Finding Out the Folder for an Open Document

Steven often has a Word document open and can't remember where it came from (i.e., what folder it is located in). The title bar for the document's window shows the document's title, but not the folder in which it is stored. He wonders about the easiest way to figure out the folder for a document that is already open.

It turns out that there are several different ways you can determine the folder for a document. Based on the huge number of people that supplied ideas, the most popular (and, therefore, commonly used) method is to simply press F12. Word displays the Save As dialog box, which includes as the default location the path of the currently active document. Once you glean the information you like, you can press Esc to dismiss the Save As dialog box without actually saving.

If you are using Word 2007, you can display the properties for a document, which includes its location. You do this by clicking the Office button, then clicking Prepare | Properties. Word displays a Properties pane at the top of the document, which includes a yellow bar showing the location for the document.

If you are using Word 2010 or a later version of the program, you can see the folder in which a document is stored by simply clicking the File tab of the ribbon. Near the top of the screen you can see the location, the detail of which will vary based on the version of Word you are using. For instance, if you are using Word 2010 you can see the traditional full path name. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. File location in Word 2010.

If you are using Word 2016 or a later version, though, then the full path may appear truncated. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. File location in Word 2016 and later versions.

Interestingly, if you look at what you see when the File tab is displayed, near the bottom of the right side of the screen you should see an option named Open File Location. If you hover over this with the mouse pointer, you'll see the full path for the folder. You can also click the option and thereby open a window that shows the contents of the folder.

There's also a tool you can add to the Quick Access Toolbar that will show you the document's location. Follow these steps:

1. Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 and later versions display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
2. Select the Customize option (Word 2007) or Quick Access Toolbar option (Word 2010 and later versions) at the left side of the dialog box.
3. Using the Choose Commands From drop-down list, choose Commands Not In the Ribbon. Word displays all the requested commands at the left side of the dialog box. (See Figure 3.)



Figure 3. Adding a command to the Quick Access Toolbar.

4. Scroll through the list of available commands and choose Document Address.
5. Click the Add button. The command is moved to the list at the right of the dialog box.
6. Click OK. The new command now appears on the Quick Access Toolbar.

The Document Address tool is actually a drop-down list. It lists lots of different addresses, including places you've visited on the Internet. The top option, however (the one shown when you don't drop-down the list), is the folder location of the currently active document.

Finally, if you prefer a macro-oriented approach, you could create a very simple one that displays the path to the folder:

Sub GetPath()
     MsgBox ActiveDocument.FullName
End Sub

The macro could be easily assigned to a shortcut key or to a tool on the ribbon or Quick Access Toolbar.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (4869) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021.