How to Create and Save a Microsoft Word Document
 
When you open Microsoft Word, an untitled document appears. While you can work with this document, it will remain unsaved until you name it and save it. Before you create and save a document, it is helpful to choose an appropriate name and a logical place to store it.
You might save your new document in an existing folder, or you may need to create a new folder for it. You can think of your computer as a filing cabinet. Sometimes files will be saved in folders within other folders. Saving thoughtfully now will make it easier to find the file later. This How To gives you steps on how to save your Word document, with the right name and the right location.
 
How To Save a Document in Word
1. Choose Save As from the File menu. * A Save As dialog box will appear.
2. The Save in: is the first rectangle at the top of the window.
* This folder is typically My Documents since this is where you should be saving all your documents. *
The files listed in the box below the Save in: are all the files found in My Documents.
* These sub-folders can be opened by selecting the appropriate folder and clicking the Open button. *
That folder then becomes the one listed in the Save in area and the files listed are the files found in that folder.
3. If the folder in the Save in: box is not My Documents, click the My Documents button on the left side of the window.
4. Open the appropriate folder.
5. Continue to open the folders until the appropriate folder is listed in the Save in: box.
6. In the File name: box type in the title of your document.
* This should include the subject and perhaps the date. *
Do NOT use slashes (/) or periods (.) as these will confuse your Windows computer. You can however use (_) to separate words.
7. When you are sure of the location and the name of the file, click Save.
 
Create a new folder to save your document
After you have clicked through folders several times, you may still find that you would like to create a new folder to save the file.
1. Click on Create New Folder button.
* A small dialog box will appear prompting you to name your new folder.
2. Type in an appropriate name.
3. Click Create.
4. The Save box will now feature the newly named folder.
* It will be empty.
5. Click Save.
 
Save the document in a different format
Occasionally you will need to save your document in a different format than Word so that it can be opened with a different word processor or with a different version of Word.
1. At the bottom of the Save As dialog box, locate the Save File as Type: box.
2. Click and hold on the down arrow to bring up the menu.
* A list of possible file types will pop up.
3. Select the appropriate format.
4. The file type in the box should now be the one you selected.
5. Click Save.
When saving a file in a different format, you should first save the file in the default format for your version of Word, then save the file again, giving the document a different name, in the new format.