Saving Files

Use Command-S (File>Save). I do it so often it has become like breathing.

Making periodic backups of your data may not help much if you lose a file that you just created in the last few hours. That’s why the most important thing you can do when working on a document is save it! Press Command-S as often as possible. I can't tell you how many times I have had a conversation that goes like this:

“TextEdit just froze on me. I don't want to Force Quit it because I want to save the document I was working on. What can I do”

“Had you saved the document recently?”

“I don’t think so. It still says Untitled at the top of the window.”

“And how long were you working on this document?”

“Oh, about an hour.”

“Well, you can kiss that hour of your life good-bye, as well as the document you were working on.” It is no fun delivering that kind of news, and I do it almost every week to someone.

I typically name and save a document before I even begin working on it. I then hit Command-S every time I pause, usually every couple of minutes or so. It's as automatic as breathing. That way I never lose more than a few minutes work. (I also won't go more than a couple hours without a backup.)