Saving files in excel

After you’ve created a workbook, you need to save it if you want to use it again. Also, if you make changes to a workbook you’ll want to save it. You can even save a copy of an existing workbook with a new name, to a different location, or using a different file type.

Save a Workbook

Once you’ve created a new workbook, you’ll need to save it if you want to use it again.

1. Click the Save button.

   

   Press Ctrl + S to quickly save a workbook.

   If this is the first time you’ve saved the workbook, the Save As screen will appear.

2. Choose where you want to save your file:
   • OneDrive: Save to Microsoft’s cloud-based storage so you can open the worksheet on another computer.
   • SharePoint: Save the workbook to a connected SharePoint server.
   • This PC: Save to the local storage on your computer.
   • Browse: Opens a dialog box, where you can browse through your computer’s folders, drives, and network shares.
3. Enter a file name.
4. Click Save.

   

AutoSave Workbooks

If an Excel file is saved online, the AutoSave feature in the top-left is automatically turned on. However, this can be changed as needed.

1. Click the AutoSave toggle button to turn the feature on or off.

   

Save Progress

As you continue to work in Excel, you’ll want to save any changes you make from time to time.

1. Click the Save button.

   

Press Ctrl + S to quickly save a workbook.

Try to save your progress every 10 minutes; that way you won’t lose any important changes if disaster strikes.

Save As a New File and/or Location

Sometimes you may want to make a copy of an existing workbook and save it with a new name. Using and modifying the content in an existing workbook can often save you a lot of time.

1. Click the File tab.

   

2. Click Save As.
3. Click This PC to navigate to the folder you want to save your file.

   

4. Enter a File name.
5. Click Save.

   

Save to Different File Formats

Excel normally saves its files as Excel workbooks, but you can save information to other file formats as well. For example, sometimes you may want to save your data as a Comma Separated Values or CSV file, so you can import it into another program.

1. Click the File tab.

   

2. Click Save As.
3. Click the Save as type list arrow.

   The default file type is an XLSX Excel file, but you can choose from plenty of other file formats in this menu.
4. Select the desired format.
5. Click Save.

   

File Types Commonly Saved to From Excel

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Introduction

Whenever you create a new workbook in Excel, you’ll need to know how to save it in order to access and edit it later. As with previous versions of Excel, you can save files locally to your computer. You can also save a workbook to the cloud using OneDrive, as well as export and share workbooks with others directly from Excel.

Watch the video below to learn more about saving and sharing workbooks in Excel.

About OneDrive

Whenever you’re opening or saving a workbook, you’ll have the option of using your OneDrive, which is the online file storage service included with your Microsoft account. To enable this option, you’ll need to sign in to Office. To learn more, visit our lesson on Understanding OneDrive.

Save and Save As

Excel 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 workbook, 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. Then you can just click the Save command to save it with the same name and location.
• Save As: You’ll use this command to create a copy of a workbook while keeping the original. When you use Save As, you’ll need to choose a different name and/or location for the copied version.

To save a workbook:

It’s important to save your workbook whenever you start a new project or make changes to an existing one. Saving early and often can prevent your work from being lost. You’ll also need to pay close attention to where you save the workbook so it will be easy to find later.

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. To save the workbook to your computer, select Computer, then click Browse. You can also click OneDrive to save the file to your OneDrive.

   

4. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to save the workbook.
5. Enter a file name for the workbook, then click Save.

   

6. The workbook will be saved. You can click the Save command again to save your changes as you modify the workbook.

You can also access the Save command by pressing Ctrl+S on your keyboard.

Using Save As to make a copy

If you want to save a different version of a workbook while keeping the original, you can create a copy. For example, if you have a file named Sales Data, you could save it as Sales Data 2 so you’ll be able to edit the new file and still refer back to the original version.

To do this, click the Save As command in Backstage view. Just like when saving a file for the first time, you’ll need to choose where to save the file and give it a new file name.

To change the default save location:

If you don’t want to use OneDrive, you may be frustrated that OneDrive is selected as the default location when saving. If you find it inconvenient to select Computer each time, you can change the default save location so Computer is selected by default.

1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

   

2. Click Options.

   

3. The Excel Options dialog box will appear. Select Save, check the box next to Save to Computer by default, then click OK. The default save location will be changed.

   

AutoRecover

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

To use AutoRecover:

1. Open Excel. If autosaved versions of a file are found, the Document Recovery pane will appear.
2. Click to open an available file. The workbook will be recovered.

   

By default, Excel autosaves every 10 minutes. If you are editing a workbook for less than 10 minutes, Excel may not create an autosaved version.

If you don’t see the file you need, you can browse all autosaved files from Backstage view. Just select the File tab, click Manage Workbook, then choose Recover Unsaved Workbooks.

Exporting workbooks

By default, Excel workbooks are saved in the .xlsx file type. However, there may be times when you need to use another file type, like a PDF or Excel 97-2003 workbook. It’s easy to export your workbook from Excel to a variety of file types.

