Whether you’re starting from a Microsoft template or updating one of your own, Word's built-in tools help you update templates to suit your needs. To update your template, open the file, make the changes you want, and then save the template.
In Microsoft Word, you can create a template by saving a document as a .dotx file, .dot file, or a .dotm fie (a .dotm file type allows you to enable macros in the file).
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Click File > Open.
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Double-click This PC.
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Browse to the Custom Office Templates folder that’s under My Documents.
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Click your template, and click Open.
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Make the changes you want, then save and close the template.
Add content controls to a template
Make your templates flexible by adding and configuring content controls, such as rich text controls, pictures, drop-down lists, or date pickers.
For example, you might create a template that includes a drop-down list. If you allow editing to the drop-down list, other people can change the list options to meet their needs.
Note: If content controls are not available, you may have opened a document or a template that was created in an earlier version of Word. To use content controls, you must convert the document to a newer file format by clicking File > Info > Convert, and then clicking OK. After you convert the document or template, save it.
Before you can add content controls, you need to show the Developer tab.
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Click File > Options > Customize Ribbon.
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Under Customize the Ribbon, select Main Tabs.
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In the list, select the Developer check box, and then click OK.
Add content controls
On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Design Mode, and then insert the controls that you want.
Insert a text control where users can enter text
In a rich text content control, users can format text as bold or italic, and they can type multiple paragraphs. If you want to limit what users add, insert the plain text content control.
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In the document, click where you want to insert the control.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Rich Text Content Control
Insert a picture control
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Click where you want to insert the control.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Picture Control
Insert a combo box or a drop-down list
In a combo box, users can select from a list of choices that you provide or they can type in their own information. In a drop-down list, users can only select from the list of choices.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click the Combo Box Content Control
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Select the content control, and then on the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Properties.
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To create a list of choices, click Add under Combo Box Properties or Drop-Down List Properties.
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Type a choice in the Display Name box, such as Yes, No, or Maybe. Repeat this step until all of the choices are in the drop-down list.
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Fill in any other properties that you want.
Note: If you select the Contents cannot be edited check box, users won’t be able to click a choice..
Insert a date picker
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Click where you want to insert the date picker control.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click the Date Picker Content Control
Insert a check box
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Click where you want to insert the check box control.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click the Check Box Content Control
Insert a building block gallery control
You can use building block controls when you want people to choose a specific block of text.
For example, building block controls are helpful if you’re setting up a contract template, and you need to add different boilerplate text depending on the contract’s specific requirements. You can create rich text content controls for each version of the boilerplate text, and then you can use a building block gallery control as the container for the rich text content controls.
You can also use a building block control in a form.
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Click where you want to insert the control.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Building Block Gallery Content Control
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Click the content control to select it.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Properties.
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Click the Gallery and the Category for the building blocks that you want to make available in the building block control.
Set or change the properties for content controls
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Select the content control, and click Properties in the Controls group.
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In the Content Control Properties dialog box, choose whether the content control can be deleted or edited when someone uses your template.
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To keep several content controls or even a few paragraphs of text together, select the controls or the text, and then click Group in the Controls group.
For example, perhaps you have a three-paragraph disclaimer. If you use the Group command to group the three paragraphs, the three-paragraph disclaimer cannot be edited and can be deleted only as a group.
Add instructional text to a template
Instructional text can enhance the usability of the template that you create. You can change the default instructional text in content controls.
To customize the default instructional text for your template users, do the following:
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Design Mode.
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Click the content control where you want to revise the placeholder instructional text.
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Edit the placeholder text and format it any way you want.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Design Mode to turn off the design feature and save the instructional text.
Add protection to a template
You can add protection to individual content controls in a template to help prevent someone from deleting or editing a particular content control or group of controls, or you can help protect all of the template content with a password.
Add protection to parts of a template
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Open the template that you want to add protection to.
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Select the content controls to which you want to restrict changes.
Tip: Select multiple controls by holding down the CTRL key while you click the controls.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Group, and then click Group again.
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On the Developer tab, in the Controls group, click Properties.
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In the Content Control Properties dialog box, under Locking, do any of the following:
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Select the Content control cannot be deleted check box, which allows the content of the control to be edited but the control itself cannot be deleted from the template or a document that is based on the template.
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Select the Contents cannot be edited check box, which allows you to delete the control but does not allow you to edit the content in the control.
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Use this setting when you want to protect text if it is included. For example, if you often include a disclaimer, you can help ensure that the text stays the same, and you can delete the disclaimer for documents that don't require it.
Assign a password to a template
To assign a password to the document so that only reviewers who know the password can remove the protection, do the following:
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Open the template that you want to assign a password to.
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On the Review tab, in the Protect group, click Restrict Editing.
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Under Start enforcement, click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
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Type a password in the Enter new password (optional) box, and then confirm the password.
Important: If you choose not to use a password, anyone can change your editing restrictions.
Use strong passwords that combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Weak passwords don't mix these elements. Strong password: Y6dh!et5. Weak password: House27. Passwords should be at least 8 characters long. In general, longer a password is, the more secure it is.
It is critical that you remember your password. If you forget your password, Microsoft cannot retrieve it. Store the passwords that you write down in a secure place away from the information that they help protect.
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. All you have to do is open a template and fill in the text and the information that is specific to your document. When you save the document as a .docx or .docm file, you save your document separately from the template on which it is based.
In a template, you can provide recommended sections or required text for others to use, as well as content controls such as a predefined drop-down list or a special logo. You can add protection to a section of a template, or you can apply a password to the template to help protect the contents of the template from changes.
You can find Word templates for most kinds of documents on Office.com. If you have an Internet connection, click the File tab, click New, and then click the template category that you want. You can also you can create your own templates.
