Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Use Filenames That Sort Properly.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 19, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016
It is not uncommon to work on projects that require several documents. For instance, you may be working on a manual that has several parts. When you are naming files for this project, you should use names that will later sort properly when you use various functions of Word.
For instance, when you choose to open a document, you see the standard Open dialog box that shows the files in the current directory. If your files are named properly, they will always appear in order on the list. I ensure this by starting all files related to a project with two digits that represent the order in which the document appears in the project. For instance, if the project entails an introduction, three sections, and an appendix, then the files may be named as follows:
01 Introduction.docx 02 Section 01.docx 03 Section 02.docx 04 Section 03.docx 05 Appendix.docx
Without the leading two digits, of course, the files would be displayed in the dialog box in an entirely different order. For me, the above approach ensures that the files are always in the logical order I need. The only drawback is that if I need to add a new section (such as Section 04), then I need to change the number of the 05 Appendix.docx file to 06 Appendix.docx so that the new section can become 05 Section 04.docx. This renaming is a small price to pay to keep my files in the desired order. One way around having to change the number of the Appendix.docx file each time a new section is added is to initially replace the leading zero with 1 as the first of the assigned two digits. This assures the Appendix.docx file always follows the sections.
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2022-08-19 17:04:34
Allen
If you use numbering by twos or threes, for example, then additional docs can be saved in the right order without having to renumber any existing docs.
2022-08-19 08:21:47
Tammy Richardson
I used a similar system when working with manuals I used a numbering scheme 010, 020, 030... This way if I had to add more files I did not have to renumber, unless I added more than 9 files in between and that never happened. I used a leading zero and two zeros for graphic files (in another folder) so they corresponded to the file they went in 01000 - 01099. This organization allowed me to have files readily accessible for sharing with other writers, engineers, etc. I saved countless hours over trying to find text files especially similarly named equipment files. The important take away is the leading zero. without it your files would be ordered like this 1, 10, 11, 12...19, 100, 101, 2, 20, 21, 22...29, 3.... Just like styles and templates a little planning in the beginning saves hours in the end!
2022-08-19 07:21:06
Neil Fuller
The way I overcome the issue of adding documents later and having to rename files is to number the initial documents thus;
10 Introduction.docx
20 Section 01.docx
30 Section 02.docx
40 Section 03.docx
50 Appendix.docx
Adding a new document after, for example 10 Section 01.docx would be named 11 Section 01s.docx
The files will still display correctly in explorer. This only fails if you have many, many documents, which is not a problem for me, although others may run in to that constraint.
2017-11-27 09:33:12
Andrew
My method is something like
a.Introduction
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
z.Appendix
In other words, except for the "out-of-order" files, I let Windows do the sorting, which it seems pretty good at, whether sequencing with numbers, letters, etc.
2017-11-25 13:31:18
Guru Aum Jah
While the recommended system of sorting file names works well enough, rather than rename various files after inserting an additional file inside the list, my successful approach is to add a letter to the sequence such as Love 01; Love 02, Love 03, Love 03a: Love 04, with Love 03a being the added file.
Aum Jah here ...
2017-11-25 11:27:27
Bill Beschman
Excellent tip, Allen, as usual.
Similar to other comments already provided, another option would be to name the first item <00 Introduction.docx> and the last item <99 Appendix.docx> to guarantee the first and last place items don't wander from their intended locations. Also, using numbers in increments of 10 (10, 20, 30 etc) in place of 01, 02... would allow the easy insertion of new material between sections (charts, graphics, etc). For instance, a graphic that is to be included in Section 2 could be filed as <21 graphic.jpg> (or similar).
Example:
00 Introduction.docx
10 Section 01.docx
20 Section 02.docx
21 graphic.jpg
30 Section 03.docx
99 Appendix.docx
I often download recurring statements from vendors that I want to see displayed in chronological no matter when they were last saved. The solution is to preface each statement with with an 8 digit date code in YYYYMMDD order such as 2017-12-25. I add the hyphens for clarity.
Again, thanks for the tips.
2017-11-25 11:20:24
MDW
Another handy tip that I use is to start the file name with a non-alphanumeric character like “ ~ “.
Windows sorts that character first at the top of the list (or conversely at the bottom).
So I use it to identify and name files and folders that I use most frequently. It is a great time saver.
2017-11-25 06:24:43
Dori Schmetterling
I have been doing a variant of this for 20 years. I have a central store for all files regardless of type (docx, xlxs, wpd, pdf...).
There is no need to start with numbers. For example, you may wish to file by company name, so you can do this:
Companyx0101
Companyx0102
Companyz0101
Companyz0102
If you need to insert files later, then use a 'suffix' like 0101a.
I use 4 digits as I may exceed 99 items per company (or subject) but so far never 9999...
Alternatively use dates, something I do for photos:
NYC171125_01
NYC171125_02
NYC171126
NYC171128
The latter approach means you can add files anytime in the right position.
I hope this helps.
2017-11-25 06:06:33
Rod Grealish
An alternative if you need to insert new documents is to number in steps of, say, 10 which allows gaps in the numbering which you can use to number the inserted documents eg
010 Introduction.docx
020 Section 01.docx
030 Section 02.docx
040 Section 03.docx
050 Appendix.docx
Insert new Section 04 at 041 Section 04.docx.
This trick goes back to the "good old days" of programming when source code was held on punched cards in sequence number order and you needed to leave gaps in the sequence to insert new lines of code for the inevitable bug fixes and enhancements.
2017-11-25 05:40:40
Trevor Bellinger
You frequently provide us with Macros to allow us to perform a lengthy process with a one key operation. However, you have never informed us how to record the macro in the first place. I have previously asked you to do this but you have not done it yet to my knowledge. Also I think that when you advise us of your "tips" your "steps" always seem to be too complex and not easily understood. As a Computer tutor for the past 10 years dealing with mature-age people, I have found that it is necessary to simplify my instructions so that they are easily understood, otherwise people will not read them. One thing that I learnt many years ago was to give instructions to someone who is not familiar with the process or task, and if my instructions are clear they will be able to perform the task. If not my instructions need to revised and improved.
So please can you provide some simple and easy to follow instructions for recording macros, perhaps giving a few every day useful examples.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
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