Save As ... on a Mac

Under the File Menu there are items for Save and Save As. What's the difference and what does Save As do?

Save

When a file has a name, using Save overwrites the existing file. It saves the new version of the file on your disk using the same name and location. This is often what you want to do. For example, if you have made corrections to a word processing document, you want to save only the version with the latest corrections. You don't want to save the older, incorrect version. Save accomplishes this.

You should save your file frequently while you are working on it. This will save you retyping and recreating your document if anything goes wrong with the computer. Always use save before Spell Checking and before Printing. Instead of always clicking on File, Save try the keyboard shortcut Command + S (hold down the Command Key and press S).

If a file does not have a name then there is no difference between Save and Save As. You essentially are in Save As even if you choose Save.

Save As

Save As lets you specify a:

• Name
• Location
• Format

Save As lets you specify a new name (if the file is unnamed) or another name (if the file has a name) for a file.

It also optionally lets you specify a location for the file to be saved. The location can be anywhere on your computer or the network.

Another option is to specify the format or type of the file, for example RTF or Word.

Use File, Save As when:

• You have a document on the hard disk and want to save a copy onto a USB memory stick or into another folder.
• You have made changes to a document and would like to keep the original untouched while saving a new document with the revisions.
• You want to save your work in a format or program other than the one you used to create it. For example you use MS Word 2003 in the Library but have MS Word 2007 or above at home.
• You Saved a document and have no idea where. Opening the Save As box will let you see where your file is saved.

Save Your Files Frequently

Instead of always clicking on File, Save try the keyboard shortcut Command + S (hold down the Command Key and press S).

 04/12/2011