Default "Save As" location in Microsoft Office on a Mac

Anonymous
2019-02-28T15:24:52+00:00

When I open a file in Microsoft Office on my Mac, I typically do a "Save As" to append a version number to the file name.  However, by default the "Save As" location is NOT the folder where I opened the file (which is typical behavior in Microsoft Office on Windows...and for that matter any other application on the Mac).  Instead, the default folder is the location of the last file I SAVED in Microsoft Office.  This is extremely annoying, not typical or desired behavior, and is both baffling to me as to why it does this or how I can change to the expected behavior (if open file XYZ from folder ABC, the default "Save As" folder should be ABC).  This is literally annoying to the point that I'm ready to just ditch Microsoft Office on a Mac and move to Pages / Numbers / Keynote.  If anyone knows how to change (or why Microsoft is using this approach) please help me...

Mac OS:  Mojave 10.14.3

Microsoft Office for Mac:  Version 16.22

Posting this to Office -> Word -> Mac topic, though the issue happens to be the same across all Office products (Excel and Powerpoint).

Note, I do use OneDrive, though I just work from local directories and let OneDrive sync to the cloud.

Also note, I posted this question to a Mac forum, and everyone insisted this is a Microsoft issue as the setting for the "Save As" dialog are set by the program you are using (and I confirmed in applications like Pages, Numbers, and Keynote the behavior is correct i.e. as desired and done everywhere else...the default "Save As" is the folder where you opened the file).

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2019-11-08T18:28:21+00:00

It appears I MAY have fixed the problem... I just turned off "Files-on-demand" and "File Collaboration" in my OneDrive preferences and "Save As" defaults to the current file's directory instead of the directory that I most recently saved to.

Can anyone else experiencing this problem confirm that this works as a fix?

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John Korchok 236.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2019-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

Rena left out some details. She's referring to the hidden Library folder in your user folder. To open it, hold down the Option key while clicking on the Go menu and choose Library. Look inside the window that opens for the folders she cited.

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-10-04T10:05:14+00:00

    Hi Noelok and Bryan,

    Sorry to hear that the issue persists. If the steps above doesn't help, considering this issue can't be reproduced by our side but affecting multiple users for some reason, I would suggest you click smiley face to report it directly to product team for further investigation. It may not get response from them very soon. But you should get a mail if they reply you. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

    Regards,

    Rena

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-10-03T15:00:17+00:00

    I would like to point out that I HAVE tried moving the folders and it emphatically DOES NOT solve the issue for me, in fact it makes the issue worse in some ways as it opens up a dialog each time you do a Save As which requires you to then select that you want the files saved locally and THEN select the local folder. Making what should be a 2 second operation into an operation which requires 20 seconds and 3 separate mouse operations. 

    As an attorney who is a touch typist any time I touch the mouse is a "loss" in my world. 

    I still use all the keyboard commands from the early 90s like for example Cmd Shift S.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-10-03T14:51:36+00:00

    Hi Rena,

    As one of the posters with this problem, I just want to point out that I am VERY reluctant to make changes to system folders.  Even though the file save as issue is a major issue, I have a working system, and cannot afford to jeopardise my work load by trying the various file moving exercises proposed - especially when it's on the basis of "see what happens"!

    So, as and when there is a proper fix for the problem I trust it can be incorporated into the next upgrade?

    Regards,

    Noel

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