A Beginner's Guide to Using Templates in Microsoft Word

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Learn how to create new templates or apply one to an existing document
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Did you know that you can use templates in Microsoft Word to easily create invoices, calendars, résumés, and so much more? This wikiHow article teaches you how to select or create a template in Microsoft Word for Windows and Mac.

Quick Steps

  1. Open Word.
  2. Click More templates at the top of the Home screen to browse templates.
  3. Use the search bar at the top of the Templates page to narrow your results.
  4. Double-click a template to use it, or single-click the template and click Create .
Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Selecting a Template on Windows

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  1. Double-click the Word icon, which resembles a white "W" on a dark-blue background.
  2. 2
    Click More templates at the top of the Home page. You’ll see a few popular templates at the top of the Home screen when you first open Word. To browse for more, click the small text right underneath those that says More templates .
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  3. Scroll through the templates page to find a template you like, or type a keyword into the “Search for online templates” search bar at the top of the page. This will help you find exactly the type of template you’re looking for.
    • For example, if you wanted to find budget-related templates, you would type "budget" into the search bar.
    • You must be connected to the Internet in order to search for templates.
    • You can also click a term from the list of suggested searches below the search bar to view different categories.
  4. Click a template that you want to use. This will open it in a window where you can take a closer look at the template.
  5. It's to the right of the template preview. Doing so opens the template in a new Word document.
    • You can also double-click the template thumbnail in the search results to open it directly.
  6. Most templates have sample text and images; you can replace this text by deleting it and typing in your own.
    • You can also edit most templates' formatting (e.g., font, color, and text size) without ruining the template itself.
  7. Click File in the upper-left side of the page, click Save As , double-click a save location, enter your document's name, and click Save .
    • You can re-open this document by going to the folder where you saved it and double-clicking it.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Selecting a Template on Mac

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  1. Double-click the Word icon, which resembles a white "W" on a blue gradient background. Depending on your Word settings, this will either open a new document or bring up the Word home page.
    • If the Word home page opens, skip to the "search for a template" step.
  2. It's a menu item on the top-left side of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. You'll find this option near the top of the File drop-down menu. Clicking it opens the template gallery.
  4. Scroll through the available templates to see pre-set options, or type a search term into the search bar in the top-right side of the page.
    • For example, to find invoice-related templates, you might type "invoice" into the search bar.
    • You must be connected to the Internet in order to search for templates.
    • If Word opens to the Home page, you can either click More templates to browse the template gallery, or enter a keyword into the search bar at the top of the screen. Filter your search results by clicking the Templates tab.
  5. 5
    Select a template and click Create . Click the thumbnail for the template you want to open, then click the Create button in the bottom right corner of the screen. You can also open a template by double-clicking it.
  6. Most templates have sample text and images; you can replace the text and other elements by deleting them and typing in or inserting your own.
    • You can also edit most templates' formatting (e.g., font, color, and text size) without ruining the template itself.
  7. Click the File menu item, click Save As , enter a name for your document, and click Save .
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Applying a Template to an Existing Document on Windows

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  1. Double-click the document to which you want to apply your template.
    • Doing this will apply a template's formatting to your document. However, it might be easier to open the template in another window, then copy and paste text from the original document.
  2. 2
    Click the Developer tab. You will see this at the end of the ribbon between View and Help .
    • If the Developer tab is hidden, you can show it by right-clicking the ribbon and selecting Customize the Ribbon . In the panel on the right side of the window, select the Developer checkbox, and then click OK.
  3. 3
    Click Document Template . It's in the Templates grouping at the end of the menu of options.
  4. It's in the upper-right side of the page and prompts a file explorer window to open so you can browse your files for the appropriate template.
    • By default, Word templates that you've saved are in C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates , but you can also browse for other locations where you have saved templates.
  5. Double-click a template that you want to use.
    • You can also click it, then click Open .
  6. You'll find this box below the template's name near the top of the page.
  7. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will apply your template's formatting to the document.
  8. Click File in the upper-left side of the page, click Save As , double-click a save location, enter your document's name, and click Save .
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Applying a Template to an Existing Document on Mac

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  1. Double-click the document you want to open.
    • This only applies the template's formatting to your existing text. If you want your document in the same style as the template, your best option is to open the template in a new window, then copy and paste your text into it.
  2. This menu item is on the left side of the Mac's menu bar. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.
    • If you don't see Tools , click your Microsoft Word window to make it appear.
  3. It's an option near the bottom of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens a window.
  4. You'll find this in the Templates & Add-Ins window.
    • By default, your templates are saved in /Users/[YourUsername]/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates , but you can browse with Finder to find templates saved in other locations.
  5. Click a template that you want to apply to your document.
  6. Doing so will apply the template's formatting to your document.
  7. Click the File menu item, click Save As , enter a name for your document, and click Save .
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Creating a Template on Windows

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  1. Double-click the Word icon, which resembles a white "W" on a dark-blue background.
    • If you want to create a template from an existing document, double-click the document itself and skip to the "edit your document" step.
  2. It's in the upper-left side of the Word window.
    • You can also start a new document by going to File > New Document .
  3. Any formatting changes you make (e.g., spacing, text size, font) will be part of your template.
    • If you're creating a template from an existing document, you might not need to edit anything.
  4. It's a tab in the upper-left side of the page.
  5. This option is near the top of the File pop-out window.
  6. Double-click a save folder or location here to set it as the template's storage spot.
  7. Type in the name you want to use for your template.
  8. It's below the file name text box. A drop-down menu will appear.
  9. This option is near the top of the drop-down menu.
    • You can also click Word Macro-Enabled Template here if you put macros in your document.
  10. It's in the bottom-right side of the window. Doing so saves your template.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Creating a Template on Mac

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  1. Double-click the Word icon, which resembles a white "W" on a dark-blue background.
    • If you want to create a template from an existing document, double-click the document itself and skip to the "edit your document" step.
  2. It's in the upper-left side of the home page.
    • If there isn't a home page, click File > New Document .
  3. It's a white box. This will create a new Word document.
  4. Any formatting changes you make (e.g., spacing, text size, font) will be part of your template.
    • If you're creating a template from an existing document, you might not need to edit anything.
  5. It's a menu item in the top-left side of the screen.
  6. You'll see this option in the File drop-down menu.
  7. Type in the name you want to use for your template.
  8. It's near the bottom of the window. By default, it should be set to “Microsoft Word Template (.dotx).” If not, click this field to open a drop-down menu and select the template format.
    • You can also select Microsoft Word Macro-Enabled template if you put macros in your document.
  9. It's the blue button at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your template.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I save an edited template as a default template in Word?
    Community Answer
    You can open HTML window in editor and you can place your code there. It will work if your editor has an edit HTML option.
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  • Question
    How can I use a template in Outlook?
    Community Answer
    Prepare your template and save it as .oft (Outlook template). Next time you need it, go to the Home tab and select New Items / More Items / Choose Form / Look in: User Templates in File System and select your template.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    How do I add lines inside the text box?
    Community Answer
    Draw them using the line tool in the box. On updated computers, go to insert>illustrations>shapes. On non-updated computers, go to insert>shape. You can also underline text by highlighting it, then going to home>underline text.
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