Saving and Sharing Documents

Introduction

When you create a new document in Word, it's important to save your work so you can access and edit it later. Word allows you to save files to your computer or to the cloud using OneDrive. You can also export documents into different formats and share them directly with collaborators.

Save and Save As

Word offers two ways to save a file: Save and Save As. These options work in similar ways, with a few important differences:

• Save: When you create or edit a document, you'll use the Save command to save your changes. You'll use this command most of the time. When you save a file, you'll only need to choose a file name and location the first time.
• Save As: You'll use this command to create a copy of a document while keeping the original. When you use Save As, you'll need to choose a different name and/or location for the copied version.

About OneDrive

If you're signed in to your Microsoft account, Word will often set OneDrive as the default save location. OneDrive is online storage that allows you to access your files from any device. If you prefer to save to your computer, you can change the default settings.

To save a document:

1. Locate and select the Save command on the Quick Access Toolbar.

2. If you're saving the file for the first time, the Save As pane will appear in Backstage view.
3. You'll then need to choose where to save the file and give it a file name.

4. Click Save. The document will be saved. You can click the Save command again to save your changes as you work.

Using Save As to make a copy

If you want to save a different version of a document while keeping the original, you can create a copy. For example, if you have a file named Project Report, you could save it as Project Report - Revised so you can refer back to the original version.

AutoRecover

Word automatically saves your documents to a temporary folder while you are working on them. If you forget to save your changes or if Word crashes, you can restore the file using AutoRecover.

Exporting Documents

By default, Word documents are saved in the .docx file type. However, there may be times when you need to use another file type, such as a PDF or a Word 97-2003 document. It's easy to export your document from Word to a variety of file types.

Sharing Documents

Word makes it easy to share and collaborate on documents using OneDrive. In the past, if you wanted to share a file with someone, you could send it as an email attachment. While convenient, this system also creates multiple versions of the same file, which can be difficult to keep track of.

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Link Settings

Change who can access the link and whether they can edit or just view.

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Recipient

Type the name or email address of the person you want to share with.

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Message

Add an optional note to give context to your shared document.

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Send

Click here to send the link immediately via email.

Challenge!

1. Open a practice document.
2. Use Save As to create a copy of the document. Name the new copy Saving Challenge Practice. You can save it to a folder on your computer or to your OneDrive.
3. Export the document as a PDF file.

Frequently Asked Questions