WD: What Is a Scrap (.shs) File?

A scrap is a file that is created when you drag part of a document to the desktop.

In Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, you can drag and drop selected document text, drawing objects, and graphics to the Windows desktop. A desktop icon is created for the scrap file, along with a file located in the Windows\Desktop subfolder with an .shs extension. This file is a native program document that contains the information that was selected and dragged onto the Windows desktop. If you select and delete the desktop icon, the corresponding .shs file is also deleted. You can select and drag a scrap file on the desktop into another document.

NOTE: The scrap file is a special OLE object and is not a readable file. You cannot open an .shs file nor can you insert it into another document (for example, you cannot insert an .shs file by using the File command on the Insert menu in Word). To place a scrap into a document or workbook, you must drag it to the document. However; you can rename the scrap object or move it from one directory to another just as you can rename or move an ordinary file.

The Word for Windows scrap file document contains margin settings of 0 (zero) inches. When you drag the scrap document into another Word document, the scrap file conforms to the page setup of the existing Word document; thus, only the contents of the scrap file are transferred into the Word document.

Putting Part of a Document on the Desktop

To put part of a document on the desktop, follow these steps:

1. Make sure that Word is not maximized (click the middle button in the upper-right corner).
2. In the document, select the text or graphic that you want to copy.
3. Drag it to the desktop. A scrap is created. You can now drag this scrap to other documents or programs.

NOTE: You can use this feature only if your program supports drag-and-drop functions for OLE.