Saving Your Work Part 1 in PowerPoint 2010

PowerPoint is typical of most Windows programs in the way that it saves and opens files. The entire PowerPoint presentation is saved  in a single file, and any graphics, charts, or other elements are incorporated into that single file.

The first time you save a presentation, PowerPoint opens the Save As dialog box, prompting you for a name and location. Thereafter,  when you save that presentation, PowerPoint uses the same settings and does not prompt you for them again. Saving for the First Time If you haven’t previously saved the presentation you are working on, Save and Save As do the same thing: They open the Save As  dialog box. From there, you can specify a name, file type, and file location. Follow these steps:

1. Choose File ➪ Save. The Save As dialog box appears.

2. Enter a filename in the File Name box, as shown in Figure 3-5.

Note If you have Windows Vista, the Save As dialog box might not show the existing content of the current location by default. To view it, click the Browse Folders arrow in the bottom-left corner of the dialog box. Filenames can be up to 255 characters. For practical  purposes, however, keep the names short.

You can include spaces in the filenames and most symbols except <, >, ?, *, /, and \. However, if you plan to post the file on a network  or the Internet at some point, you should avoid using spaces; use the underscore character instead to simulate a space, if necessary.

Filenames that use exclamation points have also reportedly caused problems, so beware of that. Generally, it is best to avoid  punctuation marks in filenames.

Tip If you want to transfer your presentation file to a different computer and show it from there, and that other computer does not  have the same fonts as your PC, you should embed the fonts in your presentation so that the desired fonts are available on the other  PC. To embed fonts from the Save As dialog box, click the Tools button, choose Save Options, and select the Embed Fonts in the File  check box. This option makes the saved file larger than normal, so choose it only when necessary. For more information on advanced  saving features, see the section ‘‘Specifying Save Options.’’  Saving Subsequent Times After you have saved a presentation once, you  can resave it with the same settings (same file type, name, and location) in any of the following ways:

 Choose File  Save.   Press Ctrl+S.  Click the Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar.

If you need to save your presentation under a different name, as a different file type, or in a different location, use the Save As  command instead. This reopens the Save As dialog box, as in the preceding steps, so that you can save differently. The originally saved  copy will remain under the original name, type, and location.

Tip If you frequently use Save As, you may want to place a button for it on the Quick Access Toolbar. To do  this, right-click the Save  As command and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar. Changing Drives and Folders By default, all files in PowerPoint (and all of the  Office applications) are saved to the Documents folder or library (or My Documents under Windows XP) for the current user. Each user  has his or her own version of this folder, so that each person’s documents are kept separate depending on who is logged in to the  PC.

The Documents folder is a convenient save location for beginners, because they never have to worry about changing the drive or  folder.

However, more advanced users will sometimes want to save files to other locations. These other locations can include flash drives,  other hard disks in the same PC, hard disks on other PCs in a network, hard disks on Web servers on the Internet, or writeable CDs.

Tip  Each user has a My Documents folder in his or her own profile. The actual location of that folder depends on the Windows version.

For example, in Windows Vista or Windows 7, if Mary is logged in, the path would be C:\Users\Mary\My Documents. In Windows XP,  the path would be C:\Documents and Settings\Mary\My Documents. If your usual PowerPoint files seem to be missing at some point,  make sure you are logged in under your usual username.

If you are using Windows 7, the Documents shortcut in the Libraries list actually refers to a library rather than a single folder, and  multiple folders may be associated with the Documents library. No matter — just navigate to the location you want to use.