Default Save Location

[MC]

When create a new document the default save location is "Documents."

Is there a way to change that to Desktop? I don't see it in
Preferences/Save

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi MC -

You can't find it there because it's in Preferences> File Locations

However, I'd seriously urge you to reconsider saving documents directly to
the desktop - if for no other reason it quickly becomes a cluttered
organizational nightmare. Create your own folders & save the appropriate
files in them. The folders can be stored within the Documents folder or
anywhere you prefer & new folders can be easily created on the fly when
saving a new document.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[MC]

Hi MC -

You can't find it there because it's in Preferences> File Locations

However, I'd seriously urge you to reconsider saving documents directly to
the desktop - if for no other reason it quickly becomes a cluttered
organizational nightmare. Create your own folders & save the appropriate
files in them. The folders can be stored within the Documents folder or
anywhere you prefer & new folders can be easily created on the fly when
saving a new document.

I completely agree, and things don't stay on the desktop for long.

I keep aliases of all active folders on the desktop -- usually no more
than 6 at any given time. And once I have saved a file to the desktop I
drag it to the appropriate alias.

It's just easier with the way I have set up my files to do that than to
go looking in the Document folder -- because that *really* gets full of
unrelated files.

Anyway, thanks for the answer to the question.

 

[Clive Huggan]

I completely agree, and things don't stay on the desktop for long.

I keep aliases of all active folders on the desktop -- usually no more
than 6 at any given time. And once I have saved a file to the desktop I
drag it to the appropriate alias.

It's just easier with the way I have set up my files to do that than to
go looking in the Document folder -- because that *really* gets full of
unrelated files.

Anyway, thanks for the answer to the question.

Hello Matthew,

Food for thought?:

I save Word documents into a folder that I have titled "Recent saves", which
I have also dragged into the sidebar so that it shows in all Finder folders.

If I am working on a project I put an alias of that project's [Finder]
folder in the "Recent saves" folder. That way, when a saved Word document
chooses the "Recent saves" folder, I'm only one click away from the project
folder. Once the project has ended I get rid of the alias. Major projects
have their own folders in the sidebar too.

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
============

 

[MC]

I have also dragged into the sidebar so that it shows in all Finder folders.

If I am working on a project I put an alias of that project's [Finder]
folder in the "Recent saves" folder. That way, when a saved Word document
chooses the "Recent saves" folder, I'm only one click away from the project
folder. Once the project has ended I get rid of the alias. Major projects
have their own folders in the sidebar too.

I can see how that would work, but probably not for me... one of the
beauties of using computers is that we all have our own ways of getting
to the same destination -- and my habits are deeply ingrained. And they
work for me.

I have a kind of master folder within my user folder, which has
subfolders for all kinds of things. It's kind of my life in one place.

The subfolders I need for any given project and/or activity get aliased
and are on the desktop. Some are there all the time, others come and go.

I also use FruitMenu (which I rely on) to give me an Apple menu I can
drill down into without opening anything until I get to the one thing I
need.

 

[Clive Huggan]

I have also dragged into the sidebar so that it shows in all Finder folders.

If I am working on a project I put an alias of that project's [Finder]
folder in the "Recent saves" folder. That way, when a saved Word document
chooses the "Recent saves" folder, I'm only one click away from the project
folder. Once the project has ended I get rid of the alias. Major projects
have their own folders in the sidebar too.

I can see how that would work, but probably not for me... one of the
beauties of using computers is that we all have our own ways of getting
to the same destination
Exactly!

and my habits are deeply ingrained. And they
work for me.

Ditto -- albeit I'm always on the lookout, and have been given some valuable
ideas here...

I have a kind of master folder within my user folder, which has
subfolders for all kinds of things. It's kind of my life in one place.

Yes, I didn't mention my structure of *actual* folders; I was only referring
to my route for saving new documents that weren't created in the folder I
wanted. In reality I usually duplicate a similar document *within* the
project folder and it therefore saves itself within its correct folder. Or I
Option-drag a blank document from a prominent location into the folder for
the project. Or drag the icon at the top of the saved file's window when
it's open. And so on.

Far more often I use the technique of "aliases in the same special folder
each time" that I mentioned to do a Word document comparison (which I often
include with an amended document in the closing stages of a project, when
changes are few and far between): I Command-Option-drag the icon into the
special folder so that when I initiate "Compare documents" the resulting
window shows the alias.

But let me not proselytize! ;-)

The subfolders I need for any given project and/or activity get aliased
and are on the desktop. Some are there all the time, others come and go.

I have avoided putting my equivalents on the desktop so that the task for my
PowerBook to re-draw the desktop is lessened.

I also use FruitMenu (which I rely on) to give me an Apple menu I can
drill down into without opening anything until I get to the one thing I
need.

Interesting. Thank you, Matthew.

CH
===