If you try to find this folder using Windows Explorer it may be hidden. Because this specific path will be different for every user typing the following will always work for every user: %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates. For example, C:\Users\David\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates where “David” is the user’s profile name. The location of this folder is normally in the user’s roaming profile. Individuals managing their own templates are usually best off installing their templates in their own User template folder. The disadvantage is that if the network server is not available, for instance, if someone has a laptop that they disconnect form the network, then the user will not have access to the templates. The advantage of this is that everyone uses the same set of templates and updates need only be installed in one place. In a corporate environment it can be useful to install all templates on a shared server and then reference them by specifying the Workgroup templates folder path.
If you want to check (or change) the designated template folder locations, in Word, click File > Options and in the Advanced category scroll down to the General section and click the File Locations button. The template folder paths can only viewed and/or modified from Word but changing folder paths also affects PowerPoint and Excel. Word global templates act like the add-ins used in PowerPoint and Excel. Word also has it’s own global template Normal.dotm.Īs a convention, we always uses the word “global” in our global template names e.g. A global template is opened every time that Word is started irrespective of what other documents and templates may be open.
Global templates contain such shared things as a common interface, macro code and building blocks (or AutoText) for a suite of templates. For example, a letter, agenda or report template. Standard templates are the starting points for user documents. Not all template installations require a global template and don’t worry if you haven’t got one to install. They must be installed in separate folders. There are two different types of template that we create for Word: global and standard.
However, individuals and users in small organisations may be need to install and maintain their own templates. Ideally, in a corporate environment, template installation and maintenance is performed centrally by the organisation’s IS department. You can also open the template in Word so that you can edit it by right-clicking the file, and then choosing the “Open” command from the context menu.It is not always absolutely necessary to “install” Office templates in a designated folder but generally it is beneficial and to be recommended. You can still create a new document based on the template by just double-clicking the file. If that’s not a big deal to you, then save them anywhere you like. The trouble is that if you save it in a different location, Word may not be able to pick it up and display it on the splash screen as an option.
When you save a template, you can choose a different location if you want.
RELATED: How To Create Custom Templates in Excel Then, all you have to do is click the template you want, and Word creates a new document based on it.īy default, Word likes to save templates to Documents\Custom Office Templates, where they’ll show up alongside templates you create in any other Office app. At the top of the window, click the “PERSONAL” link to show your custom templates. Its opening splash screen shows a bunch of featured templates that are either built-in or downloadable. The easiest way to do this is to just fire up Word. Once you have saved your custom template, you can then create new documents based on it. How to Create a New Document Based on a Template You have now saved your custom Word template.