Setting Default Locations for Your Documents

Out of the box, both Word and WordPerfect are designed for an individual user, not a business user on a network. This is reflected in the default location of documents, which is normally in the user’s My Documents directory. From a business point of view, this makes no sense, so the first thing you want to do is to change it.

In WordPerfect, go to Tools | Settings | Files. The first tab will be “Documents” and there a field for “Default Document Folder.”  Change this to the location of your documents on the server, for example “F:\docs” or “F:\clients.”  That way, when you save or open a document you will have a few less mouse clicks to locate the proper place.

In Word 2003, go to Tools | Options | File Locations. Select the “Documents” option and click “Modify.” Select the appropriate directory as above.  In Word 2007, Click the MS Open button in the upper left corner, then select Word Options at the bottom of that window, and Save options. Change the “Default File Location” as desired.

If you use firm-wide macros and templates you may want to reconfigure the location of your macros and templates accordingly, so that you do not have to go through individual setup every time you have a new user.