What is a word template used for

A template is a document type that creates a copy of itself when you open it. For example, a business plan is a common document that is written in Word. Instead of creating the structure of the business plan from scratch, you can use a template with predefined page layout, fonts, margins, and styles.

Why do we use templates?

Templates basically enforce overall consistency by having a pre-determined structure and layout. All documents made using a template will match its layout exactly. When it comes to your document’s content, Word’s Styles tool is a great way to maintain consistent formatting.

What is the difference between a document and a template in Word?

Revv templates contain boilerplate, generic content, and structure that you can adapt to create multiple documents.In contrast, a document is intended for a single-use. You can create a document from a template, or you can create one on your own from scratch.

How do I use a template in Word?

Load templates or add-ins

1. In Word 2010, 2013, or 2016, select File > Options > Add-Ins.
2. In the Manage list, select Word Add-ins, and then click Go.
3. Click the Templates tab.
4. Under Global templates and add-ins, select the check box next to the template or add-in that you want to load.

What is difference between template and style?

Styles keep your formatting consistent within a document. Themes keep your look and feel consistent across multiple documents. Templates allow you to re-use text, and keep your look and feel consistent across multiple documents.

What exactly is a template?

A template is a form, mold, or pattern used as a guide to making something. Here are some examples: A ruler is a template when used to draw a straight line. A document in which the standard opening and closing parts are already filled in is a template that you can copy and then fill in the variable parts.

What is a template and a document?

A template is a pre-created document that already has some formatting. Rather than starting from scratch to format a document, you can use the formatting of a template to save yourself a lot of time. You can use a template that comes with Word, download one from the internet, or create your own.

What is a DOCX template?

A DOCX template is a HotDocs template you create in Microsoft Word using the Author tab that appears on the Word ribbon. A DOCX template differs from a plain text template from which HotDocs assembles a final document that lacks any textual formatting. You create and edit a plain text template with HotDocs Composer.

How do I edit a Word template?

Edit templates

1. Click File > Open.
2. Double-click This PC. (In Word 2013, double-click Computer).
3. Browse to the Custom Office Templates folder that’s under My Documents.
4. Click your template, and click Open.
5. Make the changes you want, then save and close the template.

How do I create a template in Word?

Click the File tab, and then click New. Under Available templates, click New from existing. Click a template or a document that is similar to the one that you want to create, and then click Create New. Make the changes you want to the margin settings, page size and orientation, styles, and other formats.

What are the two methods to create a template in Word?

There are two ways to create a template: You can open a new document, modify it as needed, and then save the file as a template file. You can save an existing . docx document that contains all the styles and structural components you want in the template as a template file.

What are the steps to create a template?

Create a template in Word document

1. Step 1: Open the Word document.
2. Step 2: Go to the File tab on the Ribbon and click on the New option.
3. Step 3: Click on the Blank document.
4. Step 4: Add the desirable content that you use further as a template.
5. Browse the location where you want to save a file.

What does template design mean?

Design templates are pre-made designs and documents that can be customized. Templates are often designed to meet specific standards or specs so they’re consistent between users and mediums. You can use pre-designed templates from template libraries and websites or create custom templates for future use.

How do you create a template in Outlook?

How to create an email template in Outlook

1. Open Outlook and log into your account, if needed.
2. Click “New Message” in the top-left corner of the screen.
3. Click the three dots in the lower menu of the new email.
4. Select “Templates.”
5. Click “+ Template.”
6. Add your title and create the body copy for your template.
7. Click “Save.”

How do templates work?

Follow these steps:

1. Open the document that needs a new template attached.
2. Click the File tab.
3. On the File screen, choose the Options command.
4. Choose Add-Ins from the left side of the Word Options dialog box.
5. Choose Templates from the Manage drop-down list.
6. Click the Go button.
7. Click the Attach button.

What are the different types of templates?

What are the three types of templates?

• The office doc template. Examples of office doc templates include: Slide decks, letterhead, agreements, and policy templates.
• The digital template. Examples of digital templates include: Online advertisements, email banners, social banners, social posts.
• The print template.

How do I open a Word template?

Opening a Word template so that you can modify it

1. On the File tab, choose Open. You see the Open window.
2. Click This PC.
3. Click the Browse button.
4. In the Open dialog box, go to the Templates folder where you store templates.
5. Select the template.
6. Click the Open button. The template opens in the Word window.

What is normal template?

