What Is The Word Default Template Called

The normal template is primal to your use of Word. Information technology holds many of your defaults and your own customizations or modifications to Discussion. It is possible that something outside of it does not let yous salve changes yous brand to it without opening information technology straight. There are times when the simplest manner to alter defaults in Microsoft Word is to open the Normal.dot or Normal.dotm template. Other times y'all need to observe it and then y'all can open the containing folder and rename the template for diagnostic work. The normal template will e'er be plant in the user templates folder, which has different default locations in different versions of Word and dissimilar operating systems. That location can be changed in the Word options by the user.

How to Open up the Normal template in any version of Word (except 2008)

To open the normal template in any version of Discussion on whatsoever PC that uses vba you can practice the following.

Open Give-and-take.

Open the vba Editor past Pressing Alt+F11 together. (Problem using Alt+F11?)

At the lesser of the vba Editor window is something chosen the Immediate window. (Press Ctrl+G to actuate this window if you don't see it.) Click in that Immediate window.

Type the following (or re-create it from here and paste it):

application.NormalTemplate.OpenAsDocument

Press Enter

Close the vba Editor.

You are now in the Normal.dot template (Give-and-take 97-2003) or Normal.dotm template (Discussion 2007-2019)

Make your changes and save it. If yous are curious about where you tin find it in the future, use Salvage Equally and wait at where Word is planning on saving it.

Your Word program only uses one Normal template. Your computer may have more than one but Word only uses one. If there is more than one such template on your calculator, this (vba) is the only way I know of to be sure that the Normal template yous open up is the one your version of Discussion is using! If you have multiple versions of Word on your computer, each should have its own template.

Note that y'all should never put any text in the Normal template.

This includes headers, footers and page numbers!

How to Notice the User Templates Folder and Normal template.

Many diagnostics require that y'all rename the normal template. Sometimes, something in the normal template is causing problems in your use of Word. It is located in your user templates folder. Note, some advisors mistakenly tell you to delete the normal template. Renaming it will accomplish the same purpose: Word volition create a new fresh normal template the next fourth dimension it starts. Even so, if there are valuable customizations in the normal template like macros, AutoText entries, or styles, if it is renamed rather than deleted, those customizations tin be recovered. If you take not changed any of the defaults in your Word normal template, there may not be one. (This is unusual, but possible.)

Past default, the normal template (and user templates files) are stored in the following location:

Beginning with Function 2013 (Part 365) the default folder location for most user-created templates has been moved to a subfolder of the user's Documents folder: Custom Function Templatesouthward. However, the location of the normal template will still be in the user templates binder which remains the default folder unless inverse by the user. That is, the location of the normal template volition still be in the folder designated as the user templates folder, merely that binder will be different from the folder property most user templates which is at present called the Custom Office Templates folder. Confused? Give thanks you, Microsoft.

Note yous tin alter the location of user templates files. That is done in advanced options. If yous accept washed so, you lot need to check there for your location.

If y'all rename or delete your normal template, it will not be recreated by Word until such time as you make a change to your defaults. If yous have an Add-In that prevents saving changes to the normal template, then it volition not be created. Word will operate fine without a Normal template, using its defaults.

To find the normal template in whatever version of Give-and-take (except 2008) on any operating system you can practise the following.

Open Word.
Open the vba Editor past Pressing Alt+F11. (Trouble using Alt+F11?) (Opt+F11 on the Mac)
At the lesser of the vba Editor window is something called the Immediate window. (Press Ctrl+G to actuate this window if you don't meet it.) Click in that Immediate window.
Blazon the following (or re-create it from here and paste it):

debug.print application.NormalTemplate.Path
Press Enter
The location of your normal template for your Word installation shows only below what you typed. If you re-create this and paste information technology into the location bar in Windows Explorer, you will be taken to the folder containing the normal template.

In Windows, you lot tin can also use Windows Search part.

The normal template will virtually ever be found somewhere within the User profile. Finding it using Windows is a flake more complicated and depends on the operating system you are using. The thing is that past default the Templates folder used past any version of Discussion (other than Word 2013/365) is a hidden arrangement folder. In a regular search, Windows skips such folders. Y'all need to access the search options and tell Windows to look in subconscious and organisation folders. More often than not, you are able to access these options after you complete a search with no results.

In Windows 8.i the Advanced Options are available immediately:

Opening the Normal template afterwards you find information technology:

If you found the normal template in a folder and so yous could open that template, remember that you demand to utilise File > Open up within Discussion to open it or, from Windows, right-click on the icon and select Open from the context menu. If you lot double-click on it, you will create a new document, non open information technology. This is truthful of all templates in Microsoft Give-and-take .

How to "dingy" the Normal Template so that changes to AutoTexts, macros, and Styles put in Normal from other Files volition exist saved.

Some changes made to the template are not reflected every bit a "change" by Discussion such that pressing Ctrl+S (or using File > Save) will save them. You tin force the "changed" or "dirty" country by doing the following:

Type whatsoever letter. Utilise the backspace primal to erase it. Do not utilize Undo or Ctrl+Z. And then press Ctrl+Due south to salvage.

* Trouble using Alt+F11?

If the Alt+F11 combination to open up the VBA editor isn't working here are some possibilities.

You are pressing the keys in sequence and Word is grabbing the Alt press to bring upward its tooltips.

Your keyboard requires you to as well press an Fn shift key at the aforementioned fourth dimension.

Yous are on a Mac and need to utilise Opt+F11.

Some other program outside of Word is hijacking the use of function keys. This can be a laptop BIOS or can be another utility programme like SnagIt.

The first is most likely and you can tell if that is what is happening if the tooltips pop upwardly on the ribbon. Run into beneath. Pressing Alt a 2d fourth dimension gets rid of them and so y'all want to press Alt+F11 together.

If information technology is an exterior program, you need to go to that plan's setup and alter the use of Function Keys. See Role Keys in Give-and-take 97-2016.

A workaround for getting to the Visual Basic Editor without the keyboard shortcut is to employ the Visual Basic button on the Developer Tab.

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