Windows 10: why are files saved to wrong locations?

I save a current file I'm working on to a folder. I expect the system to take that as the operative folder until I save something else to a new folder. But that's not what happens! Instead, the system decides a seemingly random folder is the next candidate for a file that is being saved. Over and over, I have to correct the filing location. And when I forget? It saves it in God knows where. I routinely find files mis-filed in folders, attesting to when I've "gone on automatic."

I wish to know what is happening at the system level and if there are any fixes for it.

I save a test text file, and it is stored in my food recipes folder. I was in that folder last night.
I save this webpage and it wants to store it in the Downloads folder.
I roll through all eight other tabs that are open in my browser, and I get about half saving to the Downloads folder, and the rest are random locations.
Saving a new word processing document, defaults to the My Documents folder.

My Windows Version is 10.0.19041, Build 19041

Thanks!

:)

 

Making HDD as default saving location instead of sdd for files

Hi Kiefer,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Community.
I will surely help you to fix this issue.

I suggest you to try the following steps to change default saving locations. Check if it helps.

• 
  Click on Start and click on
  Settings.
  
• 
  Open System and click on
  Storage in the left-pane.
  
• 
  Under the section Save Locations in the
  right-pane, select the appropriate location to which you want to save files.
  
• 
  Restart the computer and check if it helps.
  

Hope this information helps. Reply to the post with an updated status of the issue so that we can assist you further.

 

Saving a file to a folder

Hi Dean,

Welcome to Microsoft Community and we appreciate your interest in Windows 10.

I will definitely assist you

It would be grateful if you could provide us few questions answer to understand the issue better and to provide you better assistance.

• 
  How are you accessing emails through web browser or through a mail client (mail app, outlook 2010/2013)?
  
• 
  Are you trying to save the email attached file? Please elaborate.
  

If you are using Outlook email, let’s try simple steps and check if it helps. Try the below steps provided.

Step 1.

If you want to save only the attached file from the email, try the below step.

• 
  Right click on the attached file and click on Save as.
  
• 
  Now select a folder location where you want to save the attached file.
  

Step 2.

If you want to save the file along with the email try the below steps provided.

• 
  Open the mail you want to save and click on File on the top of the right side.
  
• 
  Click on Save As and select a folder location where you want to save the email.
  

Hope this helps. If you need further assistance with Windows, let us know and will be glad to help.

 

MS Paint "Save as" location is NOT the file source location


Hi,

In Windows 8.1 (and as far as I can remember in all previous Windows versions) I used to be able to do the following:

• In Windows Explorer: Open a .jpg file from anywhere in my file system, by right mouse clicking and choosing "edit"
• After editing: "Save as" (press F12) and save the edited file IN ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION but under a different name.

Now, in Windows 10, the situation is different:

• In Windows Explorer I open a .jpg file from anywhere in my file system by right mouse clicking and choosing "edit"
• After editing: "Save as" (F12) opens a dialogue box that suggests I save the file, NOT in its original location, but in a location that is either the default "pictures" directory or the directory that was previously used as a "save as" location in Paint (these locations are stored in the registry key "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Paint\Recent File List")

Now I'd like very much to get the old, Windows 8 type situation back because this does not work for me! It's very inconvenient to have to scroll and click my way through the "save as" dialogue box until I finally find the directory where the edited file was stored in the first place! Why o why does Windows not remember this location?
I've searched through the internet but it seems nobody else has this problem. I've searched the registry for the word "paint" but was not able to find a setting that would suggest to have some influence on the default saving location of Paint.

Can someone please, please help me? It's driving me nuts! And it's sooo frustrating knowing that it used to work like a charm in WIN8.1 and before.

To clarify the difficulty I experience I perhaps should add that the jpg files I most frequently edit are located on shares on my NAS in paths such as:
M:\1_KLAS\Bach\Kerk\Jos van Veldhoven\Matthäus Passion, BWV 244 (24-88 2010)\scans\001.jpg
As you can see, that's buried quite deeply into the file system! And so it costs all the more time and effort to find my way back from the previously edited jpg, say:
M:\1_KLAS\Bruckner\Orkest\Chailly\Symfonie Nr.6 & Wolf - 4 Goethe Lieder (Goerne, KCO)\scans\001.jpg

P.S. I read somewhere that the "save as" dialogue boxes for Paint and Notepad should be basically the same. But... when I use Notepad to edit some txt file and afterwards use the "save as" option, it does direct me to the original location of the edited file, just as it used to do in Windows 8.1! That tells me that it should still be possible to get the old "save as" behaviour back for Paint. (Or am I being too optimistic here?)
P.P.S. F12 does not work anymore in Notepad. You have to go through the menu "File" -> "Save as..." That's also a pain in the ass

Which registry key will do the trick for me?