To export a workbook as a PDF file:

Exporting your workbook as an Adobe Acrobat document, commonly known as a PDF file, can be especially useful if you’re sharing a workbook with someone who does not have Excel. A PDF will make it possible for recipients to view but not edit the content of your workbook.

1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.
2. Click Export, then select Create PDF/XPS.

   

3. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to export the workbook, enter a file name, then click Publish.

   

By default, Excel will only export the active worksheet. If you have multiple worksheets and want to save all of them in the same PDF file, click Options in the Save As dialog box. The Options dialog box will appear. Select Entire workbook, then click OK.

Whenever you export a workbook as a PDF, you’ll also need to consider how your workbook data will appear on each page of the PDF, just like printing a workbook. Visit our Page Layout and Printing lesson to learn more about what to consider before exporting a workbook as a PDF.

To export a workbook to other file types:

You may also find it helpful to export your workbook to other file types, like an Excel 97-2003 workbook if you need to share with people using an older version of Excel, or a .CSV file if you need a plain-text version of your workbook.

1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.
2. Click Export, then select Change File Type.

   

3. Select a common file type, then click Save As.

   

4. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to export the workbook, enter a file name, then click Save.

   

You can also use the Save as type: drop-down menu in the Save As dialog box to save workbooks in a variety of file types.

Sharing workbooks

Excel makes it easy to share and collaborate on workbooks 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 organize.

When you share a workbook from Excel, you’re actually giving others access to the exact same file. This lets you and the people you share with edit the same workbook without having to keep track of multiple versions.

In order to share a workbook, it must first be saved to your OneDrive.

To share a workbook:

1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view, then click Share.

   

2. Excel will return to Normal view and open the Share panel on the right side of the window. From here, you can invite people to share your document, see a list of who has access to the document, and set whether they can edit or only view the document.

   

Challenge!

1. Open our practice workbook.
2. Using the Save As option, create a copy of the workbook and name it Saving Practice Challenge. You can save the copy to a folder on your computer or to your OneDrive.
3. Export the workbook as a PDF file.

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While Excel has been continuously improved with each new version, there are still times when you may find it crashing once in a while (especially if you’re working with a large dataset).

And sometimes, it could be a factor outside of Excel – such as a power failure or your system hanging because of an issue other than Excel.

In such cases, to make sure you don’t lose your data, Excel has an AutoSave feature – which as the name suggests, will automatically save your work.

With autosave enabled, Excel will save your work at regular intervals, which will make sure you don’t lose a lot of your work (at max a few minutes of work can be lost).

In this tutorial, I will show you how to turn on AutoSave in Excel and all the important things you need to know about it.

Note: AutoSave is a new feature in Office365, where it allows you to save real-time when files are saved in OneDrive or SharePoint. In case you’re using prior versions (Excel 2010/2013/2016/2019), you have the Save AutoRecover Information, which is not real-time but saves your work at regular intervals.

AutoSave Vs AutoRecover

AutoSave is a new feature in Excel Office 365, while AutoRecover has been in prior versions as well.

AutoSave allows you to save your work in real-time when you save your Excel files in OneDrive or SharePoint.

On the contrary, ‘Save AutoRecover Information’ is an option that automatically saves your work every 10 minutes (or whatever time period you specify). With this option enabled, it will keep a temporary copy of your work and keep saving it every 10 minutes.

In case your system shuts down unexpectedly, you will still be able to recover the temporarily saved file (using the Autorecover feature).

In this tutorial, I will cover both of these features.

Turn On AutoSave in Excel from the Options Dialog box

You can enable AutoSave as well as save auto-recover information (i.e., to save files automatically at a certain time interval) in Excel from the Options dialog box. Once done, this would be turned on for all the workbooks you work on that system.

Remember that AutoSave is only available for Office365 users. If you don’t have O365, you can only use AutoRecover.

Below are the steps to turn on Auto-save in Excel:

1. Click the File tab
2. Click on Options
3. In the Excel Options dialog box, click on the Save option on the left
4. Check the option – ‘Save AutoRecover information every’ checkbox. By default, the value is 10 minutes, but you can choose a lower or higher value if you want.
5. Check the Option – “AutoSave OneDrive and SharePoint Online files by default in Excel’. This option works for Office 365 only and saves your work in real-time (every few seconds)
6. Click Ok

The above steps would make sure that your work is automatically saved after every 10 minutes.

Note that for ‘AutoSave OneDrive and SharePoint Online files by default in Excel’ to work, your files need to be in the latest file format (i.e., XLSX and not XLS).

Other useful options you can use:

When AutoSave is enabled (with files saved on Onedrive or SharePoint), you won’t see a prompt to save unsaved changes when you close the file (since these changes are being saved every few seconds).

