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In desktop Word, choose File > New to search online templates or open a personal template. If an older template is missing from the gallery, Windows users can set Word’s personal templates folder so it appears under Personal. Mac desktop Word uses File > New from Template. Once you choose a template, Word starts a separate document; save your work as a document rather than overwriting the reusable template.
Find templates in Word
For desktop Word, open File > New. Depending on your version and rollout, the New screen may offer a search for online templates or suggested searches. Enter a term such as “invoice” or choose a suggestion, then select a result to start a file. Microsoft also provides a template catalogue at create.microsoft.com/templates, where you can search for or create templates. The precise labels and layout may vary between Word versions.
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Where are my custom templates?
Make older templates appear in Word for Windows
A template made in an earlier Microsoft 365 version may still be stored on your computer even if it does not appear in Word’s New gallery. Microsoft’s documented Windows desktop fix is to set the folder containing those files as Word’s default personal templates location:
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- Press Windows key + R, enter
%appdata%MicrosoftTemplates, and press Enter. - In File Explorer, copy the folder path shown in the address bar.
- In Word, open File > Options > Save.
- Under Save Documents, paste the copied path into Default personal templates location, then confirm the change.
- Return to File > New and look under Personal (or a similarly labelled custom-template tab) for the templates in that folder.
The files’ folder and Word’s configured personal-template location are separate things: a template can exist on disk without appearing in the gallery. If you use multiple Office apps, Microsoft says to repeat the location change in each program. New templates are saved to the configured default location once it is set. See Microsoft’s instructions for locating custom templates.
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Find the template folder on Mac
In Mac desktop Word, the documented default user templates folder is /Users/username/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates, with username standing for your macOS account name. To change it, open Word > Preferences > Personal Settings > File Locations, select User templates, and modify the folder path. Menu wording can vary by Word version. Microsoft documents these settings in its template creation guidance.
Save a document as a reusable template
Windows desktop Word
To turn a document into a template, use File > Save As and choose a Word template format. Microsoft lists .dotx, .dot, and .dotm; choose .dotm only when the template needs macros. Ordinary layouts such as a letterhead or invoice do not need a macro-enabled format.
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To edit a saved template in desktop Word, open File > Open and browse to the Custom Office Templates folder under My Documents, select the template, make changes, then save and close it. This is different from selecting a template in the New gallery to create a document. Microsoft’s Windows-specific steps are in Save a Word document as a template.
Mac desktop Word
Open the document you want to reuse, then choose File > Save as Template. Enter a name and choose Microsoft Word template (.dotx), or Microsoft Word Macro-Enabled template (.dotm) if it contains macros, then save. The folder can be changed through Word > Preferences > Personal Settings > File Locations > User templates.
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Use a template to start a new document
Windows desktop Word
- Choose File > New.
- Select Personal or Custom, depending on the label in your version.
- Choose the template you want to use.
- Edit the new file, then save it as a regular Word document, such as
.docx.
Opening a template from the New screen creates a copy for your work. Saving that work as a document keeps it separate from the reusable template.
Mac desktop Word
- Choose File > New from Template.
- Select the template you want.
- Edit the resulting file and save it as a document.
For platform-specific details, see Microsoft’s Create a template guidance.
Does this apply to Word for the web?
These detailed save, edit, and personal-folder instructions are for desktop Word. Microsoft notes that steps can differ in Word for the web; the desktop workflow above should not be treated as a verified web-specific method for saving or managing custom templates.
When you mean a global template or add-in
A regular template is a reusable starting point for documents. A global template or add-in is different: it can make supplemental commands or features available in Word. On Windows desktop Word, Microsoft’s documented route to load one is File > Options > Add-Ins, choose Word Add-ins in the Manage box, select Go, then use the Templates tab. A template or add-in placed in Word’s Startup folder can be made available whenever Word starts. See Microsoft’s Load or unload a template or add-in program instructions.
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