Making it Easier to Find Documents in Word 97/2000

It's easy to save Microsoft Word 97/2000 documents, but sometimes it can be hard to remember where you saved a file. You can make it easier to find files by creating project-specific folders, as well as by entering document descriptions into the Properties dialog box that can help you find files later.

Making Project-Specific Folders in Word

The first time you open the Open and Save As dialog boxes after starting Word, the My Documents folder is displayed as the working, or active, folder by default. If you use Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or later, the Personal folder is displayed. Storing documents in the My Documents or Personal folder is one way you can remind yourself where your files are.

But as the list of saved files grows, you may find that it takes less effort to find documents if you store them together in folders with names that help you remember where to find specific files. For example, you might store documents about yearly planning sessions in a folder called "Yearly Planning Session." 

To make a new folder

  1. Click Save on the Standard toolbar.
  2. In the Save in box, click the arrow to display My Documents or Personal, or double-click a different folder in the folder list to create a new folder in another location.
  3. Click the Create New Folder icon, and then type the name of the folder in the Name box.

To save a document in a specific folder, click Save on the Standard toolbar, and then click the arrow in the Save in box to display the folder, or double-click the folder in the folder list.

Tip You can also quickly save documents onto a floppy disk. Click Save on the Standard toolbar, and then click the arrow in the Save in box to display your floppy disk drive, for example (A:).

Entering Document Properties

You can also make it easier to find documents by using the Properties dialog box. File properties are details about a file that help identify it when you're searching for it - for example, a descriptive title, the author name, the subject, and keywords that identify topics or other important information in the file.

To enter document properties

Finding Documents in Word

If you can't find files by looking in the folders you usually save documents in, you can search from within Word by clicking Open on the File menu. For more information about how you can search for documents and use file properties, type search for files in the Office Assistant, and then click Search.

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