The Normal. dotm template opens whenever you start Microsoft Word, and it includes default styles and customizations that determine the basic look of a document. Note: Any changes that you make to Normal. dotm will be applied to documents that you create in the future.

How do I save a Word document as a template?

Save a document as a template

1. Open the Word document that you want to save as a template.
2. On the File menu, click Save as Template.
3. In the Save As box, type the name that you want to use for the new template.
4. (Optional) In the Where box, choose a location where the template will be saved.

How do I delete a template from Word?

Open the form template that contains the template part that you want to delete. On the form template, select the template part. Note: Template parts always appear inside section controls. Press DELETE.

A template is a predesigned document you can use to create documents quickly without having to think about formatting. With a template, many of the larger document design decisions such as margin size, font style and size, and spacing are predetermined.

What is the difference between a Word doc and a template?

Word documents are the documents you use everyday in your business. They’re always created from a template – either from Word’s Normal template, or from a customised template document. So every Word document has a template attached to it.

How do I use a template in Word?

Load templates or add-ins

1. In Word 2010, 2013, or 2016, select File > Options > Add-Ins.
2. In the Manage list, select Word Add-ins, and then click Go.
3. Click the Templates tab.
4. Under Global templates and add-ins, select the check box next to the template or add-in that you want to load.

Why would you use a document template?

Templates basically enforce overall consistency by having a pre-determined structure and layout. All documents made using a template will match its layout exactly. When it comes to your document’s content, Word’s Styles tool is a great way to maintain consistent formatting.

Where do I find Word templates?

To find and apply a template in Word, do the following:

• On the File tab, click New.
• Under Available Templates, do one of the following: To use one of the built-in templates, click Sample Templates, click the template that you want, and then click Create.

How do I edit a Word template?

Edit templates

1. Click File > Open.
2. Double-click This PC. (In Word 2013, double-click Computer).
3. Browse to the Custom Office Templates folder that’s under My Documents.
4. Click your template, and click Open.
5. Make the changes you want, then save and close the template.

What does it mean Save as template?

When you save a document as a template, you can then use that template to create new documents. Those new documents contain all the text (and images, and other content) that the template contains. They also have all the same page layout settings, sections, and styles as the template.

What does saving a DOC as a template do?

Save a document as a template

Add, delete, or change any text, graphics, or formatting, and make any other changes that you want to appear in all new documents that you base on the template. On the File menu, click Save As.

How do I save a Word document as a template?

Create a Document Template

1. Open or create the document that you want to use as the template, then click the File tab.
2. Click Save As.
3. Select a location.
4. Name the file and click the Save As Type list arrow.
5. Select Word Template from the list.
6. Click Save.

Can you apply a Word template to an existing document?

Open the Word document you would like to apply the template to, then click File > Options to open the Word Options dialog box. 2. In the Word Options dialog box, (1) click Add-ins in the left bar, (2) select Templates from the Manage drop down list, and (3) click Go.

When should I use templates?

Templates are appropriate when defining an interface that works on multiple types of unrelated objects. Templates make perfect sense for container classes where its necessary generalize the objects in the container, yet retain type information.

Why can’t I edit a Word template?

If you receive or open a document and can’t make any changes, it might be Open for viewing only in Protected View. Follow these steps to edit: Go to File > Info. Select Protect document.

Custom templates are a page (or group of pages) you create yourself and then save as a template for reuse on your site. It’s an efficient way to set up pages that share common content, layout or sub-page hierarchy – for example, a module, staff profile or course description.

What is a template write the steps to create a template?

Create a template in Word document

1. Step 1: Open the Word document.
2. Step 2: Go to the File tab on the Ribbon and click on the New option.
3. Step 3: Click on the Blank document.
4. Step 4: Add the desirable content that you use further as a template.
5. Browse the location where you want to save a file.

In Microsoft Word, templates are pre-designed documents that you or someone else (such as Microsoft) creates to use as a pattern for a project. The template could be for a business card, brochure, resume, presentation…the list goes on. Regardless of the purpose, templates provide the design consistency that any organization (or individual) needs to look professional. (You can also find templates for Excel, PowerPoint, and other applications, but in this article we’re focusing on Microsoft Word.) 

The template contains a specific layout, style, design and, sometimes, fields and text that are common to every use of that template. Some templates are so complete (such as business cards), you only have to change the individual’s name, phone number, and email address. Others, such as business reports or brochures, could require that everything is changed except the layout and design. 

