How To Find The Microsoft Word Normal Template

The normal template is central to your use of Word. Information technology holds many of your defaults and your own customizations or modifications to Word. Information technology is possible that something exterior of it does not let you save changes you make to it without opening information technology directly. There are times when the simplest way to modify defaults in Microsoft Discussion is to open the Normal.dot or Normal.dotm template. Other times yous demand to find it then you can open the containing folder and rename the template for diagnostic work. The normal template volition e'er exist institute in the user templates folder, which has different default locations in different versions of Word and dissimilar operating systems. That location tin be changed in the Word options by the user.

How to Open up the Normal template in any version of Discussion (except 2008)

To open the normal template in any version of Word on any PC that uses vba you can do the following.

Open up Word.

Open the vba Editor by Pressing Alt+F11 together. (Trouble using Alt+F11?)

At the bottom of the vba Editor window is something called the Firsthand window. (Press Ctrl+G to activate this window if you don't come across information technology.) Click in that Immediate window.

Blazon the following (or copy it from hither and paste information technology):

application.NormalTemplate.OpenAsDocument

Press Enter

Shut the vba Editor.

Y'all are at present in the Normal.dot template (Word 97-2003) or Normal.dotm template (Discussion 2007-2019)

Make your changes and save information technology. If you are curious about where you tin can notice information technology in the future, use Save As and look at where Give-and-take is planning on saving it.

Your Word programme merely uses i Normal template. Your computer may have more than one but Word only uses one. If there is more than than one such template on your computer, this (vba) is the only style I know of to exist sure that the Normal template you open is the one your version of Word is using! If y'all have multiple versions of Word on your reckoner, each should accept its ain template.

Note that you should never put any text in the Normal template.

This includes headers, footers and page numbers!

How to Find the User Templates Folder and Normal template.

Many diagnostics require that you rename the normal template. Sometimes, something in the normal template is causing problems in your apply of Discussion. It is located in your user templates binder. Notation, some advisors mistakenly tell you lot to delete the normal template. Renaming it volition achieve the aforementioned purpose: Word volition create a new fresh normal template the next fourth dimension it starts. Notwithstanding, if there are valuable customizations in the normal template like macros, AutoText entries, or styles, if it is renamed rather than deleted, those customizations tin can be recovered. If you accept not inverse any of the defaults in your Word normal template, there may not be one. (This is unusual, but possible.)

Past default, the normal template (and user templates files) are stored in the following location:

Beginning with Role 2013 (Office 365) the default folder location for near user-created templates has been moved to a subfolder of the user'southward Documents folder: Custom Function Templatesouth. Still, the location of the normal template will still be in the user templates folder which remains the default binder unless changed by the user. That is, the location of the normal template will all the same be in the binder designated every bit the user templates folder, but that folder will exist different from the folder belongings virtually user templates which is now called the Custom Office Templates binder. Dislocated? Thank you lot, Microsoft.

Note you can alter the location of user templates files. That is done in advanced options. If yous have done then, yous demand to cheque in that location for your location.

If yous rename or delete your normal template, it will not be recreated by Word until such fourth dimension every bit you lot make a alter to your defaults. If you have an Add together-In that prevents saving changes to the normal template, then it volition not exist created. Word will operate fine without a Normal template, using its defaults.

To find the normal template in whatever version of Word (except 2008) on whatsoever operating system you can do the following.

Open Discussion.
Open the vba Editor past Pressing Alt+F11. (Trouble using Alt+F11?) (Opt+F11 on the Mac)
At the bottom of the vba Editor window is something called the Immediate window. (Press Ctrl+G to activate this window if you don't see it.) Click in that Immediate window.
Blazon the following (or copy information technology from here and paste it):

debug.print application.NormalTemplate.Path
Press Enter
The location of your normal template for your Give-and-take installation shows just below what you typed. If you copy this and paste it into the location bar in Windows Explorer, you will be taken to the binder containing the normal template.

In Windows, yous can also apply Windows Search function.

The normal template will almost always be institute somewhere within the User profile. Finding it using Windows is a bit more complicated and depends on the operating system you are using. The thing is that by default the Templates folder used by any version of Word (other than Give-and-take 2013/365) is a hidden system folder. In a regular search, Windows skips such folders. You demand to admission the search options and tell Windows to wait in hidden and organization folders. Generally, you are able to access these options later you complete a search with no results.

In Windows 8.1 the Advanced Options are available immediately:

Opening the Normal template after you notice information technology:

If y'all found the normal template in a folder and so you could open that template, remember that you need to use File > Open within Word to open it or, from Windows, right-click on the icon and select Open from the context carte du jour. If you double-click on information technology, y'all will create a new document, non open information technology. This is true of all templates in Microsoft Give-and-take .

How to "muddy" the Normal Template so that changes to AutoTexts, macros, and Styles put in Normal from other Files will be saved.

Some changes made to the template are non reflected as a "change" by Discussion such that pressing Ctrl+S (or using File > Save) will save them. Y'all can force the "inverse" or "dirty" state by doing the following:

Type any letter. Utilize the backspace central to erase information technology. Do not employ Undo or Ctrl+Z. Then press Ctrl+S to save.

* Trouble using Alt+F11?

If the Alt+F11 combination to open up the VBA editor isn't working here are some possibilities.

You are pressing the keys in sequence and Discussion is grabbing the Alt press to bring up its tooltips.

Your keyboard requires you to also press an Fn shift key at the aforementioned fourth dimension.

You are on a Mac and need to use Opt+F11.

Some other program outside of Word is hijacking the use of function keys. This can be a laptop BIOS or can be some other utility program similar SnagIt.

The first is most probable and you lot tin tell if that is what is happening if the tooltips pop upwards on the ribbon. Run into below. Pressing Alt a second time gets rid of them and then you lot want to press Alt+F11 together.

If it is an outside program, you demand to go to that program's setup and change the apply of Part Keys. Run across Function Keys in Discussion 97-2016.

A workaround for getting to the Visual Basic Editor without the keyboard shortcut is to utilise the Visual Basic button on the Developer Tab.

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