About templates

Every Microsoft Word document is based on a template. A template determines the basic structure for a document and contains document settings such as AutoText entries, fonts, key assignments, macros, menus, page layout, special formatting, and styles.

Global templates, including the Normal template, contain settings that are available to all documents. Document templates, such as the memo or fax templates in the Templates dialog box, contain settings that are available only to documents based on that template.

Security Because templates can store macro viruses, be careful about opening them or creating files based on new templates. Take the following precautions: run up-to-date antivirus software on your computer, set your macro security level to high, clear the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box, use digital signatures, and maintain a list of trusted sources.

Note For more templates and wizards, visit the Microsoft Office Online Web site.

When you work on a document, you can typically use only the settings stored in the template attached to the document or in the Normal template. To use any such items that are stored in another template, you can load the other template as a global template. After you load a template, items stored in that template are available to any document during the remainder of the Word session.

Add-ins and templates that you load are unloaded when you close Word. To load an add-in or template each time you start Word, copy the add-in or template to the Microsoft Office Startup folder.

Templates you save in the Templates folder appear on the General tab in the Templates dialog box. If you want to create custom tabs for your templates in the Templates dialog box, create a new subfolder in the Templates folder and save your templates in that subfolder. The name you give that subfolder will appear on the new tab.

When you're saving a template, Word switches to the User templates location (Tools menu, Options command, File Locations tab), which by default is the Templates folder and its subfolders. If you save a template in a different location, the template will not appear in the Templates dialog box.

Any document (.doc) file that you save in the Templates folder also acts as a template.