Write something and save it where you can find it

Write a letter and put it in a folder you chose yourself.

Most people can write a letter on a computer. What goes wrong is the moment they press Save and a box appears asking three questions at once.

That box only ever wants two things from you: where it should go, and what it should be called. Everything else in it can be left exactly as it is.

Key points

• Answer the two questions the Save box asks: which folder, and what name
• Recognize that a silent save is a successful save
• Choose a folder deliberately rather than accepting whatever was offered

What to remember

• Two decisions, every time: which folder, and what to call it. Both take five seconds.
• The first save asks two questions. Every save after that is silent, which is exactly what you want.

Try this

Open any document you already have and look at the very top of the window. That is its name. If it says Document1, give it a proper one now with Save as.

Practice: Write something and save it where you can find it. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.

Related guides

• The window everybody clicks past
• Start a letter, and not lose it
• Save again, and find it tomorrow
• Open a PDF and make the writing bigger
• Save, Save As, and where things go