How to Save an Excel File? 4 Different Ways

(Note: This guide on how to save an Excel File is suitable for all Excel versions including Office 365)

When working in Excel, there might be some instances where you might not be able to complete the work in one go. In those instances, you might need to take a break and then resume work some other time.

You also might need to circulate the particular workbook between your colleagues to complete a particular piece of work. However, you cannot leave your work unattended and unsaved.

In those cases, saving your Excel file can be a very simple yet necessary initiative that helps you prevent loss of work.

In this article, let us see how to save an Excel file in 4 different ways.

You’ll Learn:

How to Save an Excel File?
- From the File Menu
  - The Save As Option
  - Change the Default Save Location
- Using the Shortcut Keys
- Using the Quick Access Toolbar
- Save the Excel File as PDF
- AutoSave in Excel

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How to Save an Excel File?

In Excel, there are a couple of different methods you can use to save an Excel file. You can either use the Save option from the File menu, use the shortcut keys, or directly export the file as a PDF to your desired location without even saving the Excel workbook.

Let me discuss them one by one.

From the File Menu

One of the well-known and most common methods to save any file is by using the File menu from the Excel ribbon.

To save your Excel file, first, navigate to the File menu. This opens the Backstage View which shows you a list of templates and additional options.

*How to Save an Excel File from File menu*

In the left tab of the File window, click on Save. This will eventually take you to the Save As pane. But, worry not. The Save and Save As functionality are pretty much the same.

By default, Excel shows the recent folders you have visited. Using the first column, you can choose whether you want to save the file to your local storage (This PC) or the cloud (Add a Place). From here, you can choose any folder to save the file.

The Add a Place option allows you to choose any cloud storage platforms like Box, Egnyte, and OneDrive to store your files in the cloud and retrieve them whenever necessary.

Note: If you are a person who often saves files to a particular folder, you can easily locate that folder by pinning them to recent. To pin a folder, right-click on any folder and click on Pin to Recent List. If you want to unpin that folder from the recent list, navigate to the Recent and click on the pin icon again to unpin.

If you find it hard to locate and specify a location from the Excel window, you can click on Browse or More Options. This in turn opens the Save As dialog box.

Using the Save As dialog box, you can choose a specific location, rename the file, and change the type of the file.

From the Save as type dropdown, you can save the file into a different format like CSV, XML, PDF, XPS, etc., without having to use any external converters.

Once you have specified the file location, the name of the file, and its type, click on Save.

This saves the file in the specified location.

The Save As Option

The Save As option is similar to the Save option. The Save option is used only when you are saving a new workbook for the first time. Whereas, the Save As option is used when you have an already saved file and you want to overwrite the file, save it in another format/location, or create a copy of the file.

To use the Save As option, click on the File menu. Navigate to Save As and use the above-mentioned methods to save the file as you desire.

Note: When you use the Save As option, you will have to change the name, format, or location of the file, and only then can you save the file. If you save the file without changing any one of the above-mentioned features, Excel overwrites the current file.

Change the Default Save Location

You can see that every time you try to save a file, either the OneDrive folder or the desktop folder always pops up as default. This can sometimes be inconvenient when you have to change the folder and save files.

In such cases, you can change the default storage location so that you can store the files and then retrieve them easily.

Navigate to File.

Click on Options from the left pane.

This opens the Excel Options dialog box.

Click on Save from the category. Under the Save workbooks section, check the checkbox for Save to Computer by default and in the Default Local File Location textbox, enter the path for the folder.

Click OK.

The default location will then be changed to the local storage specified location.

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Using the Shortcut Keys

Navigating to the File option and saving the workbook might be a bit of a long process. There is a single-step way to save your Excel file. You can use the shortcut key to save your progress.

After working on the Excel workbook, press the keyboard shortcut key Ctrl + S.

This opens the Save this File dialog box, you can change the name and specify the file location and click on Save.

From then on, you can press the shortcut key Ctrl + S to overwrite the existing file easily every time you want to save.

Using the Quick Access Toolbar

This is another single-step method to save your Excel file. With a single click of a button, you can easily save your Excel file using the Quick Access Toolbar.

Let us first enable the Quick Access Toolbar. Click on the Ribbon Display Options which can be seen as a small dropdown in the bottom right corner of the ribbons. Then, click on Show Quick Access Toolbar.

Once the Quick Access Toolbar is visible, click on the dropdown from Customize Quick Access Toolbar and select More Commands.

This opens the Excel Options dialog box. From the Choose commands from dropdown, select All Commands. Scroll down and select the options you want to add to the Quick Access Toolbar. In this case, let us add the Save and Save As Other Format buttons.

Click on Add. Once you click on Add, you can see the selected buttons on the right side of the window.

Finally, click on OK.

You can see the selected buttons in the Quick Access Toolbar. If you want to save the file, you can click on the buttons to perform the selected functions.

*How to Save an Excel File from the Quick Access Toolbar*

Note: There is another way to save the Excel file with just a click of a button from the Title bar. To save your Excel file, click on the floppy disk symbol in the Title bar next to the AutoSave toggle. This helps in saving your file easily.

Save the Excel File as PDF

There are some instances where you need to save the file into other file formats. In such a case, you will not need to save the worksheet as .xls, but rather as a PDF.

To export an Excel file into other formats, navigate to File.

Click on Export.

This opens the Export pane. If you want to export the current Excel file to a PDF, you can straightaway click on the Create PDF/XPS Document button, and then click on Create PDF/XPS.

This opens the Publish As PDF or XPS dialog box. In the dialog box, specify the file location and rename the file. From the Save as Type dropdown, select PDF or XPS depending on your choice, and click on Save.

If you want to Export the file to formats other than PDF, click on the Change File Type option. Excel then shows you a variety of options to choose the formatting of the file.

If you choose PDF/XPS file format, the current file you are working on will not be overwritten and the PDF will be created separately. If you choose any formats from the Change File type option, the current file will be overwritten with a different format.

AutoSave in Excel

If you keep forgetting to save the file after every iteration, then you will need something to save the file automatically so that you can continue working.

AutoSave is a very useful feature in Microsoft Excel that saves your progress after a set particular second.

The AutoSave feature will automatically be enabled if you have uploaded the file onto the cloud. If not, you can toggle the autosave feature ON/OFF in the top left corner of the Title bar.

To customize the AutoSave option, navigate to File. Click on the Options to open the Excel Options dialog box. Click on Save and see the options to customize the AutoSave feature.

However, one drawback of this method is that AutoSave only works when the file is uploaded onto a cloud. It does not work when the file is saved in your local drive.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shortcut to save an Excel file?

You can easily save the Excel file by using the shortcut key Ctrl+S. If you press Ctrl + S without saving, Excel prompts you to save the file. If you press Ctrl + S after you save, Excel overwrites the file.

How do I save the Excel file in a different format?

Once you click on Save, you can see the Save As dialog box. From the Save as type dropdown, you can see a variety of formats to convert the Excel file to. Another way is by using the Export option from the File menu.

What are the different ways you can use to save an Excel file?

You can navigate to the File menu, use the shortcut key Ctrl+S, the buttons in the Quick Access Toolbar, the button in the Title bar, export the file as PDF, or use the AutoSave option to save your Excel file.

Closing Thoughts

Saving your Excel file is a very important prerequisite you need to keep in mind before working on important things. It is always better to save your Excel file every chance you get to prevent the data from being lost due to any mishaps.

In this article, we saw how to save an Excel file in 4 different ways. We also saw additional options and features that come with each option. Every method is unique and helps you save your file in the easiest way possible. Choose the method that suits your purpose better.

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Simon Calder

Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA. He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!