Industry guru Dave Taylor answers free tech support questions about a wide variety of business and technical topics, including blogging, Google AdSense, MySpace, Sony PSP, Apple iPod, Mp3 players, management, Linux, SEO, Mac OS X, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Microsoft Windows.

Where is Microsoft Word saving my email attachments?

Every so often I get an email attachment and double-click it to open it up on my Mac. It opens up fine, I make edits and save the document, but then when I quit Word I can't find the $#@$# document on my system. What's going on and where are the documents I've edited?


Dave's Answer:

This is a common problem in the world of email attachments, actually, and it all comes from an mismatch between what the email program wants to do and what you want to do. When I use Microsoft Entourage, for example, it automatically puts all attachments in a specific directory for neatness, and hands that version of the file, in that directory, to Microsoft Word, which merrily lets me edit and save changes without a glitch.

What you need to do is learn where it's saving those files, and fortunately that's easier than you realize. To figure out the directory, simply double-click on a Word attachment in your email program to launch Word, then immediately choose File --> Save As... and here's what you'll see:

Microsoft Word for Mac OS X: Save As: Email Attachment

Click on the small downward pointing triangle immediately adjacent to the file name to open up the dialog box, then click on the directory name. You'll be shown the exact location of the folder where your email program is saving attachments:

Microsoft Word for Mac OS X: Email Attachment Directory / Folder

That answers the question of "where are those pesky files being saved?" and I'll note a quick Mac shortcut: if you want to save the edited file on your Desktop instead, simply press Cmd-D (or cloverleaf-D or apple-D, depending on how you think of that key on your keyboard!) and you'll be instead looking at your Desktop. Click "Save" and now you have the edited copy on your Desktop, easily found later.

Another way to deal with this is to drag attachments out of your email program and onto your Desktop before you edit them. Now there's no issue because you have a clean copy. You can also do that with the "save attachment as..." feature (or "save" button) in the email program itself, of course.

Finally, any time you have a file you've edited in a Microsoft Office application like Word or Excel, you can always just re-open the application and look for the most recently edited files list on the File menu. Find the filename you seek, open it up, then go to "Save As..." and resave it in a known location. Easily done!



Help others find this article at Del.icio.us, Digg, Netscape, Reddit, and Simpy.

Subscribe!

Never miss another useful Q&A article again! Subscribe to AskDaveTaylor with Google Reader.

Comments

Dave,

I just found your website and read your answer you left with someone above. I hope you can maybe help answer my question.

I own a Dell and have microsoft word (of course). My problem: I used to get attachments in my email to open up word documments. My choices were usually to save or open. Now, it either asks me to save it or find an available program online or from a list which could help me read the document. What happened to the preview option of just 'opening' it??

Thanks.
-Kristen

Posted by: Kristen at June 4, 2007 9:13 PM

I have a lot to say, but ...
Starbucks coffee cup I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!









Remember personal info?


Please note that I will never send you any unsolicited commercial email. Ever.

While I'm at it, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to my terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site.









Search
Find just the answers you seek from among our 1700+ free tech support articles by using our Lijit search engine.


Help!





Subscribe to
Ask Dave Taylor!

Add to Google Reader
Add to My Yahoo!
Subscribe in NewsGator Online

RDF   XML

Free Updates!
Sign up and get free weekly updates and special offers on books, seminars, workshops and more.


Recent Entries
Join the List!
Join my author info mailing list, where you'll learn about my upcoming books, speaking gigs, and more!


Book Links
© 2002 - 2008 by Dave Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

Note: This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this web site or on any linked site.

[whiteboard marker tray]