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.
A *MUCH* simpler way is to install the ‘PowerToy for Windows XP’ TweakUI, then go to the ‘Common Dialog’ selection, then the ‘Places Bar’, then add the directories you wish to see when you have an ‘Open’ or ‘Save’ dialog box.
Very useful!
Is there any pad or folder to show “my PC”?
thanks a lot!
Many thanks!!
steveg, you ROCK! Thanks for helping me fix a most annoying problem I have had so easily! What really annoyed me was that while saving a SERIES of files to the SAME location, each time, the path reverted to the default location! I mean it did not even remember settings Took me less than 30 seconds to set it up using TweakUI
Man I need this like I need air for breathing, 1000000000 thanks, your the bomb, not enough good words for this invaluable tool. I’m a software designer and this save as business was driving me crazy, specially the last while, so I placed a few shortcuts on the root of my drive C and I was accessing my shortcuts through there.
But this… hell this is going to make development so much more efficient…
Thanks,
Adam.
Well, TweakUI worked temporarily, but now, it doesn’t.
I am going to go with your way of doing it.
Great job!
But I do have a tricky question, did anyone checked if it works with MS Office?? It works fine with everything else on my computer though.
Also there’s a trick in different languages – on my Polish system I had to put English names of the common places like “MyComputer” even though I’ve got a Polish system and not just a language pack. Also what I find interesting is that it has to by without a space…
Once again GREAT JOB!
Hi,
In Places Bar Properties under settings, items to display I only want to add 2 items. If I leave items ie items 3, 4 and 5 blank and apply it shows blank folders with my name when I open a program and select SaveAs. Is there a way to only show the items I have populated?
This article should help for the ones looking to do the same in the Office dialog boxes. I tested it in Office 2007 and it worked: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826214
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