Clever Clogs tip # 687
20 January 2022


Speed up saving files in your favourite folders (Microsoft Office 365) *

Last month I wrote a tip about how to set your shared drive as your default folder. It obviously doesn't have to be a shared drive ... it can be any folder you often work with.

But did you know there's a new way to set your Default Location, as well as a new approach to speed up the save process by using Pinned Folders?

Here's how:

  1. Click the Save button or press CTRL + S. (F12 is normally my favourite way, but that won't give you the new dialog box.)
  2. Expand the Choose a Location drop-down list.
  3. Hover over your favourite folder and click the Pin to list button that pops up.

Next time you save a file, your pinned folders will be near the top of your list.

If you click on the three dots instead of Pin to list you can set the folder as your default location.

By the way, if you don't like the new Save this file dialog box you can bring back the old one by checking the Don't show the Backstage when opening or saving files with keyboard shortcuts. With thanks to Jan Karel Pieterse for this bonus tip. For those of you who use Excel and are on LinkedIn, he's well worth following. (And not just because he's Dutch ;)

Related tips

  1. Set your shared drive as your default folder: tip_632.php
  2. Keep your documents within easy reach: tip_315.php
  3. Create a new folder on the fly from MS Office: tip_248.php

This week's CleverClogsTipTime on LinkedIn, in case you missed it ...

  1. Wish I had known F4 earlier!
  2. Speed up typing names such as Roné or Zoë


* Unless stated otherwise this tip is written for Microsoft 365 desktop apps and Windows 10 users, but might also be useful in Office 2010, 2013 and 2016.