How to Restore the Normal Template in Microsoft Word

To restore the Normal template in Word, close Word, open the %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates folder, rename Normal.dotm to OldNormal.dotm, and start Word again. Word builds a fresh Normal.dotm with its original default settings.

Word opens with odd fonts, strange spacing, or a macro warning on every new blank document, and you suspect the template behind it. Here is how to confirm that, reset it on Windows or Mac, and keep what you want from the old file.

What Normal.dotm Does

Normal.dotm is the global template Word opens every time it starts. Every new blank document is based on it, so it decides the default font, paragraph spacing, margins and styles you see. It can also hold your custom styles, macros, AutoText entries, custom keyboard shortcuts and toolbar changes. It belongs to Word only: Excel and PowerPoint do not use it, so resetting it does not touch them.

According to Microsoft’s Normal template page, if Normal.dotm is renamed, damaged or moved, Word automatically creates a new version with the original default settings the next time it starts. The new copy has none of your customizations, which is why you rename the old one instead of deleting it.

Check Whether the Template Is Really the Problem

Add-ins cause many of the same symptoms, so a quick test saves you from resetting a template that is fine. Word’s safe mode starts without add-ins and customizations.

1. Close Word.
2. Hold Ctrl and double-click the Word shortcut, then click Yes when Word asks about safe mode. Or press Windows key + R, type winword /safe, and click OK.

3. Create a new blank document and look for the problem.
4. Close Word and open it normally to leave safe mode.

If the problem is gone in safe mode, something Word loads at startup is responsible: Normal.dotm or an add-in. Renaming the template, below, tells you which. If the problem still appears in safe mode, the template probably is not the cause, and the repair steps near the end are a better place to look. Microsoft’s Word startup troubleshooting article also lists winword /a in the Run box, which stops add-ins and global templates from loading automatically.

Restore the Normal Template on Windows

Warning: the reset removes everything stored in Normal.dotm, including custom styles, macros and AutoText entries. The backup in step 4 keeps a copy you can recover from.

1. Save your work and close every Word window. Microsoft’s reset steps start with every Office program closed, so check Task Manager and end any leftover Word process before you rename the file.
2. Press Windows key + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates, and press Enter. The full path is C:\Users\your user name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates.

3. If you would rather browse in File Explorer, turn on View > Show > Hidden items first, because the AppData folder is hidden by default. Turn on View > Show > File name extensions too, so you can see the .dotm ending.
4. Right-click Normal.dotm, choose Copy, and paste it into another folder, such as Documents. This is your backup.
5. Back in the Templates folder, right-click Normal.dotm, choose Rename, and change the name to OldNormal.dotm.

6. Start Word and create a new blank document. Word creates a new Normal.dotm with default settings, and the odd fonts or spacing should be gone.

Prefer the command line? Microsoft’s Word reset article does the rename in one Command Prompt line, with all Office apps closed: ren %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dotm OldNormal.dotm. The same article notes that a computer can hold more than one Normal.dotm (for example, from an older Office version in another folder), so make sure you rename the copy in your own Templates folder.

To undo the reset, close Word, delete the new Normal.dotm, and rename OldNormal.dotm back to Normal.dotm. If the symptoms come back after that, you know the old file was the cause.

Restore the Normal Template on a Mac

Microsoft’s default settings page for Word for Mac gives this location for Word 2016 for Mac and newer: /Users/username/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates.

1. Quit Word completely (Word > Quit Word).
2. In Finder, press Command + Shift + G, paste ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates, and press Return. The Library folder is hidden normally, and this shortcut gets you there directly.
3. Copy Normal.dotm to another folder as a backup, then rename the original to OldNormal.dotm.
4. Open Word. It creates a new Normal.dotm with default settings.

One Mac detail from the same page: if you want to edit Normal.dotm rather than reset it, open it from inside Word with File > Open. Double-clicking it in Finder just starts a new blank document.

Get Your Custom Items Back From the Old File

Microsoft strongly recommends renaming rather than deleting for exactly this reason: you can copy custom styles, custom toolbars, macros and AutoText entries out of the renamed file. Say Tomas, a fictional office manager, resets his template and loses a “Client Letter” style and a macro that inserts the date. On Windows, he can turn on the Developer tab (File > Options > Customize Ribbon, check Developer), click Developer > Document Template > Organizer, use Close File and Open File on one side to open OldNormal.dotm, and copy just the style and the macro across. Anything that caused the original problem stays behind.

Copy items one or two at a time and test after each. If the problem returns, the last item you copied is the culprit. When everything works for a few days, you can delete OldNormal.dotm, but keeping a dated backup of a heavily customized template is a good habit.

Fix Only the Default Font Instead

If the only complaint is the font or size in new documents, you do not need a full reset. Change the default instead, which updates the Normal style in Normal.dotm and leaves macros and AutoText alone:

1. On the Home tab, click the Font dialog launcher (the small arrow in the corner of the Font group), or press Ctrl + D.
2. Choose the font and size you want.
3. Click Set As Default, choose All documents based on the Normal template?, and click OK twice.

There is more detail on this in setting a default font in Word. If the new default will not stick, Microsoft’s default font article suggests finding Normal.dotm, right-clicking it, choosing Properties, clearing Read-only on the General tab, and confirming you have Write permission on the Security tab.

Also keep in mind that Microsoft 365 moved to a new default theme that uses the Aptos font in place of Calibri, so a brand-new Normal.dotm may not look like the Word you remember. That is the current default, not damage, and documents you created earlier keep their original font.

If the Problem Comes Back

• Check add-ins. Go to File > Options > Add-ins, choose COM Add-ins in the Manage box, click Go, and clear one check box at a time, restarting Word after each. Microsoft also points to the Word Startup folder (%appdata%\Microsoft\Word\Startup), where global templates load automatically.
• Look for a second copy. Search the drive for Normal.dotm and make sure you reset the one in your own AppData Templates folder.
• Repair Office. Right-click Start and choose Installed apps (Apps and Features on Windows 10), click the menu next to Microsoft 365 or Office, and choose Modify. In the repair window, pick Quick Repair and click Repair; if that does not help, run Online Repair, which takes longer. Microsoft’s Office repair steps cover older installs that show a plain Repair option.
• Work or school computer. If a fresh template keeps reverting or arrives with company styles, your organization may supply it. Ask IT before changing it.

Microsoft’s reset article also covers deleting Word’s Data and Options registry keys. That resets far more than the template, so export the keys first and treat it as a last resort.

Questions About Normal.dotm

Is it safe to delete Normal.dotm?

Word will rebuild it either way, but deleting throws away anything you might want back. Rename it, and delete the old copy only once the fix holds.

Will resetting change documents I already saved?

No. Saved documents carry their own styles and formatting. The reset affects new blank documents and anything that relied on macros or AutoText stored in the template.

I renamed it, but the old settings came right back. Why?

Most often Word was still open in the background, or you renamed a different copy of Normal.dotm. End every Word process, check the folder path, and try again.

Is Normal.dotm the same as Normal view?

No. Normal view is a display mode for reading and editing. Normal.dotm is a file that sets defaults. Resetting one does not affect the other.

Start with the safe mode test; if the problem disappears, rename Normal.dotm and see whether the new copy fixes it.