Once you create a template, you can use it over and over. Remember that while you open a template to start a project, you save the project as another file type, such as the basic .docx Word format, for editing, sharing, printing, and more. The template file stays the same, unless or until you want to change it (more on that later). 

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

How to access Microsoft Word’s stock templates

Fortunately for us, Microsoft provides many hundreds of templates for all of its programs. Note that most of Microsoft’s templates are online, which means you cannot access them unless you’re connected to the Internet.

To open one of the system-provided templates in Word:

1. Open Microsoft Word and select New.

2. Peruse the Suggested Search categories: Business, Personal, Industry, Design Sets, Events, Education, or Letters. For this exercise, select Business.

3. Word displays a message that says, “Searching thousands of online templates.”

4. Word displays template search results on-screen, plus a comprehensive list of categories in a scrolling panel on the right.

5. Scroll down the page or choose a different category, then select a template that fits your current project.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

We selected the Internet Café template. Notice the photos, graphics, and main information, such as hours, are already created in the template. You only have to type over the existing data with your company’s data, and the brochure is complete. 

How to modify a Microsoft Word template

You can change the colors, font, photos, logo, and anything else on this template. If you have not selected the Internet Café brochure, please do so now. Before you make any changes, go ahead and save this template with a new filename.

1. If you follow normal document-saving procedures (and you can here), you select File > Save As > Computer > Browse. Then navigate to the applicable folder and give the template a new name.

2. Remember that once you click the down arrow beside the Save As Type in the input box and select Word Template (*.dotx) from the list (and change the name, of course, in the File Name input box), Microsoft automatically puts the file in its own template folder.

3. Once saved as a template, close the file.

4. Now open it again. Note that it is not in the folder you specified. Don’t panic. Navigate to C:UsersownerDocumentsCustom Office Templates and your custom templates are there. Select the one you just saved from the list and open it.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

5. Change the sections on the new template that will be on every brochure, such as the logo, or contact information. Then save it as a template again by pressing Ctrl+ S. It will save in the same location.

6. Next, fill in all the other information and save it—this time, as a document, so you can print it out or share it with others.

Whenever you’re ready to create a new brochure, just open the template, enter the new data, and save the completed brochure as a document.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

Custom templates can be as simple or complex as needed. For example, you might create a template for your company’s newsletter, posters for a seminar, or invitations for corporate events. You can also create interactive templates to load on the Intranet, so others can fill in the blanks to print their own envelopes and letterhead, for instance.

First, create a document—design and format it, add graphics and photos. If it’s interactive, select Controls from the Developer tab and create custom input fields for user interaction.

For this exercise, create an announcement flyer for a Meet & Greet conference including lunch, cocktails, and dinner for the company’s senior management and its new interns.

1. Start with a blank document.

2. Create two columns: The left is 4.5 inches and the right is 2.5 inches, and the space between the columns is about 3/8 of an inch. These measurements are only suggestions. Adjust as necessary for your project and the images and graphics you choose.

3. Add a title.

4. Choose a font (we’re choosing Century Gothic), style (sans serif), and color (white), for that title.

5. Repeat this process for a subtitle. In our example, we’re changing the font color to dark teal.

6. Create some graphic boxes for the title (dark teal) and the subtitle (light teal). Select Insert > Shapes and choose a rectangle from the icon list.

7. Insert an applicable photo in both columns. Choose Insert > Pictures and select photos from your Pictures Library. Adding images gives you an opportunity to eyeball image sizes and column widths and adjust them as needed.

8. Enter the schedule and agenda in column one. Use Century Gothic 14 (in black) for the body text and Century Gothic 18 (in dark teal) for the headers.

9. Enter the time and place plus the conference hosts in column two, with the same fonts and colors for the body text and headers.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

10. Once satisfied with the final product, click Save As > Meet+Greet.docx (a regular Word document), so you can share or print.

11. Before you exit, also save this document as a template. Click Save As > Save As Type, choose Word Template [*.dotx] from the list, and save as Meet+Greet.dotx. Next conference, the template is ready to get you started.

