WD97: Understanding the Template Path and Normal.dot

When you click New on the File menu, the templates listed in the Template box are the templates found in the directory specified in the File Locations tab for User Templates or Workgroup Templates. You can change this location by clicking Options on the Tools menu, selecting the File Type, and clicking the Modify button.

If you don't have a directory set for your User Templates, but you have a Workgroup Templates directory set, Word looks to the Workgroup directory for a Normal.dot file. If you have a workstation installation and you set both the User Templates and the Workgroup Templates directories, Word first looks in the Workgroup Templates directory for Normal.dot. Word searches for Normal.dot in the following order: If Word cannot find the Normal template in any of the above locations, it uses the preset program default settings.

This article uses four examples to demonstrate how Word searches for Normal.dot.

Situation 1

If your dot-path is set to C:\templates and there is no Normal.dot file in C:\templates or in the Word for Windows program directory, Word uses the dot-path correctly.

Situation 2

If your dot-path is set to C:\Templates and there is no Normal.dot file in C:\Templates but there is in the Word for Windows program directory, Word for Windows uses the Normal.dot file in the Word for Windows program directory.

NOTE: If you are working over a network and the Normal.dot file is in the program directory, Normal.dot should be read-only; therefore, you will receive read-only errors when you save changes to Normal.dot.

WARNING: If you are working over a network and the Normal.dot file is in the program directory but is not marked as read-only, Word uses that copy of Normal.dot, which can cause unexpected results for all users running Word from the same network location.

Situation 3

If your dot-path is set to C:\Templates and there is a Normal.dot file in C:\Templates and in the Word for Windows program directory, Word for Windows uses the dot-path.

Situation 4

If your dot-path is set to C:\Templates and there is a Normal.dot file in C:\Templates but not in the Word for Windows program directory, Word for Windows uses the dot-path.