How to Set a Default in Outlook 2007 & Save As a Folder on Desktop

While in Microsoft Outlook 2007, if you click "Save As" from the "File" menu, Outlook saves email messages and attachments in the My Documents folder by default. Although you can pick a different folder manually every time, this can be time consuming if you save files on a regular basis. However, you can change the default "Save As" location to a folder on the desktop. Once changed, your desktop folder will automatically pop up when you click "Save As" in Outlook 2007.

Instructions

1. Click the "Start" menu button. Type "regedit" in the Search box at the bottom of the Start menu. Press "Enter" to open the Registry Editor.

2. Double-click "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" from the pane on the left. Double-click the "Software" folder. Double-click "Microsoft." Double-click "Office." Double-click "12.0." Double-click "Outlook." Double-click "Options."

3. Click the "Edit" drop-down menu at the top of the window. Hover over "New" and select "String Value."

4. Type "DefaultPath" in the new String Value text box. Press the "Enter" key to save the changes.

5. Double-click the folder on the desktop you want to use as a default "Save As" folder to open it. Click the down arrow in the address bar at the top of the window. The folder path will become visible. Select the text and use the keyboard shortcut of "Ctrl" and "C" to copy it.

6. Double-click "DefaultPath" in the Registry Editor window. Use the keyboard shortcut of "Ctrl" and "V" to paste the folder's path into the text box. Click "OK." Close the Registry Editor.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful when changing these settings. Making an incorrect change can render the operating system inoperable.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Change the Folder Where Email Messages and Attachments are Saved in Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007