Saving Word Documents in 365

I have a recently re-installed Windows 10 with all Updates. 2004 (OS Build 1904-508)

When deciding whether to use my Office 2010 or not, I decided to take the plunge and purchase 365 Office.

Part of the reason for the re-install was that my Files and Folders were in a total mess and I had lost all pre-installed Folders, ie Documents etc. and Word Docs were all over the place. I backed up everything on an external hard drive.

Firstly, I got One Drive to import my most used Word Documents, it told me they were all empty, so I had to use my external hard drive to access and try and save on my PC in Documents Folder, however, somehow this is full of my empty files.

I have tried to read up about changing where my 365 documents are saved, but in the list of recent documents my documents are showing as saved in 3 different places, One Drive, Personal One Drive and my external drive!! Each appears to have randomly saved without any input from me! Can someone please help I want all documents save on my PC and then backed up to One Drive Folder. I need them to go into a New Folder on One drive otherwise they just mingle in with all the empty folders/files.

Whilst writing I have no idea what the 'Personal' folder is in One Drive.

I would really appreciate some help on how to save Word 365 Documents to my Documents file on my computer, all instructions I have thus far found online, do not have the same files/options etc. as shown for me to click, and having so far been unable to actually save a new file to my Documents Folder on my computer, means I am having to hold up on making any new files as they are at present saving all over the place!

Hi, thanks for the above, I am not onto computer until Wednesday, so will do as above and let you know, did not want you to think I was ignoring your assistance, again, many thanks

ok, so here we are again, more deeper in the mire than ever! I have been digging around and trying to sort out this problem over the weeks on and off during a bout of "clinical depression" so apologies for absence.

It would now appear that I have been "disappearing" my own documents!!

I never did find out why my old Folders were empty, tried alot of the above suggestions, but there was just nothing in the Folders, or I was denied access, either or both of the above.

I have at last discovered - today - how I have made my own documents 'disappear,

I have been a user of Word almost since it was 'invented', and have used Office 2010 for the past 10 years, I was far from being an expert but I knew my way around.

So, when I reluctantly had to succumb to replacing 2010 I stupidly thought it would be the same but with bells and whistles. Not really thinking the basics could have changed that much. How wrong can you be.

Microsoft in their infinite wisdom have made saving your documents totally different and as far as I can see, much more difficult.

I had never relied on templates that much, I guess being brought up in the dark ages and therefore being able to 'touch type' typing and re-typing small amounts of text were not a problem for me, so instead of creating templates I had one document for starting with, shall we call it Christmas Food Shopping 2015, which I added too, deleted from etc. and so on. Then in 2016 I would open that document, change the year, start over again and 'save as' Christmas Food Shopping 2016. A system that has work brilliantly for me for years, yes I had 2 documents, but the older one got archived within their year.

This year during my 'computer upgrading' and lockdown I had time to start on Christmas early, so started with Christmas Food Shopping 2019, accomplished my changes and saved as Christmas Food Shopping 2020. Usually I would print prior to saving, but I had run out of ink, so did not. Then I started to search for all the 'saved as' 2020 Christmas documents which of course had all disappeared. As always, blame Microsoft, the computer, Coronovirus, anything but myself.

No one could help with what I had done, and only through spending hours wading through online help pages, purchasing the 365 for Dummies etc, purchasing a File recovery program £70+ all to no avail and out of no where I spotted something and did a double take!

365 and Microsoft have decided to simplify this process but make it totally difficult to understand:

Now, in Word 365 you open your original document, way back in 2015 per my example, make your changes and leave- do not save as a name that is relevant - leave as is so all you have is the original 2015 file name, with me? Forward a year to when you want to open the updated file, open the original file, and you now have "Versions" of the original document, so that in ten years time my document with still be called Christmas 2015, but will have 10 years of "versions"

I suppose there is a way this would be workable, but I am sure I am not the only person who uses a date in a file name, which is now useless!!

However, most probably most of you will, after recovering from laughter over my stupidity, will say, why did no not read the manual - now don't get me started on manuals, even if they do exist. I can find no mention of this substantial change in Microsoft 'how to's' so I guess only people new to Word are expected to use 365, so they would know no other way to use Documents.

So, having permanently lost several hours worth of editing, not to mention the hours spent trying to find the answer to my disappearing documents I am now going to have an early night - Again many thanks for those who tried to help previously, I am afraid I truly am a lost cause - computers making live easier - I'm having none of it - life was much much simpler in the olden days. Pen, paper, write, repeat every 12 months - 1 hour at most.

Tried to 'like' your above posts but I have been told to "spread Rep around a bit, before giving you more!!"