Also, in case you’re adding a VB Code (macro) to the File, AutoSave would stop and will show you a prompt to save this file as a Macro-enabled fike (.xlsm format)

AutoSave now enables Excel users to share files and make changes in real-time. Also, you can see the version history and go back to any previous version if you want. When you open an old file using version history, it will be opened as Read-Only and you can save it with a new name if you want.

Adding AutoSave to QAT (for Office 365)

If you’re using OneDrive or SharePoint, you can also add the AutoSave option in the Quick Access Toolbar (available only in Office 365).

This allows you to enable autosave (in SharePoint or OneDrive) with a single click (it’s a toggle button).

While I found it to be available by default in my Office365 subscription, in case you don’t have it, you can add AutoSave to the Quick Access Toolbar using the below steps:

1. Click on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar icon
2. Click on Automatically Save option

In case you don’t see the ‘Automatically Save’ option in the drop-down, click on More Command and use the Excel Options dialog box to add the AutoSave option in the QAT.

An issue with AutoSave (Save As vs. Save a Copy)

When you enable AutoSave and save the file in OneDrive or SharePoint, you will notice that you no longer see the ‘Save as’ option. Instead, you see the ‘Save a Copy’ option (more on this here)

When AutoSave is enabled and your work is being saved every few seconds, it won’t be possible to make some changes and save it as a new file.

For example, if you start with an old file, work on it for 20 minutes and save a copy, you will have the old file as well as the new file with 20 minutes of latest work. But this isn’t possible with AutoSave enabled where it’s saving your work every few seconds.

This is why you now have the ‘Save a Copy‘ option, which you can use to create a copy and then make the changes.

In case your Excel files are not on OneDrive or SharePoint, you will still see the ‘Save As’ option.

Using Third-Party Tools such as DropBox or Google Drive

You can also get the version history options for Excel files with storage options such as Dropbox and Google Drive.

These tools simply check if there have been any changes in the file and save the prior version. You can then go back to these versions if you want.

One of the benefits of using these third-party tools is that you can easily collaborate with people who don’t use OneDrive.

Since Google Drive and Dropbox are usually preferred over OneDrive by many, this helps when you’re working with teams/clients who use these options.

The only caveat is to make sure you don’t keep confidential data on these cloud storage services.

Automatically Save File Before Closing using VBA

AutoSave is an amazing feature and makes working with Excel a lot stress-free – knowing that the data won’t be lost.

In case you don’t have Office 365 (which means you don’t have the AutoSave feature as well), you will have to rely on Excel’s AutoRecover feature.

Another option you can use is by having a simple VBA code in place that makes sure that your file is saved before you close it. This ensures you don’t lose your work because you closed the file before saving it.

Note: Using this would make sense only if you’re not using Office 365 with OneDrive or SharePoint. If you are, you can always go back to previous versions and your files are saved automatically anyway.

Below are the steps use VBA to save a file before closing the workbook:

1. Open the workbook where you want to enable this VBA code to save before close.
2. Hold the ALT key and press the F11 key (or Command + Option + F11 in Mac). This opens the VB Editor.
3. Double-click on the ThisWorkbook object (for the file where you want to add this code) in the Project Explorer
4. Copy and Paste the below code in the ThisWorkbook code window:

   Private Sub Workbook_BeforeClose(Cancel As Boolean)
   ThisWorkbook.Save
   End Sub

5. Close the VB Editor

Now, when there is any change in the workbook and you close it before saving, it will first run this code (as this is a VBA Event that runs based on an event – which is workbook closing in this case). This code will first save the workbook and then close it.

In case you haven’t saved the file before, this will show a prompt that will ask you to specify the location where the file should be saved.

In case you don’t want to overwrite your existing file, you can also modify the code so that it saves the file with a timestamp. This way, your work is not lost, and you can also go back to a previous version.

Below is the VBA code that will save the file with the date and time-stamp in the filename:

Private Sub Workbook_BeforeClose(Cancel As Boolean)
wbname = ThisWorkbook.Name
timestamp = Format(Now, "ddmmmyyy-hhmmss")
ThisWorkbook.SaveAs timestamp & wbname
End Sub

This will save the new file with a timestamp in the name in the same location where the old file is saved. If you want the file to be saved in a specific folder, you can specify that location in the code.

So this is all that you should know about enabling AutoSave in Excel and using it efficiently. And if you’re not using Office 365 and hence don’t have AutoSave, you can still configure the AutoRecover options and recover any unsaved files. Also, the VBA code can be used to make sure the files are saved as a copy automatically when you close it.

Hope you found this tutorial useful!

You may also like the following Excel tutorials:

• How to Reduce Excel File Size
• Split Each Excel Sheet Into Separate Files
• How to Automatically Open Specific Excel File on Startup
• Get a List of File Names from Folders & Sub-folders (using Power Query)
• Microsoft Excel Won’t Open; How to Fix it!