Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Saving in Two Locations.

Saving in Two Locations

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 29, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Sam asked if there was a way to save the same workbook to two separate locations. For instance, one copy could be saved to the normal network location, and the other to a folder on the local hard drive.

There are any number of ways that this can be done. For instance, you could create your own macro that saves two versions of the same workbook. The macro could be assigned to a toolbar button, and then the button clicked when you want to save both copies. (In other words, you would bypass the normal Save function all together.)

Another approach is to make a small adjustment to how Excel saves the workbook. For instance, the following macro would be added to the ThisWorkbook object for the workbook:

Private Sub Workbook_BeforeSave(ByVal _
  SaveAsUI As Boolean, Cancel As Boolean)
    With ThisWorkbook
        .SaveCopyAs ("c:\Backups\Backup of " & .Name)
    End With
End Sub

This is an event handler, and it is triggered every time you go to do a save on the workbook. At that point, the macro is executed and a copy of the workbook is saved in the specified path on your local hard drive.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3042) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Saving in Two Locations.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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