What Is the Shortcut to Save a Word Document?

Usually, when you want to save a Microsoft Word document, you do so using one of two means: selecting "Save or Save As" from the "File" drop-down menu or clicking the "Disk" icon that appears near the top of the program. For the former, click "File" then scroll down and click on "Save As" to name and save a document you haven't saved or simply scroll down and click on "Save" to save the latest version of the Word document that already exists on your hard drive. Alternately, clicking the "Disk" icon will prompt you to choose a name for your document, if you haven't already, and save the current version of your document, if you have.

The most basic ways to save documents on Microsoft Word require simple sequences of two or three keys, respectively. If you wish to save a document you haven't yet saved -- in other words, "Save As" -- hold down the "Alt," "F" and "A" keys at the same time to open a "Save As" dialog box. If you've previously saved your document, re-saving it is even simpler -- just hold down the "Ctrl" and S" keys simultaneously.

Another way to save a document without using your mouse is to drop-down the "File" menu using your keyboard. Hold down the "Alt" key, then hit "F" to access the file menu. At that point, use your "Arrow" keys to scroll through the various options on the menu -- which include "Save" and "Save As" -- clicking "Enter" to execute the option of your choice.

If you use Microsoft Word 2007 or later, you'll notice the program's characteristic "drop-down" menus are missing. One of the key features of the 2007 re-release of the Office productivity suite was eliminating these menus in favor of a graphical interface known as the "Ribbon." If your version of Word lacks drop-down menus, you can't use a keyboard shortcut to access the "File" menu and save from there, so your only shortcut option is to hold down "Ctrl" and "S" for "Save" or "Alt," "F" and "A" for "Save As."