press CTRL+S or select File > Save.
Tip: You can also select Save    on the Quick Access Toolbar.
2. You must enter a name for the file if you are saving it for the first time.
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: 
 You can also press F12 or select File > Save As to open the File menu.
 If you're used to using keyboard shortcuts when closing your document, such as ALT+F4, you can quickly
choose to "Don't Save" the file by using the keyboard accelerator key for that button (ALT+N).
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.

1. Press F12 or click File > Save a Copy

2. By default Office will save the copy in the same location as the original. If you're happy with the existing
location go on to step 3. If you want to save the new copy in a different location choose it at this point.
Location Description
Sites – [Your Company Name] SharePoint or Office 365 Groups document libraries
OneDrive – [Your Company OneDrive for Business
Name]
OneDrive – Personal OneDrive for consumers via your Microsoft account
This PC Your local device, including any connected hard drives or flash drives
Browse Opens the File Explorer so you can navigate to any location on your
computer.
3. Give your new copy a name and click Save.
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 format

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.
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.
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click Save As.
3. Choose a file location, such as OneDrive or This PC to store your file.
4. In the File name box, enter a new name for the file.
5. In the Save as type list, click the file format that you want to save the file in. For example, click Rich Text
Format (.rtf), Word 97-2003 (.doc), Web Page (.htm or .html), or
Comma Delimited (.csv).
For more information about how to save files in PDF
(.pdf) or XPS (.xps) formats, see Save or convert to PDF or XPS.

6. Click Save.
Back up and recover your files
How 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 OneDrive

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