Default save path for Python IDLE?

I actually just discovered the easiest answer, if you use the shortcut link labeled "IDLE (Python GUI)". This is in Windows Vista, so I don't know if it'll work in other OS's.

1) Right-click "Properties".

2) Select "Shortcut" tab.

3) In "Start In", write file path (e.g. "C:\Users...").

Let me know if this works!

In Windows 10+, click the Windows Start button, then type idle, and then right-click on the IDLE desktop app and open the file location. This should bring you to the Start Menu shortcuts for Python, and you'll find a shortcut to IDLE there. Right-click on the IDLE shortcut and select properties. Set the "Start in" directory to be where you want default save path to be.

It seems like you can get idle into the directory you want if you run any module from that directory.

I had previously tried opening idlemain.py through the path browser. I was able to open and edit the file, but it seemed like I wasn't able to save my modifications.

I'm just glad to hear other people are having this problem. I just thought I was being stupid.

On OS X, if you launch IDLE.app (by double-clicking or using open(1), for example), the default directory is hardwired to ~/Documents. If you want to change the default permanently, you'll need to edit the file idlemain.py within the IDLE.app application bundle; depending on which Python(s) you have installed, it will likely be in one of:

/Applications/MacPython 2.x/IDLE.app/Contents/Resources
/Applications/MacPython 2.x/IDLE.app/Contents/Resources
/Applications/MacPorts/Python 2.x/IDLE.app/Contents/Resources
/Applications/Python 2.x/IDLE.app/Contents/Resources
/Applications/Python 3.x/IDLE.app/Contents/Resources

Edit the line:

os.chdir(os.path.expanduser('~/Documents'))

On the other hand, if you start IDLE from the command line, for example, with:

$ cd /some/directory    
$ /usr/local/bin/idle

IDLE will use that current directory as the default.