Help! Where are files on the PC?

The computer stores files on the hard drive, which is always present in the PC. Each program saves a file in a specific location. The user can change this location. Store files on the PC, a drive outside the PC (an external hard drive) or a USB stick.

Why is it important to know where a file is stored? Who knows where the files are, can also find them. This can be done via the program with which the file was created or via Windows Explorer.

How you save files depends on the program you are working in. In general, a program has the menu option ‘File > Save (as)’.

In Word and Excel it works like this:

• Click in the menu on File.
• click on Save as or Save copy.
• click on To leaf through.
• The ‘Save As’ dialog box opens. After ‘File name’, type a name for the document.
• click on Save.

The file is now on the hard disk, in a location that the program has determined for you. This is done in the same way in most well-known programs. If you want to choose where a file is placed on the computer, read on below.

It is not difficult to decide for yourself where to keep a file.

We again start from Word or Excel:

• Click in the menu on File.
• click on Save as or Save copy.
• click on To leaf through.
• The ‘Save As’ dialog box opens. By default, the ‘Documents’ folder is selected. You will see this on the left. To the right of this you can see which folders and files are in the selected folder. You can now choose a different location in four ways:
  1. Navigate to a folder other than ‘Documents’ via the menu on the left.
  2. Choose a folder within the ‘Documents’ folder. In that case, double click on the desired folder.
  3. Create a new folder within the ‘Documents’ folder. In that case, click on the button New map, give this folder a name and press the Enter key. Then double click on the folder.
  4. Create a new folder in a folder other than ‘Documents’. Then go to the correct folder via the menu on the left. Then click on the button New map (found in the top bar), give this folder a name and press the Enter key. Then double click on the folder.
• Under ‘File name’, type a name for the document.
• click on Save.

Most programs allow you to change the default save location. This can be useful if, for example, you want to store your Word and Excel files separately. Unfortunately, the steps required to modify this save location are different for each program. We can therefore only explain it for Word and Excel:

• Launch Word or Excel
• Click on the bottom left Options.
• click on Save.
• Click on ‘Default file location’ To leaf through.
• Navigate to the folder you want to set as the default location. Or create a new folder in a location of your choice.
• click on OK > OK.

From now on, the files will be saved in the place that you have set yourself via ‘File > Save As’.

You can open the files you save through the program you used to create them or through Windows Explorer.

Open file through a program

• Open the appropriate program (eg Word or Excel).
• click on To open.
• If you use Word or Excel, click on To leaf through. In most other programs, this step is not necessary.
• In the ‘Open’ window, navigate to the folder containing the file.
• Click on the file.
• click on To open.

Open file via Windows Explorer

• Start the Explorer (for example with the shortcut Windows key+E).
• Navigate to the folder containing the file.
• Double click on the file to open it.

More information about the Windows Explorer can be found in the article ‘The Explorer’. Organizing tricks in files gives the article ‘Organize files in Windows’.