Where does it go?

[dflak]

On a couple of occasions, I've downloaded a file and opened it. I worked on it, and saved it by clicking on Save. Then I cannot find it anywhere on my C:Drive. I am using IE11, Windows 7 and Excel 2013. The spreadsheet saves just fine. No error messages and no prompt asking me where I want to save it. It apparently saves it into thin air.

It does not go into C:\users\user-name\Document - the alleged "default location". It does not wind up in AppData, and it doesn't even show up as an unsaved file. Those I can retrieve.

I'm sick and tired of losing my work because I click on save instead of Save As. Save As prompts me to save the file somewhere. Save does something and maybe it does actually save it, but where?

[dflak]

P.S. One other place it doesn't show up is in recent.

[shg]

C:\Users\[username]\Downloads?

[romperstomper]

If you open it in Excel rather than saving it from the link, it will end up in a temporary folder with a slightly random path like:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\IE\0ULHXL7Y

[dflak]

@shg - thanks for the suggestion, but it ain't there either.

@roya - I checked the entire AppData directory and subdirectories for any *.xlsx file with a mod date of today. I got a number of hits, but none of them were the file I was looking for.

[Pete_UK]

Can't you click on the file listed in Recent Files to open it again, and then use File | Save As to put it in the folder that you meant to?

Hope this helps.

Pete

[Doc.AElstein]

Can you change your default Download Folder ?
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...-location.html

[FDibbins]

Maybe try this...
save the file with a VERY unique name, then use windows explorer to search for it?

[romperstomper]

@roya - I checked the entire AppData directory and subdirectories for any *.xlsx file with a mod date of today. I got a number of hits, but none of them were the file I was looking for.

Like Outlook's secure temp folder, it won't be visible in Explorer. The simple solution is to download them somewhere you want, then open them, not open them directly from links. If that's a problem, you could create a simple add-in that checks for similar paths every time you open a file and then prompts you to save elsewhere automatically.

[snb]

I find them in

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[newdoverman]

I've experienced this problem in the past using IE 11. The only way that I can not get "trapped" by this is to click on Open and immediately save the file to a folder that I always use while working on problems posed.

I find Firefox very confusing with the downloads. They seem to go everywhere. I installed a plug-in for downloading and that seems to help but not entirely eliminate problems.

[snb]

@newdover

Firefox downloads in a fixed directory (menu / options / genearl downloaded files in :...... )
If you open a downloaded file and save it, it's being saved in the windows' temp or tmp directory, like I showed in my previous post.
If one of the windows settings is to clear all tmp directories it will be lost after closing windows.

[newdoverman]

I'm finding that Firefox tends to follow where I save my other work. I may be doing two or three things at a time and the download could end up in any of the folders being used or none of them.

The Firefox add-in has at least mitigated the problem. I can open the file upon download and a file is created in C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp. When saving the file, it will be saved in that same folder which is a pain to get to using the uploader for the forum. A more convenient folder can be chosen when using Save As but you have to remember to do that.

[dflak]

I know it should be opening the file in some temporary location, and it might even give it some obscure name. But when I click save there is no prompt to ask for a location to save it to, nor is it in the recently saved location.

I've gone to C: and asked to find all *.xlsx files with the date. I got several dozen hits: none of them the file I just saved. I might have to download Agent Ransack or similar utility.

[newdoverman]

You won't get a prompt for save location because the file has already been saved and you are just overwriting it. You should be able to see where you saved it if you open Excel, click on File, Recent and locate the file in the list. The file location should be listed. At least this is the situation in Office 2010.

[dflak]

Except for downloaded files I do see saved files on the Recent list.

I do not save files I download since I don't know if I will be working on them. I open them, and if I decide to work on them and have the presence of mind, save as to my temp directory. The issue happens when I forget to do this and get carried away working on the file and simple click Save instead of Save as.

I'm fairly certain the file is resident on the hard drive somewhere - my suspicion is it's in the temporary internet files but I have not been able to find them there.

[newdoverman]

On my computers, the files get saved to this location.
C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp

[snb]

Did you test my suggestion in http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...=1#post4414267 ?

[newdoverman]

If you are referring to me, since installing the add-in to Firefox, I find the files always go to the folder that I mentioned in AppData. Windows 10 doesn't clear out this folder but the file is cleared if I had opened it in Excel upon download then close the file without saving it....the add-in allows the opening of the file upon download.

I find that Windows 10 on my computers doesn't clear the temp files in C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp when closed. The programs that produce the files are supposed to clear these files when they are closed. Disk Cleanup doesn't touch this folder either. From time to time, I went to this folder and I found files that should have been deleted upon closing. Many of them were Excel files that I downloaded with Firefox (in the past) and then saved to another location from Excel. Excel still wants to save to the Temp folder and if the location is changed, "Copy of" is added to the title of the file. When Excel is closed, the file in the Temp folder is deleted.

When using IE11 and opening a file instead of choosing download, Excel will faithfully save to my designated folder and not the Temp folder that is presented when Firefox is used for the download/open.

It is a bit confusing but that is the way that downloading works for me now...

[dflak]

I find that Windows 10 on my computers doesn't clear the temp files in C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp when closed. The programs that produce the files are supposed to clear these files when they are closed. Disk Cleanup doesn't touch this folder either.

CCleaner is a good tool for clearing out temporary files. It's a free utility that gets clobbered when you upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 (and perhaps from Windows 8 as well), but re-install it and it works fine.

[newdoverman]

The new versions of Ccleaner work very well in Windows 10.

[dflak]

I find them in

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I tried this and it gives me C:\users\username\AppData\Local\Temp

I looked at this directory and there are no XLS files of any kind in it. If I open a file from the forum it creates a .TMP file. It also creates a.tmp.cvr file which usually goes away when the file is closed. If I try to open the TMP file in excel, I get an error message about the file being corrupt. If I open any tmp.cvr file in Excel, I get a blank workbook with the tab name the same as the filename sort of like when you open a text file in Excel.

There are a number of error.xml files that when opened as read-only workbooks give a blank workbook.