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Step 1 - How to save a Workbook ?

It is good practice to save your work frequently especially when you have just made substantial changes.

You can save the active workbook by selecting (File > Save) or by using the shortcut key (Ctrl + S).

Alternatively you can use the button on the Standard toolbar.

 Save - Saves the active workbook.

When you save a workbook for the first time the (File > Save As) dialog box will be displayed.

You can save your files with a different name or in a different location by selecting (File > Save As) or by using the shortcut key (F12).

The first time you save a workbook you will be prompted to provide a filename.

Using (File > Save As) will leave your original workbook as it was last saved.

Excel 2003, 2002, 2000 and 97 all use the same file format.

Step 2 - What filenames can I use ?

Excel file names can be as long as 218 characters although it is not recommended to have file names longer than about 40 characters.

They can include any combination of alphanumeric characters, spaces and special characters with a few exceptions.

The following characters cannot be used : < > ? [ ] : * \ / | . , ; ] "

You can also use a combination of upper and lowercase letters.

You should try and make your filename descriptive so you and others can easily identify them.

Step 3 - Saving your Workbooks

There may be times when you want to save different versions of the same workbook.

You can save a workbook with a different name using the (File > Save As) dialog box or the shortcut key (Alt + F2).

Select the folder you want to store the workbook in using the Save in drop-down list.

Enter the new filename in the File name text box at the bottom. You do not need to include the ".xls" file extension in this dialog box.

 (File > Save As) dialog box

A copy of your workbook will now be saved and this copy is displayed. Your original workbook is no longer displayed.

You can share files with users of older versions of Microsoft Excel by using the Save As command on the File menu to save the file as the correct file type.

You can save all the open workbooks as a workspace to be opened another time.

You can save duplicate copies of your workbooks in the same directory as your originals (File > Save As)(Tools, General Options)

An Excel workbook file is specific to the version of Excel that is was created in. Excel can read workbooks that were created in an earlier version but cannot open Excel files that were created in a later version.

Step 4 - Using AutoRecovery

Excel has a built-in AutoRecovery feature that can automatically save your workbooks on a periodic basis.

This feature is turned on by default and is set to save every 10 minutes.

This should not be used as an alternative to saving your workbooks using (File > Save) but just as an extra safe guard.

You can change the frequency of the saves from the (Tools > Options)(Save tab).

 (Tools > Options)(Save tab)

Although this feature is very useful in preventing lost work you may want to change the frequency of the save.

This feature can become a little annoying if you have large workbooks.

You can switch it off completely by clearing the "Save AutoRecover" info check box.

Step 5 - Using AutoSave

In Excel 2000 and Excel 97 was an additional add-in available called AutoSave that could be installed from the (Tools > Add-ins) dialog box.

This add-in could save your workbooks at specified intervals although it was not installed by default.

When this add-in is installed you will see an additional "AutoSave" button added to the bottom on the (Tools) drop-down menu.

Step 6 - Saving in a different Format

It is possible to save an Excel workbook in a variety of different formats.

To save a workbook in a different file format you can change the save as drop-down box.

Choosing to save the workbook as a web page will allow it to be viewed through a browser.

Step 7 - Things to Remember

If you use (File > Save As) to make a backup copy of a workbook any formulas that referred to the original workbook will be changed to refer to the new workbook.

The AutoSave feature can be very useful as well as very annoying. Make sure the "save every "x" minutes is not too frequent.

You can add a password to your workbooks to prevent other people from accessing them. Select the Tools drop-down list from the Save As dialog box and choose General Options. For more details, please refer to the (File > Save As) Dialog Box page.

You can also use the shortcut key (Shift + F12) to save a workbook.

You can also use the shortcut key (Alt + Shift + F2) to save a workbook with a different name.