Save Files on Mac Computers

Saving files on a Mac is similar to Windows. You need to save files to your H: drive or a flash drive for later access. Follow the steps below to save your files.

Save a File:

1. Log in to the computer using your NetID.
2. Open Safari and log in to your student email.
3. Open the email with the attachment you want to save.
4. Click the download button on the attachment (it will be saved in your Downloads folder temporarily).
5. Open the file from the Downloads folder on the dock.
6. Select File > Save As from the Menu Bar.
7. In the dialog box, click the arrow next to the Save As name box.
8. Select the computer (root directory) from the list of drives.
9. Choose the drive named after your NetID and click Save. Ensure you save it on the correct drive, not your user profile, which is erased nightly.

Find a Previously Saved File:

1. Log in to your account with your NetID.
2. Select Go > Computer from the Menu Bar.
3. In the Finder window, select the drive named after your NetID to find your saved document.

To share files between Mac and Windows systems, follow these formatting tips to avoid errors.

Illegal Characters: Avoid using these characters in file names:

• ? (Question Mark)
• [ ] (Brackets)
• \ (Back Slash)
• = (Equals Sign)
• / (Forward Slash)
• + (Plus Sign)
• < > (Angle Brackets)
• ; (Semicolon)
• : (Colon)
• " (Quotation Mark)
• ' (Apostrophe)
• , (Comma)
• | (Pipe)
• # (Number sign)
• * (Asterisk)
• . (Period, only for file extensions)

File Extensions: File extensions identify the application used to open the file. They are automatically added when you save a document and should not be changed. Examples:

• Microsoft Word: .docx (e.g., filename.docx)
• Microsoft Excel: .xlsx (e.g., filename.xlsx)
• Text Documents: .txt (e.g., filename.txt)