Many of us are creatures of habit. We spend time using the same files and folders in Windows. For many people, the default folders assigned by Microsoft aren't the ones we commonly use. If this is your case, we have a couple ways for you to change your Places Bar in Microsoft Office and the File Open dialog in many other applications.

Changing Windows Common Dialogs

Among Windows applications, many share common dialogs. One of these is the common shared dialog you often see when you select the File menu and then Open. As example, I see this common dialog when I open a file in Notepad or Paint. A similar shared dialog is found when you use File and Save As.

For some, the items outlined in red in this side bar, aren't as commonly used as other locations. As a result, you may need to click several times to get to the desired folder. After awhile, you start wishing for ways to customize this sidebar to better suit your needs.

There are a several ways to customize the Places Bar. One way is to tweak the Windows registry, but there are easier ways. You might think of these solutions like a Places Bar editor.

Solution 1: Microsoft's Tweak UI Powertoy

The first of these solutions is Microsoft's Tweak UI Powertoy. The download link is provided on the right side of the description page. The free software does need Windows XP. When you open Tweak UI and expand the Common Dialogs branch, you'll get the following screen.

On the right side, you can change the values for all five place locations. You can't add more than 5 though. If you change the Places Bar radio button to Custom places bar, the location area becomes editable.

You can select a predefined folder from the drop down menu. Alternatively, you can type the full path of any Windows folder.

Solution 2: Auxtool's PlacesBar Constructor

The other solution is the PlacesBar Constructor. The free utility also allows you to edit the folder settings. The description page also offers instructions if you wish to edit the Windows registry. You should opt for the Constructor as it offers two advantages. The first is works with Windows ME and Windows 2000. Second, you don't have to type path names, but can click the Custom radio button and use the Set Folder button and navigate to the folder. After you make your changes, click the Accept button.

If I didn't like my changes, I could click the Default radio button at the top left and apply the original selections.

After making my changes, my dialog looks like this:

Changing the Places Bar in Microsoft Office Applications

Although Windows applications have a Places Bar, most people think of the one in Microsoft Office applications. Don't ask me why, but the Places Bar in Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Office 2003 are more robust and customizable. Moreover, the changes you make here have no bearing on the common Windows dialog we just discussed. Microsoft treats these areas as two separate entities.

To add an item to the Places Bar in a Microsoft Office 2003 or XP application,

1. From the File menu, selection Open.

2. Highlight the folder you would like to add.

3. From the Tools menu at the top right, select Add to My Places

Microsoft also made the Places Bar more customizable for Office applications. You can see from the picture below, I can also rearrange and size the entries by right-clicking on an entry. If needed, I could add 256 entries.

If you've felt restricted by Windows' defaults, any of these solutions should work for you in customizing Windows Places Bar. They are considerably easier than editing the Windows Registry.

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