Once you have some custom templates in your Custom Office Templates folder, when you open Word and select New, Word provides a new category on the backstage menu called Personal. Click this category to see and open your saved templates.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

How to add an interactive component to a template

Some templates use interactive controls for user input. For example, imagine that once a month, the branch managers, assistant managers, and loan originators of a large banking institution have a meeting at one of the 12 branches. It’s your assistant’s job to email the date, time, location, speakers, topics, and agenda to each attendee. Rather than have that person retype the data in a regular template, you can create a template where options can be chosen from a list. For example:

1. First, create the template, then decide which fields (date, time, etc.) can be selected from a list.

2. Click the Developer tab.

3. Position your cursor on the template where the date goes.

4. Select Insert > Text > Quick Parts > Field, then choose Date from the Categories panel and select a date format from the Properties panel. Click OK. Now the date will update automatically.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

5. Next, position your cursor on the template where the location goes.

6. Select Developer > Controls > Combo Box Content Control. Word places this item on your template.

7. With the Developer tab still selected, click Controls > Properties, and the Content Control Properties dialog window opens.

8. Click the Add button, enter a branch name in the Add Choice dialog box, then click OK. Repeat this process until all the branch locations are entered, then click OK again to close this dialog window.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

9. If you want to modify, remove, or move an entry up or down, highlight the entry, then click the appropriate button.

10. You can change the color of the Combo Box frame and change or create a custom style (fonts, color, attributes, etc.) for the typeface used inside the Combo Box.

11. Repeat steps 5 through 8 above to create Combo Box Content Controls for the remaining fields: meeting date and time, speakers, and topics.

12. When finished, save the document as a Word Template (*.dotx).

Template tips: how to create custom stylesheets

The default stylesheet in MS Word is called normal.dotx. It’s not a good idea to alter this stylesheet because, later on, it could result in some unwanted effects. It’s best to create custom stylesheets for each custom template. For example, the normal.dotx font is Calibri, paragraphs are left aligned, spacing is 1.15, etc. Heading 1 is Cambria 16 point, etc. You can change these settings manually throughout your document without saving them to the normal stylesheet, and before you save the document as a template.

Once satisfied, use those custom settings for your new stylesheet, which could be named something similar to the template name. For example, if you’re creating a custom brochure template, you might name it and the stylesheet Brochure1. Then future brochures will be much easier to design.

1. Choose the Home tab, then click the small arrow in the bottom right corner of the group called Styles. From the drop-down menu, click the New Styles button (bottom left).

2. In the popup dialog Create New Style from Formatting, enter the name of the style, such as Brochure1.

3. Next select Paragraph from the Style Type field list, which affects the entire paragraph, as opposed to a Character style, that affects only the characters inside a paragraph.

4. You can choose to make the style based on another style, such as the Normal style, one of the Header styles, or No style. If you plan to use most of the formatting features in the Normal style except a few differences, then base it on the Normal style. If the custom style will be completely different, then choose the No style option.

5. Under Formatting, select a Font and Size, then choose a Font Color such as Brown, Alignment such as Justify, Spacing such as 1.15, and Indents. Notice that the box in the center of the dialog window shows how the paragraph looks with the format options you select.

JD Sartain / IDG

6. In the bottom left corner, click the Format button. Notice the nine options in the drop-down list. In the Font dialog, you can further customize the font options such as font style (bold, italic, etc,), underline style; Sub- and Superscript, Small Caps, etc.

7. In the Paragraph dialog, you can customize the Indents & Spacing and the Line & Page Breaks. Use the Tabs dialog to customize the alignment and the leader of your tabs, such as the dots between the chapter name and chapter page number on a table of contents.

8. The Borders & Shading dialog provides Border options such as Box, Shadow, 3D, etc.; and Shading options include colors and patterns. The Language feature is, of course, the language of the paragraph such as French or Italian. Note that if you want only specific words in another language, such as c’est la vie in the middle of a paragraph, then create a character style called French.

9. The Frame option is actually the Text Wrap feature, which includes how the text wraps around a graphic in a paragraph, the spacing around the graphic, and how it’s positioned on the page. Choose Numbering to define how you want the numbers to appear such as the standard Arabic numbers, Roman Numerals, or Characters; how they are spaced; and delineated such as with a period after or parentheses, etc. Bullets are also defined under this list choice, which provides standard and custom bullets.

10. Next is the Shortcut Key options, which lets you choose a custom Shortcut key for your Paragraph or Character style, such as Ctrl+B for bold (which is a Word default), or define your own. Last on the list is Text Effects, which lets you define the color, gradient, pattern, outline, and transparency of a paragraph such as the title on the title page of a book or manual. Additional Text Effects include Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Soft Edges, and 3D Format.

