Change default "Save as" file location to "Recent files"

Question

I'm using Microsoft® Excel® for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2307 Build 16.0.16626.20198) 64-bit

I used to be able to go to File - Save As and have the Recent Files be the default location for the files. Now it's defaulting to the OneDrive location. How can I change it back so when I follow those steps the default save location selected is the recent files?

1. Just to be clear the recent files "tab" is present and on the top, but for some reason the OneDrive, which is second, is the selected option every time.
2. On Options - Save... "Show additional places for saving" is disabled, and "Save to computer by default" is disabled. ( I tried all iterations of these options and this didn't solve the problem)

3.I do not want to have a default folder as the location, I want it to be the recent files.

I hope you can help me.

Thanks

JP

Answer 1

Hi Tina,

Thank you for taking the time to explore the issues raised in this thread and for the quality of your responses.

I too have this problem across what appears to be all modern Microsoft applications - i.e. Office 365 Desktop applications (e.g. Microsoft® Excel® for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2403 Build 16.0.17425.20176) 64-bit, Windows 10 Photos app,

However, legacy Windows apps such as Notepad and the Snip tool still thankfully work as they have done for as long as I can remember - Save As opens a file save dialog box pointing to the most recent location used to open or save a file using the app. Likewise, most non-MS apps such as Adobe Acrobat, Google Chrome, and IrfanView default to the last used file location.

A common theme I have observed from searching for a solution to this issue appears to be OneDrive. A further factor which seems to aggravate the issue for Office apps is "upgrading" from onetime purchase versions of Office (e.g. Office 2019) to Office 365 desktop apps.

Backstage - and the need to spend more time clicking and navigating to the correct file location - even if only to move the mouse to "more options" and click is bad enough. However, at least prior to upgrading from Office 2019 to Office 365, OneDrive was not constantly being shoved down my throat everytime I tried to open or save a file within an Office App.

I may be mistaken but I recall that Office 2019 with OneDrive installed would default to the system documents folder if opening a document immediately after opening the App from its EXE or shortcut but would at least default to the open document's file location when using "Save As". Perversely, Office 365 defaults to a OneDrive system documents location.

This is ridiculous as I suspect few people using Office for productivity would typically just dump every file they create or edit into Documents, My Documents, or whatever name Microsoft has decided to give it in the last Update. Given how MS is constantly pushing Office 365's AI time saving features that supposedly learn and adapt based on how the user works and uses each Office application, one would think that the Apps would quickly adapt to avoid the user repeating the same song and dance navigating to the correct file location every time they try to open or save a document.

Plainly, MS is constantly updating and changing Office to sell more 365 and OneDrive licences. In the process they are turning what were once the best productivity apps into time consuming and non-productive nightmares with keyboard shortcuts inexplicably no longer working, or simply removed, more mouse clicks needed to complete tasks, and constant interruptions with inane recommendations and suggestions. The keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting content style and formatting (SHIFT-CTRL C and V) don't even seem to work in Word or Excel anymore. Updates remove or change features or UI controls but MS doesn't document these "improvements" or give users the option to stick with what they want. Often times a vital setting that should be present in Options is missing or inoperable and the best anyone can recommend is to check for updates or revert to a prior version. All this, and yet Word still cannot consistently apply all the font, spacing, margin, and numbering styles which I spent so much time setting up to avoid the constantly changing indents, autonumbering formats, and paragraph line spacing issues as a document is worked on and Windows still relies on often broken and buggy legacy UI controls, control panel features, print spooler, etc which back to Win 95 and 98 or possibly even Windows 3.1.

MS now risk losing once loyal customers due to frustration, annoyance and a desire to just get the job done without spending 5 hours searching for a solution, uninstalling and reinstalling software, dealing with OneDrive locking files and folders due to MS's "we know best - you don't need to force sync to regain the ability to move or delete a file, just wait until sometime between the next 5 minutes and 5 hours and you can move that file or folder you created or saved in the wrong location to where it needs to be".

Worse for MS, I predict that in the near future MS is going to face EU or US govt anticompetitive action over its OneDrive practices and integration into Windows and Office Apps. On the plus side, MS can defend these inevitable claims by simply saying "well, we made OneDrive integration into our OS and Office suite such a bad user experience that customers are turning away from OneDrive and using our competitors cloud file storage products."

I know this comes across as a rant and as many MS users are increasingly as protective and defensive of MS as Apple users are of Apple's ecosystem with the default answer to any valid question asking how to resolve or why an issue exists being "its not the product, its your fault and the way you are using it", this reply is likely to attract negative responses. Whatever others may think, I want to assure you that nothing in this comment is critical of you or your attempts to solve the problems - I have nothing but respect for the time and effort that Moderators, Agents and volunteers put into these Answer and Community pages.

However, it is important that people who come here looking for a solution understand that the inherent issue is with the underlying OS, integrated cloud platform and OS vendor Apps and that as time goes on, the likelihood of finding a solution that works becomes increasingly unlikely.

Thank you once again for your hard work!