How to Save a File

Learning Good Saving Practices

1. Save often. Programs crash, and often at the worst time. Protect yourself from losing hours of work by saving your files regularly. If you are making changes to a file but don't want to overwrite the original, use the "Save as" function to create a copy with a new file name.

   1. Many programs have an autosave function that will automatically save your file after a set amount of time. This can save you in a pinch, but should not replace actively saving often.

2. Name your saved files with useful names. When you first save a new file, you will be asked to create a name for the file. Make sure that the file name allows you to easily recognize the file, and contains any important information such as the date or the author of the file. This will help you find what you need when you're searching for a specific file on your computer.

3. Check the format when you save your file. When you save a file for the first time or use the "Save as" command to create a new copy, many programs will give you the ability to change the format of the file. This can usually be done by clicking the dropdown menu underneath the field for the file name.

   1. Checking for the file format is especially important when transferring files to someone who may not have the same version of the program that you do.

4. Organize your save folders. Most operating systems will create a Documents folder that your saved files will be automatically placed in by default. While this can be good to have a general idea of where your files are, taking the time to create a system of folders can help keep you afloat in a sea of files.

   1. Use folders to sort by file type, project, date, or any other criteria you want.
   2. Most modern versions of Windows use Libraries, which allow you to keep files of the same general type in one area. These libraries are not actually locations but are instead collections of files from across multiple locations.

5. Learn the keyboard shortcuts. You can cut down a lot of time if you learn the keyboard shortcuts for saving files, especially if you find yourself saving a lot. Pressing Ctrl+S (⌘ Cmd+S on Mac) will save your file in most programs.

   1. Many programs have shortcuts for the "Save as" function as well. These shortcuts will vary from program to program. For example, F12 will open the "Save as" dialog in Word, while ⇧ Shift+Ctrl+S will open it in Photoshop.

6. Backup your files. To prevent data loss in the even of a computer failure, make sure that you backup your saved files often. This means copying the saved files from your Documents folders onto an external hard drive or uploading them to a cloud storage service.

   1. See this guide for more details on backing up files.