This tutorial will guide you in setting custom “shortcuts” in the Windows XP “Save As” dialog box. note: this also works in Windows Vista Ultimate Edition – but I’m not sure about the other versions of Vista.
- Below you’ll find a screenshot of the default “Save As” dialog box in Windows XP. Make note of the shortcuts that you actually use, so you can make sure to keep them.
- Click Start and select Run. In the Run window enter gpedit.msc and click OK.
- The Group Policy editor will appear.
- In the left window select the + (plus sign) next to User Configuration to expand the list. Next select the plus sign next to Administrative Templates and then Windows Explorer. Finally, select the Common Open File Dialog entry.
- Double-click the Items displayed in Places Bar entry in the main Group Policy window.
- The Items displayed in Places Bar Properties window will open.
- Select Enabled and then enter in the locations you’d like to have displayed in the Save As dialog box. You need to enter the full path to the location for the shortcuts to work. For example, if you want to have a shortcut to your My Documents folder, enter in:
C:\Documents and Settings\Your User Name\My Documents\
Once you’ve entered in all the locations you’d like to appear in the Save As window, click Apply and then OK.
- Back in the Group Policy editor, you should see that the Items displayed in Places Bar is now Enabled. Close the Group Policy editor.
- Test it out by saving a file – you should now have the new shortcuts displayed.
- The same shortcuts will be used in the Open dialog box – not just the Save As box.
- This will also work in Windows Vista – though I’ve only confirmed that it works in Vista Ultimate edition.
Mike, I followed your instructions and Windows Explorer still doesn’t appear in gpedit.msc.
Forget my last message Mike, that item is there afterall.
As for the instructions… all great and handy well done. I just wish you didn’t put “click Apply and then click OK” in the procedure. The point of the Apply button was never to add an additional step to Windows – the point was to view the implications of the setting change without immediately closing the dialog box.