Does Word automatically save as DOCX?

To minimize the possibility of losing your work during a crash, here’s how to set your Microsoft Office documents to autosave every minute. This is a very fast save interval, but it will create an almost seamless backup history of your documents. This ensures that the most information you will ever lose in the event of a crash will be whatever you completed over the course of the last minute.

For Mac:

In Word, go up and click the File menu item at the top of the screen > Preferences. From within this window, click Save.
From here, make sure the “Save AutoRecover info” box is checked. The default number of minutes set in this box will be 10, so if you want to greatly increase your coverage in the case of a system failure, you can lower this to one minute.

Now, the only warning about putting your save interval that low is that it may make your system slow down. If you notice your system slowing down after this change, increase it incrementally until you find a happy compromise between protection and performance.

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To minimize the possibility of losing your work during a crash, here’s how to set your Microsoft Office documents to autosave every minute. This is a very fast save interval, but it will create an almost seamless backup history of your documents. This ensures that the most information you will ever lose in the event of a crash will be whatever you completed over the course of the last minute.
For Windows:
Saving Documents
Things You Should Know
About This Article
Is this article up to date?
Does Word save as DOCX?
How do I set Word as DOCX as default?
How do I tell if I have DOCX or DOC?
Is MS Word and DOCX the same?

For Windows:

In Word, go to the File menu > Options > Save. From there, you’ll adjust the settings the same way we did in the Mac version.

Finally, remember that you can save your document at any time by either pressing Command+S on a Mac or Ctrl+S on Windows. You can also save any time by clicking on the disk icon at the top of your window. This is always the most reliable way to make sure your work is preserved.

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By default, Word saves all documents in the newest format (*.docx), but you can change the default format to .doc or anything else.

To do this, follow the next steps:

1. On the File tab, click the Options button:

2. In the Word Options dialog box, on the Save tab, choose the format you prefer in the list Save files in this format:

3. Click OK.

See also this tip in French: Comment enregistrer des documents au format .doc.

Saving Documents

Saving your document in the same location with the same name is extremely easy. However, you need to take additional actions to put your copy to other place, and with a different name.

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Whether you’re creating a brand-new document in Microsoft Word or saving changes to an existing document, saving your files in Word is pretty simple. In this article, we’ll talk you through the basics of saving Word documents in Windows or Mac, including how to use keyboard shortcuts to save, how to turn on AutoSave, and how to save your docs in different file formats.

Things You Should Know

Click the "File" menu and select "Save As" to save a new document.
To quickly save changes to an existing document, click the disk icon on the toolbar, or press Control + S on a PC or Command + S on a Mac.
If you’re using Office 365, enable AutoSave to automatically save your changes to the cloud every few seconds.

This function lets you name your file and choose its location. Once you’ve created a new Word document, open the File menu and select Save As. A window will pop up prompting you to name the file and choose a location on your computer or a linked cloud account where the file will be stored. Choose the file type (e.g., .docx, .pdf, or .xml) from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the window. Then, select Save.[1]
- You can also use the keyboard shortcut F12 (in Windows) or ↑+⌘ Command+s (on a Mac) to open the Save As window.
- If you’re saving a document for the first time, using the Save command will prompt the Save As window to open.
- If the document is saved locally, you can use Save As to save a copy of an existing document with a new name, format, or location. However, for documents that are saved to OneDrive or another cloud service, you may need to use Save a Copy instead, depending on your version of Word.

Use this method to save changes to an existing document. With your document open, click the File menu in the toolbar at the top of the screen. Then, click Save. Any recent changes to your file will be saved.[2]

This option lets you save your changes with a single click. The Quick Access Tool Bar is located at the very top of your document window on the right side. Locate the Save button, which looks like an old-fashioned square floppy disk, and click on it to save your document.[3]

These keyboard shortcuts instantly save recent changes. You can also use the keyboard Save command to launch the Save As window if you’re saving a new document for the first time. On a Windows PC, use Control+s. If you’re using a Mac, hit ⌘ Command+s.[4]

AutoSave is only available for documents saved to the cloud. The AutoSave feature in the Office 365 version of Word prevents you from having to save manually. However, in order to use it, you must save your files to a OneDrive, Box, or SharePoint account. To use AutoSave:[5]
- Click the toggle switch next to AutoSave in the Quick Access Toolbar at the top right corner of your document window.
- A window will pop up prompting you to upload your file to a cloud location. You can also rename it, if you like. Select your preferred location using the dropdown Place menu.
- Click Upload to use the default location or select Choose Location if you pick a different option in the Place menu.

Most Word documents save automatically as .docx files. However, you can choose to save your document as a different format, such as .pdf, .doc (for compatibility with older versions of Word), or .txt.[6] To do this:
- For documents that are saved locally on your computer, open the File menu and select Save As. In the File Format dropdown menu near the bottom of the Save As window, select your desired format.
- If your document has AutoSave enabled, you’ll need to use the Save a Copy command instead, which is also located in the File menu. Select the type of file you want to create in the drop-down File Format menu at the bottom of the window.
- Click Save to confirm your choice.
- With some formats, such as .pdf, you will be prompted to Export the file rather than Save it after you select the format.

This option creates a separate copy of your document. This is a good option if you want to make changes to your document while also preserving the original version. To make a copy of your Word doc, open the File menu and select Save a Copy…. If you’re saving the copy in the same location as the original, give it a new name. Click Save at the bottom of the Save a Copy window when you’re done.

If you don’t like Word’s default Save options, you can change them. On a Windows PC, open the File menu, then select Options, then Save.[7] If you’re using a Mac, open the main Word menu, then click Preferences… and select Save. From there, you can customize options such as:
- The default format for your saved Word files
- How frequently Word saves AutoRecover information
- Where AutoRecover files are stored
- The default location for saved documents (e.g., a local folder on your computer or a location in the cloud)

Add New Question

Question
What is the process of creating a file in a folder?

Once the folder is created, go into it and right-click on a blank area, then select New -> Microsoft Word Document.
Question
Do I save documents as a Word doc, or Word 97 - 2003?

This depends on what the reader(s) are using. Word 97 - 2003 format is more universal, but may strip some advanced features from your document. If you save it in Word format, those using earlier versions can still view/edit the document using the free MS Office Compatibility Pack from Microsoft. If you're just creating the document for your own personal use, save as Word.
Question
How do I see a saved document?

On any modern version of Windows, you would a view a saved document by navigating to its save location. For example, if you saved it in the default "My Documents" folder, you would open a file explorer window and locate that folder, where you would then find your document. Alternatively, recent versions of Microsoft Word show a list of recent documents when you open the program. Finally, you can click File, then Open on most versions of Microsoft Word, then navigate to the correct file location.

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Failing to save your document before you close Microsoft Word will potentially delete the document or any changes you made to an existing one.

About This Article

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 305,925 times.

Is this article up to date?

Does Word save as DOCX?

Select the folder where you want to save your document. The dialog box will open > Select "Save as" > In the "Save as type" menu > Select the option "Word document (. docx)" > Click on the "Save as" button and a copy of your file will be saved in Docx format.

How do I set Word as DOCX as default?

Right-click on a Word file. Click Get Info. Under Open With, select Microsoft Word. Click Change All.

How do I tell if I have DOCX or DOC?

To find a file type on a PC, go to This PC> Documents (or wherever you saved the document)> right click on document> select properties. Alternatively you can change the view of the folder to details and all fill types will be listed. The . doc file extension is a file saved in Word 97-2003 format.