JD Sartain / IDG

Where to find the template files on your computer

The custom templates that you create or modify from one of Microsoft’s stock templates are stored at C:UsersOwnerDocumentsCustom Office Templates, where <Owner> is your login name. When you open the Users folder, you’ll see your login name on the list of folders. If not there, it should be in the folder that’s actually called Owner.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

Microsoft stores its templates at:

C:Users<your login name>AppDataRoamingMicrosoftTemplates

Again, if you failed to create a unique login name, this folder may be called <Owner>. If you can’t find it, the AppData folder and all of its files and subfolders are hidden.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

To view the Hidden files:

1. Select the Start/Windows button > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization
2. Select File Explorer Options/Folder Options > Show hidden files and folders
3. On the next screen, check the tick mark beside Show hidden files, folders, and drives, then click Apply and OK.

JD Sartain / IDG Worldwide

To discover the actual name of the Templates folder:

1. Select File > Options > Advanced
2. Scroll about two-thirds of the way down the screen.
3. Click the File Locations button, and the File Locations window appears.
4. Word displays the locations and paths to all the template-related files.

You can also click the Start button, then copy and paste this: %appdata%MicrosoftTemplates in the Search box and press Enter. The Templates folder appears in the Start box. Double-click to go straight to the stock templates folder.

Word documents and Word templates are not one and the same thing, even though they may appear to be. And yes, you can use a Word document in place of a template. But this isn’t the best idea. So read on to find out the difference between a Word template and a Word document. And what the pitfalls are when you use a Word document as a substitute template.

A Word template includes only the styles, layout, formatting and content needed for all documents created from that template. So, for example, a Report template would contain:

• Your business branding;
• A cover page, with fields to add title and report details;
• A table of contents, and a table of figures (where relevant);
• Text that’s required in every report document, e.g. a company profile.

Templates can also include building blocks or drop-in elements. Building blocks are elements or grouped elements that are inserted with the click of a button. So they make it easier and quicker for users to format a document. An example building block is a cover page with an alternative layout.

As you can see, a Word template is essentially a blueprint. It’s the base from which you create Word documents.

How the settings in your Word template are preserved

When you create a document from a template, you open a read-only copy of the template. That is, not the original document. This works best when templates are saved in a personal or workgroup templates folder.

But you can save a template anywhere within your file system. And then open a copy of the template by double-clicking the file in File Explorer. This, however, isn’t ideal because it makes it easier to modify and/or overwrite your template. And you’ll likely do this unknowingly.

Note: if you do decide to save your templates using the second option, be sure to keep a back up copy of all your templates. That way, you can revert to the original document should any mishaps occur!

What is a Word document?

Word documents are the documents you use everyday in your business. They’re always created from a template – either from Word’s Normal template, or from a customised template document. So every Word document has a template attached to it.

Word documents adopt styles, formatting, layouts and content from the attached template. They also have access to building blocks saved within the template (if any exist).

Even though Word documents look identical to templates, they’re not. So you should never use them as a substitute template. That is, copying a document to create a new document. And then changing the content as required.

Pitfalls of using a Word document in place of a Word template

I’ve written previously about why it’s a good idea to use Word templates.

Here’s what you run the risk of when you create a new document by copying and modifying an existing document:

• It takes longer to format your document. That’s because you’re not working from a well-structured and comprehensive template. And one that includes building blocks to make your job easier;
• Set styles, formatting and layouts can change and/or become diluted as you create more and more documents;
• Content from the original document that should be deleted or updated (e.g. a client’s name) is overlooked. This reflects poorly on your business.

How to tell the difference between the two formats

The quickest way to tell the difference between a Word template and a Word document is by the file’s Properties via File Explorer. Here’s how:

• Open File Explorer;
• Locate the relevant file;
• Right click the file and select Properties.

The Type of file section (on the General tab) shows the file type and extension.

How to decide if a template is required for your business document

So you now know the difference between a Word document and a Word template.

The next step is to decide which of your business documents should be set up as templates. Consider the following to help you decide:

• Is it a document you use regularly within your business?
• Does the document contain a structure and/or content that always remains the same?
• Will having a well-designed template for the document help reinforce your professionalism? And in so doing, make a good impression on your current and prospective clients?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, be sure to contact us today (if you haven’t already) to talk to us about creating Word templates for your business. We’d love to help!

Or you can find out more about our Word template service here.

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