Where Does Windows Live Writer Save Drafts and How to Access Them

Windows Live Writer is a popular standalone blogging client that allows internet users to publish to various blogging platforms. One of the most frequently asked questions is where these drafts are saved. Understanding how Live Writer manages your drafts will help you retrieve them easily. In this article, we will explore the default storage location and provide a step-by-step guide on how to locate your saved drafts.

The Default Storage Location

By default, Windows Live Writer stores your saved drafts within a specific folder structure. The drafts are saved in a location within the 'My Documents' directory, under a folder called 'My Weblog Posts' and then within the 'Drafts' subfolder. Here is the exact path:

My Documents My Weblog Posts Drafts

This is where Live Writer automatically saves your drafts when you check the 'Save Draft' checkbox during the publishing process.

Locating Drafts When They Are Missing

Although Live Writer saves drafts in a specific folder by default, there may be instances where you do not find the drafts there. In such cases, you can perform a simple search using the blog post title. Here's how to do it:

Open the 'My Weblog Posts' folder. Use the search function in Windows Explorer (or File Explorer in newer versions of Windows) to look for the blog post title.

For example, if the title of your blog post is 'My First Post', you would search for 'My First Post' in the search bar within the file explorer.

Typically, the search will return a file with a unique extension: 'title.wpost'. For instance, if your post title was 'My First Post', the file would be named as 'My First Post.wpost'. The ' ' is a web-safe space character.

Opening the Draft File Location

Once you have identified the 'title.wpost' file, you can open the draft for further editing by performing these steps:

Right-click on the 'title.wpost' file. Select 'Open file location' from the context menu.

This will open the folder containing the detailed draft file, where you can continue editing your post before publishing.

Advanced Tips for Managing Drafts

In addition to the default storage location, here are some advanced tips for efficiently managing your drafts:

Regularly Clear Unnecessary Drafts: Over time, you may accumulate numerous drafts that are no longer needed. Regularly deleting these unnecessary drafts can help keep your 'Drafts' folder clean and organized. Use Custom Folder Names: While Live Writer saves drafts with the blog title, you can manually organize your drafts by creating subfolders within the 'Drafts' folder and naming them to match the topic or category of your posts. Enable Version Control: Consider using version control tools or services to manage drafts and track changes, especially if you are working with multiple contributors.

Conclusion

Understanding where Windows Live Writer saves your drafts and how to access them is crucial for efficient blogging. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure your drafts are easily found and edited when needed. Regular maintenance and organization of your draft folder will also help streamline your content creation process.

Keywords: Windows Live Writer, saved drafts, file location