Using Header Information as the Filename

When a Word document is first saved, it uses the first few words of the document as a default filename. Paul would like to have Word use the header information as the default filename instead.

Unfortunately there is no way to instruct Word to use header information by default, but there may be a workaround you can attempt. First, though, a clarification: Word doesn't actually default to using the first few words of the document as the filename. The first choice for Word is actually whatever title you've specified in the Properties for the file. Only if no title is specified will Word fall back to using the wording from the first paragraph.

The fact that Word uses the title in the file properties raises a very interesting possibility, which is the basis for a potential workaround. If you can make sure the user specifies a title, you can use that title as the filename and you can also use the same title (through the use of a field) in the header. Thus, your title, your header, and your filename all could easily be the same, just by setting the title property before you actually save the file.

If you are unsure of a user's ability to remember to specify a title property, you could always create a macro that would set the property for them. The macro could run when the document is first created (if it is stored in the template on which the document is based) and could prompt the user for a title. The title is then stored in the properties where it kicks into play when the document is subsequently saved. The macro could also set the header for the document based on the user input, or it could include a TITLE field to dynamically include the title property in the header.

Another approach using a macro is to create one that is run just before saving the document. If this is the first time it is being saved, the macro would extract the existing information from the header and use it for the suggested filename. You could even name the macro FileSaveAs, which means it would replace the existing Save As command.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10585) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Using Header Information as the Filename.