Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Jumping Around Folders.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 14, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
If you work with multiple workbooks at the same time, you know that traversing folder (directory) paths in the Open dialog box can be tedious. For instance, let's assume you have a workbook you are working on. You open a second workbook, this one in a different directory. (You find it and open it after clicking your way to it in the Open dialog box.)
Now it comes time to open a third workbook. When you display the Open dialog box, Excel assumes you want to start from where you opened the previous workbook. What if you want to actually open it from the same directory in which the first workbook was located? Of course, you can again use the Open dialog box to traverse back to the original directory. An easier method may be to do the following:
Now when you use the Open dialog box, Excel starts in the folder you were last in, which was the one displayed in step 2—the one you want.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12714) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Jumping Around Folders.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
If you need to stuff the current workbook's filename and path into a cell or a header or footer, you'll appreciate the ...
Discover MoreIf you import data into Excel that is created by other programs, you know that it can be bothersome to get your data ...
Discover MoreWhen you save your workbooks, Excel can also save a preview image (thumbnail) that can be displayed in the Open dialog ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2025-11-13 00:03:50
Barbie
Maybe it's different in Excel, but in Word I don't even have to use "Save As" - as long as I switch focus to a document that's in the folder I want to open from, it defaults to that folder.
2022-12-14 04:32:17
Kiwerry
Thanks, Paul. I use the "Recently opened" feature often - it's in my QAT - but I hadn't noticed that option.
2019-04-15 13:57:30
Paul
Or in versions of Excel from 2013 on (with all the updates applied):
When opening the third workbook, click File and choose Open from the left-hand menu
Excel displays a list of recently-opened workbooks
Click Folders at the top of the list of workbooks
Excel displays a list of folders you have visited recently
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here:
Comments