Sparklabs
Week 10First TermMonday 9 November 2026 to Friday 13 November 2026

Creating and Saving Documents

Naming a Document; Saving a Document; Opening a Document; Save As and File Formats

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On this page7 sections
  1. 01Learning Objectives
  2. 02Naming a Document
  3. 03Saving a Document
  4. 04Opening a Document
  5. 05Save As and File Formats
  6. 06Practical Work
  7. 07Scenario-Based Questions

Learning Objectives

  • Create a new document and give it a suitable file name.
  • Save a document to a chosen folder.
  • Open an existing document.
  • Use Save As to keep a second copy in another location.

Naming a Document

Every document needs a name so that it can be found again. A good file name is short and descriptive. For an assignment, a name such as ada_english_essay is better than Document1, because it tells the reader what the file contains.

A file name in Word ends with a full stop and the extension. The extension for a Word document is docx. A PDF file ends with pdf. The extension tells the computer which program to open the file with.

Saving a Document

Saving copies the document from the computer's memory to storage. Work must be saved often because a power cut or an accidental shutdown loses anything not saved.

To save for the first time, click Save As or press Ctrl and S. Choose the folder where the file should be kept, such as Documents or a folder on a flash drive. Type the file name, choose the file type and click Save. After the first save, the Save command keeps the same name and location.

Opening a Document

To open a document, click File and then Open, or press Ctrl and O. The Open window shows the folders and files on the computer. Click the folder you want, click the file name and click Open.

Recent files are listed on the Word start screen, which saves time when a document was worked on shortly before.

Save As and File Formats

Save As keeps the document open while making another copy somewhere else or in another format. It is used to keep a backup on a flash drive, to save a copy as a PDF for printing or sharing, or to start a new version of the same work.

Saving in more than one format makes the document useful on other devices. A PDF keeps the layout the same on any computer, which makes it the safest format for final submissions.

File extensionMeaning
.docxMicrosoft Word document
.pdfFixed layout document that looks the same everywhere
.txtPlain text with no formatting
.rtfRich text format
ShortcutAction
Ctrl + SSave the open document
Ctrl + OOpen an existing document
Ctrl + NCreate a new document
Ctrl + PPrint the document

Practical Work

  1. Create a new document, type a short paragraph, and save it in a folder named after your class.
  2. Give the document a clear file name ending in.docx and confirm it appears in the folder.
  3. Close the document, then reopen it and check that the text is intact.
  4. Use Save As to keep a second copy on a flash drive.
  5. Save the same document as a PDF and compare the size with the.docx file.
  6. Create three documents and practise opening each one from Recent files.

Scenario-Based Questions

  1. A pupil types an assignment for forty minutes and the power fails. Explain how the work was lost and how to prevent it.
  2. Explain why a file named Document3 is a poor name for an examination record and give a better name.
  3. A teacher asks for a copy that will look the same on any computer. State the format to use and explain why.
  4. Explain the difference between Save and Save As.
  5. Describe how to keep a backup of your work before a presentation.
  6. A student needs to submit an assignment on a computer that has no Microsoft Word installed. Explain which format to save the file in and why.
  7. State two consequences of failing to save a document regularly.