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.
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In Windows XP home there’s no gpedit.msc. But you can configure the Places Bar with Tweak UI.
Download it on this MS-Site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Dobby -
Excellent comment/tip, thanks!
Also, Office may not adhere to these rules, as Office is wont to do.
Very nice article. It helped me quickly to set right the save as Dialog Box. I have thinking of doing it for long. Thanks so much. Keep up the Good Work.
great information. Thanks! a clever tip in a few steps.
I agree with Colin: what about OFFICE “save as” dialog box? can we change that too?
thank you for this very useful information!
thanks for this - very useful, didn’t know TweakUI could do it, otherwise, I would have done it years ago!
under administrative templates i only have windows media player not any of the other things that are shown in the example.
very nice i figured it out but i need it for solidworks
Awsome tip…I curse myself for not stumbling upon this at all or why it never crossed my mind that these default things can be changed..Thanks a ton.
Thanx 4 the tip. Used it straight away.
for office places check http://www.petri.co.il/customize_the_places_bar_in_office_xp_2003.htm
or google office places
Ben, Did you ever get it figured out for Solidworks? Thx.
I can’t thank you enough!
Thank you for the wonderful tip. It works great.
great work. Thanks you so much!!
keep up with other good post~
SUPER solution… SIMPLE, Straight to the point and WORKS 100%.
Thanks….
Thanks this is great. Excellent work.
In some (?) applications in Windows Vista the open and save as dialogs shows a bar with shortcuts who are defined in: C:\Users\\Links\
In some (?) applications in Windows Vista the open and save as dialogs shows a bar with shortcuts who are defined in: C:\Users\[username]\Links\
it works man
thanks alot
Awesome!
I’ve been wanting to customize this for years! If only I had known it was this easy! Thanks for the tip. Much appreciated.
OHH finally!. Not only was this VERY useful for me to configure the locations, but to reenable it, because for some reason it was gone and I had NO locations at all.
Eternal thanks for this!
BTW there’s also a way to add some places to that bar if you use Office 2003 (at least it helped me): click “Service” button near to upper right corner of dialog and then select “Add to places bar” element. A shortcut to folder, which is opened at this moment, will appear in Places bar.
P.S.: Not sure about actual buttons names ‘coz I use localized cyrillic version of Office. Advice right names if it’ll be helpful, please.
Actually, in Vista, all you have to do is drag and drop a directory onto the favorite links bar.
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