How to Make a Template in Word

To make a template in Word, set up a document the way you want every copy to start, then select File > Save As, pick Word Template (*.dotx) in the Save as type list and select Save. To use it, select File > New > Personal and choose your template. If you rebuild the same invoice layout every month, a template does that setup once. These steps cover Word for Microsoft 365 and recent desktop versions on Windows.

What a Word Template Is and Which Type to Pick

A template is a file that Word copies whenever you start a new document from it. You get a fresh, untitled document with all the layout, styles and starter text already in place, while the template file itself stays untouched. That is the key difference from reusing an old invoice: you never risk saving over last month’s figures.

Word offers three template formats in the Save as type list:

Format	Extension	Choose it when
Word Template	.dotx	Almost always. It stores text, formatting, styles, headers, footers and content controls, but no macros.
Word Macro-Enabled Template	.dotm	The template contains macros (VBA code) that must travel with it.
Word 97-2003 Template	.dot	Someone still uses a very old version of Word that can’t open .dotx files.

If you aren’t sure whether you have macros, you don’t. Pick Word Template (.dotx). It is the safer format to share, because files that carry macros often trigger security warnings when other people open them.

Set Up the Document Before You Save It

Everything you put in the document before saving becomes part of every future copy, so spend a few minutes here. You can start from a blank document or from a file you already like, such as last month’s invoice. If you reuse an old file, delete anything that changes each time (dates, client names, line items, totals) before you save it as a template.

• Page setup: set margins, orientation and paper size on the Layout tab.
• Styles instead of manual formatting: right-click Normal, Heading 1 and the other styles on the Home tab and choose Modify to set fonts, sizes and spacing. Text that uses styles stays consistent, and you can change the look later in one place.
• Header and footer: double-click the top or bottom margin to add your logo, address, page numbers or a confidentiality line.
• Fixed text: type anything that never changes, such as payment terms or a signature block.
• Placeholders: mark the parts people fill in. Plain bracketed text like [Client name] works, but content controls (covered below) are tidier because the hint text disappears as soon as someone types.

Worked example: Priya runs a small design studio called Larkspur Studio. Her invoice template has her logo in the header, a two-column table for her address and the client’s, a five-row table for line items, a fixed line that reads “Payment due within 30 days” and a footer with her bank details. The client name, invoice number, date and line items are left as placeholders.

Save the Document as a Word Template

These steps match Microsoft’s instructions for Word in Microsoft 365 and Word 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows.

1. Select File > Save As.
2. Double-click This PC (or select Browse) to open the Save As dialog box.
3. Type a clear name in the File name box, such as “Larkspur invoice”. This is the name you will look for later.
4. Open the Save as type list and select Word Template. Choose Word Macro-Enabled Template only if the document contains macros.
5. Notice that the folder jumps to Custom Office Templates inside your Documents folder. Leave it there.
6. Select Save, then close the template.

The folder matters. Word lists templates on its Personal tab from that Custom Office Templates folder, so a template saved to your desktop or a random project folder won’t appear there. On most PCs the full path is C:\Users\your name\Documents\Custom Office Templates, although OneDrive backup can move the Documents folder into your OneDrive folder.

Create a New Document From Your Template

1. Open Word, or select File if a document is already open.
2. Select New.
3. Select Personal under the search box. In some versions this tab is labeled Custom.
4. Select your template. Word opens a new document called Document1 (or similar) with your layout in place.
5. Fill it in and use File > Save As to save it as a normal Word document (.docx) wherever you keep your work.

Double-clicking the .dotx file in File Explorer does the same thing: it opens a new document based on the template, not the template itself. That is handy for templates stored in a shared folder, but it also explains why edits made that way never reach the template.

Add Fill-In Fields With Content Controls

Content controls are boxes that hold one piece of information each, with gray hint text that tells people what to enter. They make a template far easier to fill in correctly. The controls live on the Developer tab, which Word hides by default.

1. Select File > Options > Customize Ribbon.
2. In the right-hand list, check Developer and select OK.
3. Open the template itself (see the editing section below), click where a field should go, and pick a control from the Controls group on the Developer tab.
4. With the control selected, choose Developer > Properties to give it a title, and for lists, select Add to enter each choice.
5. Save and close the template.

Which control to use:

• Plain Text: short entries such as a client name or invoice number.
• Rich Text: longer entries that may need bold text or several paragraphs, like a project description.
• Date Picker: invoice and due dates, picked from a calendar.
• Drop-Down List or Combo Box: a fixed set of choices, such as payment method. A combo box also lets people type their own value.
• Check Box: yes or no items, such as “Deposit received”.
• Picture: a spot for a photo or signature image.

The boxes around content controls don’t print, so a printed invoice looks clean. For a fuller walkthrough of building a form, including layout tips and testing, see how to make a Word document fillable. There are also separate walkthroughs for a drop-down list in Word and a clickable check box.

Lock the Layout With Restrict Editing

If other people use the template, protection stops them from accidentally deleting the logo or retyping the payment terms while still letting them fill in the controls.

