What Are Word Templates?

Templates in Microsoft Word are pre-formatted document files that serve as a starting point for new documents. They can contain styles, formatting, boilerplate text, headers, footers, and other elements that you want to reuse across multiple documents.

Benefits of Using Templates

• Save time by reusing formatting and content
• Ensure consistency across documents
• Standardize layouts for organizational documents
• Simplify document creation for users with limited Word experience

Creating a New Template

1. Start with a new or existing document that has the formatting you want to use as a template.
2. Add any styles, formatting, text, headers, footers, or other elements you want to include in your template.
3. Click on File > Save As.
4. Choose a location to save your template.
5. In the "Save as type" dropdown, select "Word Template (*.dotx)" or "Word Macro-Enabled Template (*.dotm)" if your template contains macros.
6. Give your template a descriptive name.
7. Click Save.

Template File Types

• .dotx - Standard Word template
• .dotm - Word template that can contain macros
• .dot - Legacy Word template format (Word 97-2003)

Creating a Template Based on an Existing Document

1. Open the document you want to use as a template.
2. Remove any content that is specific to that document but retain the formatting, styles, and boilerplate text you want in your template.
3. Click on File > Save As.
4. Choose a location to save your template.
5. In the "Save as type" dropdown, select "Word Template (*.dotx)".
6. Give your template a descriptive name.
7. Click Save.

Template Storage Locations

By default, Word looks for templates in specific folders. Saving your templates to these locations makes them easily accessible from the "New" document screen.

Default Template Locations

• Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\Custom Office Templates
• Mac: /Users/[YourUsername]/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates

For organizational templates, network administrators often set up shared template locations that all users can access.

Applying a Template to a New Document

1. Click on File > New.
2. To use one of your custom templates:
   • Click on Personal or Custom tab (depending on your version of Word).
   • Select your template from the available options.
3. Alternatively, you can click on More templates and then select Personal to browse all your custom templates.
4. You can also double-click on a template file (.dotx or .dotm) in File Explorer/Finder to create a new document based on that template.

Applying a Template to an Existing Document

1. Open the document you want to apply the template to.
2. Click on Developer > Document Template. (If the Developer tab is not visible, see the note below.)
3. In the Templates and Add-ins dialog box, click Attach.
4. Browse to and select the template you want to use.
5. Check the "Automatically update document styles" box if you want the document to update when the template changes.
6. Click OK.

Note: To display the Developer tab, go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon, and check the "Developer" box in the right column.

Alternative Method (Word 365/2019/2016)

1. Click on Design > Document Formatting.
2. Click on the More button (three dots) in the Document Formatting gallery.
3. Select Browse for Templates.
4. Choose your template and click Open.

Modifying an Existing Template

1. Locate your template file (.dotx or .dotm) in File Explorer/Finder.
2. Right-click on the file and select Open (not "New").
3. Make your desired changes to the template.
4. Click File > Save to save your changes.
5. Close the template.

Note: Documents previously created from this template will not automatically update unless they were specifically set up to do so with the "Automatically update document styles" option.

Setting a Template as the Default

If you want all new blank documents to use your template formatting:

1. Create and save your template as described above.
2. Locate your template file in File Explorer/Finder.
3. Copy the template file.
4. Navigate to the Word Startup folder:
   • Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP
   • Mac: /Users/[YourUsername]/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word
5. Rename your template file to "Normal.dotm" (back up the existing Normal.dotm first).
6. Paste your renamed template into the Startup folder, replacing the existing Normal.dotm.

Caution: Replacing Normal.dotm affects all new documents. Consider making a backup of your original Normal.dotm file before replacing it.

Template Best Practices

• Use styles for consistent formatting rather than direct formatting.
• Include commonly used content like headers, footers, and boilerplate text.
• Create separate templates for different document types (letters, reports, etc.).
• Test your templates before distributing them to ensure they work as expected.
• Document any special features or instructions for users of your templates.
• Consider using content controls (from the Developer tab) to create fillable templates.

Troubleshooting

Template Changes Not Appearing in New Documents

If changes to your templates aren't appearing in new documents:

• Ensure you're saving changes to the template file (.dotx/.dotm), not a document (.docx).
• Close and reopen Word after saving template changes.
• Check that you're creating new documents from the correct template.

Template Not Showing in Template Gallery

If your template isn't showing up in the New document screen:

• Verify it's saved as a .dotx or .dotm file.
• Check that it's saved in one of the template locations Word recognizes.
• Restart Word to refresh the template gallery.

Need Additional Support?

This guide aims to provide useful information, but as technology changes, interfaces or steps might vary. Please use the Comment button to let us know if anything differs from your experience. Your feedback helps us keep this information accurate. Thank you!