With the constant changing of computers and programs it can sometimes become rather frustrating to do the simplest of tasks that you may have been doing for ages. Even things as simple as saving a file and sharing it with another person. When Microsoft Office brought out the 2007 version they really threw everyone for a loop with their new “x” file types that were the defaults. Mainly because anyone who had not yet upgraded to the new version simply could not open these files. Since then, updates and user practice has resolved this problem for most people, but plenty of similar problems constantly arise for people trying to save and share various documents.
However, most of the time there really is some very simple solutions for the average user to figure these challenges out and work around them. All it takes is a little bit of patience and most importantly – reading. It's a standing joke in our office that anytime Pam is having difficulties with something my canned response is “read your screen”. It sounds funny and even a bit cheeky, but it really is quite astounding how many of us don't take the time to fully read the information that our computers are giving us, yet if we would read, more often than not we would have far fewer problems.
The process of saving and sharing files will always vary slightly on every computer, device and program – sometimes it's noticeable, other times it's not. But at the end of the day the basics are always based on the same concepts.
- Find a “File” menu
- Choose “Save”
- Choose where you want to save the file (usually at the top of the save dialogue box, or through an icon on the left side)
- Give your file a name (there will be a field called “File Name” and it usually brings in the first few words of your document as a default name)
But this is now where you can overcome compatibility problems with the next field that is called “Save as Type” (it could also just be called “File Type”) – with this little drop down menu you can choose what type of document to save your file as. So your best bet is to scroll through these options (they will be different for every program) and look for either one you recognize or one that someone has told you is the type of file that they need.
Sometimes, depending on the program, if the file type you need isn't in the “Save as” options, you might have an option in your main Toolbar to “Export” the document. The same principals of action apply when exporting as they do when saving – basically you should be able to follow the same steps.
Anytime you are trying to do something you've always done, in a new environment that doesn't seem to be the same as what you “know”, simply slow down and read. Look for words that could mean the same thing and try them. As an example, between a PC and a Mac, users will find that while the PC uses the key “Ctrl”, a Mac uses “Cmd” – but both keys essentially do the same types of things.
Plus, if ever in doubt, try doing a google search for what you need help with, preceded by ‘how to’. For example: ‘how to save in Word’.
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