1. With the template open, select Developer > Restrict Editing. The Restrict Editing pane opens on the right.
2. Under editing restrictions, allow only the type of editing you want, usually filling in forms.
3. To protect only part of the document, use Select Sections in the same pane.
4. Select Yes, Start Enforcing Protection. Word offers an optional password; if you set one, store it somewhere safe, because you need it to change the template later.
5. Save and close the template.

Treat this as protection against mistakes, not as security. Anyone determined can copy the content into a new document.

Edit a Template You Already Saved

To change the template, you have to open the .dotx file itself. Opening it from File > New or by double-clicking it only gives you a copy.

1. In Word, select File > Open.
2. Double-click This PC (or select Browse).
3. Go to Documents > Custom Office Templates.
4. Select the template and choose Open. The title bar shows the .dotx name rather than Document1.
5. Make your changes (turn off Restrict Editing first if you enabled it), then select Save and close the file.

Documents you already created from the template keep their old look. Only new documents pick up the changes. In File Explorer, you can also right-click the .dotx file and choose Open to edit the template directly.

Start From One of Microsoft’s Templates

You don’t have to design from scratch. Select File > New, search for something like “invoice”, “letterhead” or “meeting minutes”, and select Create on the one you like. Swap in your own colors, logo and text, then save it with the Save As steps above using the Word Template type. From then on it sits on your Personal tab like any template you built yourself. The same route works for projects such as a calendar made in Word.

Change the Template Word Uses for Every Blank Document

Every blank document comes from a hidden template called Normal.dotm, which holds the default styles and settings. If you want every new blank document to use different fonts, margins or spacing, you change Normal.dotm instead of making a new template. Any change you make there applies to all documents you create in the future, so back up the file first. Microsoft explains the file on its change the Normal template page.

1. Close all Word documents, then in File Explorer type %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates into the address bar and press Enter. The full path is C:\Users\your name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates.
2. Copy Normal.dotm somewhere safe as a backup.
3. In Word, select File > Open, browse to that Templates folder and open Normal.dotm.
4. Change the fonts, margins, spacing or other settings, then select File > Save.

If something goes wrong, close Word and rename or move Normal.dotm. Word creates a fresh one with its original settings the next time it starts, without any of your customizations. For a single change such as the font, the Set as Default button is simpler; see how to set a default font in Word.

Word for Mac, Word for the Web and Shared Templates

Word for Mac: Microsoft’s template page includes a separate macOS tab, and the menus differ from Windows. Follow the Mac steps on Microsoft’s create a template page rather than the Windows route above.

Word for the web: Microsoft says the browser version can open .dotx files, opens .dotm files without running their macros, and saves edits to an old .dot file as a copy in a newer format. It doesn’t document saving a new template in the browser, so build and save your templates in the desktop app.

Sharing: a template is an ordinary file, so you can email it or put it in a shared folder. Each person who wants it on their Personal tab should copy it into their own Custom Office Templates folder. In a company, your IT team may already publish shared templates, so check before building duplicates.

PowerPoint and Excel save templates to the same Custom Office Templates folder; see where PowerPoint templates are stored if you work across apps.

When Your Template Doesn’t Show Up

• No Personal tab under File > New: Word shows the tab once a template exists in the templates folder it watches. Save a template with the steps above, then reopen File > New. If it still doesn’t appear, check File > Options > Save and see whether the Default personal templates location box is empty or points somewhere else; it should point to your Custom Office Templates folder.
• Template saved in the wrong place: move the .dotx file into Documents\Custom Office Templates in File Explorer.
• Templates made in an older version of Office don’t appear: Microsoft advises moving them into the Custom Office Templates folder so Word can find them.
• Macros disappeared: the file was saved as .dotx, which can’t hold macros. Save it again as Word Macro-Enabled Template (.dotm).
• Changes never stick: you were editing a copy. Open the .dotx through File > Open as described in the editing section.

Questions about Word templates

Can I turn a document I already finished into a template?

Yes. Open it, remove the details that change each time, and save it with the Word Template type. The original .docx stays as it was, because Save As creates a new file.

Can I change the extension from .docx to .dotx in File Explorer instead?

Don’t. Renaming the extension doesn’t convert the file format, and Word may refuse to open it or show an error. Use Save As so Word writes a real template file.

How many templates can I keep?

As many as you need. They all appear on the Personal tab, so clear names like “Invoice, Larkspur” and “Quote, Larkspur” help when the list grows. Delete old ones from the Custom Office Templates folder in File Explorer.

Will a table of contents in my template update itself?

A table of contents built from heading styles carries over into each new document, but you still need to update it after adding content. Here is how to insert a table of contents in Word so it picks up your headings.

Put Your Template to Work

Start your next document from File > New > Personal and note anything you still fix by hand. Each of those fixes belongs in the template: open the .dotx, make the change once and save it, and next month’s invoice starts ready to fill in.