Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Learning Good Conservation Skills
• Method 2 of 2: Saving files in specific programs
• Tips

Saving files is the key to working with documents, images, videos, and many other files on your computer. Saving the results of your work will allow you to continue it later, share files with others, and protect your work from bugs and crashes. Read on to find out how best to save files and improve saving efficiency.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Learning Good Conservation Skills

1. 1 Save often. Programs often freeze at the most inopportune moment. Protect yourself from losing the results of hours of work by regularly backing up your files. If you make changes to the file, but do not want to overwrite the original, use the "Save As ..." function and create a copy of the file under a new name.
   • Many programs have an autosave feature that will automatically save your file at specified intervals. This will help you save your files as a last resort, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't save your files often.
2. 2 Give your files practical names. The first time you save a file, you will be prompted to name the file. Make sure the filename makes it easy for you to identify the file you are looking for and contains useful information such as creation date, file subject, or author name. This will come in very handy when you find the files you want on your computer.
3. 3 Pay attention to the format in which you save the file. When you first save a file, or when using the "Save As ..." function, many programs give you the option to change the file format. This is usually done using the drop-down menu below the file name line.
   • Controlling the file format is especially important if you will be sharing the file with other people who may not have the same version of the program as you.
4. 4 Organize folders for saving files. Most operating systems create a folder called My Documents, where by default it is suggested to save files. It's nice to have a general idea of ​​where your files are saved, but it's better to spend a little time and create your own folder system that will prevent you from drowning in the stream of files.
   • Use different folders to sort your files by type, project, date or any other criteria.
   • Recent versions of Windows use Libraries, which allow you to save files of the same type in one folder. Libraries are not one specific location on a disk, but a collection of shortcuts to files in different locations.
5. 5 Learn keyboard shortcuts. You can save tons of time if you learn the hotkeys for saving files, especially if you save frequently. Pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S will save your file in most programs.
   • Many programs have hotkeys for the "Save As ..." function. Pressing the Ctrl + S keyboard shortcut will save your file in most programs. For example, the F12 key will open the "Save As ..." dialog box in Word, and Shift + Ctrl + S in Photoshop.
6. 6 Back up your files. To avoid data loss in the event of a computer failure, make backup copies (backup) of your saved files more often. Copy the saved files from the document folder to an external hard drive or cloud storage.
   • Take a look at this article to find out how to back up your files.

Method 2 of 2: Saving files in specific programs

1. 1 How to save a document in Microsoft Word. Word is one of the most popular text editors in the world, so knowing how to save files in Word is very important. Review this article to learn the intricacies of saving files in Word.
2. 2 How to save the PSD file in Photoshop. The ability to change the format of the saved file is one of the most important basic computer skills. This article explains how to save a PSD image in Photoshop, but the basic principles are the same in all programs.
3. 3 How to save a picture from a website. The internet is full of all sorts of things and someday you will come across a couple of pictures that you want to save. All web browsers make it easy to save images to your computer, and the steps for saving different types of files from websites are the same.
4. 4 How to save a Google Doc document. As cloud storage of documents becomes more and more popular, it is highly likely that you will be working in Google Drive. Although these files are stored in the cloud, you can download them to your computer and open them even without Internet access.

Tips

• Save often! You won't save more often than necessary.