I want to move normal.dotm (where is all my vba macros, so when I remove my flash drive noone can access my macros) to my usb flash drive as I did in excel personal.xlsb, can I do this?

How?

Thanks

Yes, you can tell Word to use a different folder for Normal.dotm, but pointing it (or Excel for Personal.xlsb) to a removable drive is not a smart thing to do, for two reasons:
1. Irrecoverable file corruption is liable to result unless you close both applications and go through the 'safe removal' process every time you want to disconnect the USB drive; and
2. the applications themselves are liable to have startup problems if the designated drive can't be found, in which case they might simply revert to the default locations with a 'vanilla' Normal.dotm for Word and no Personal.xlsb for Excel. In that case, next time you start Word or Excel, it will start up configured for the default location instead of your USB drive.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

I'm using my personal.xlsb in excel for years from a usb flash drive without problem, and is easy to do, sure, I backup on a daily / weekly basis.
But in relation to word, I have researched and I have seen complex answers and little objective in google, I would like to know step by step how to do.

If you do a modicum more research you will also find conclusive evidence that what you propose with Normal.dotm will corrupt it (and possibly, other files on your USB drive) if you don't always close Word and go through the safe removal process before removing the drive. Still, if you don't care about the consequences, by all means go ahead - the default location is set via File|Options|Advanced>File Locations. You have been warned.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

The location of the normal.dotm template is always the "User Templates Folder" set in Word advanced Options. If you set that location to be a thumb drive and it is not accessible, Word will create a new normal template elsewhere, which may mean a lot of confusion down the road. The normal template, in the course of regular use, is modified (edited) fairly frequently. Doing this while it is on a thumb drive may result in the loss of the file.

Better, IMO, would be to put your macros in a separate template, not in the normal template. Load that template as a Global Template by putting it in your Word Startup Folder. If that Startup Folder (set in Word advanced Options as well) is a thumb drive, do not edit any files directly on that drive. Do the editing on your hard drive and copy to/from the flash drive.

Thanks Macropod and Charles.
IF I create a separate template it will also be necessary to be saved in the word startup folder which is in c:\?? This will not solve my problem of saving my macros in my flash drive.
I have a policy of not leaving anything saved on my computer's hard drive at work, leaving everything on the flash drive, the only thing I could not do is with word macros/vba.
I have multiple backups of everything, flash drives, externals hdd, etc.So I'm not counting on losing my macros.
Word does not have the same option like in excel "On startup load files in this directoy" (where's personal.xlsb).

You can change the location of the startup folder (if your company allows it) from the same dialog used to change the user templates folder. You can also load add-in templates from the Developer tab > Templates on a per session basis.

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

I give up of changing user template folder.
This alternative of creating a nem template "mymacros.dotm" and load with Developer tab > Templates, ok, but I can't see the code, cliclking in "Project (mymacros)" report a error (project can't be show).
Also I always need to go at Developer tab > Templates to click in the checkbox to load the template?

The template has to be open in Word in order to see the code, but the macros are still available. If the template is not in the startup folder then yes, you will have to check it when you start Word - though if your normal template is not controlled, you can add code there to check it when when Word is started.

__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019)
Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com

Thanks.
How I can auto load the template (mymacros.dotm) within a "AutoOpen" procedure in normal.dotm?
So I will have access to the macros, but if I want to see/edit the code I will need to open the mymacros.dotm?

If you put mymacros.dotm in your Word Startup Folder it will be loaded whenever Word is started. You can change the location of the Startup Folder, just as you can change the location of the User Templates Folder, in File > Options > Advanced. File Locations is near the bottom of the page.

The startup folder can be wherever you want. It should be included as a trusted location in the Trust Center settings.

Yes, to see the code, you will need to have the template open for editing. Again, if you are editing it, it should not be on a thumb drive.

So much effort for something truly ill-advised!

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Yes, but as I am not MS expert, regardless of my average knowledge in VBA excel, I could not imagine that something so simple in Excel is absolutely complex in word. lol
I thought you might take easy with the beginners' difficulties and threads.

It is not at all complex. It is simple. But how you want to use it will be a disaster. You're obviously determined to ignore what you've been told about the consequences.

If you're so concerned about others having access to 'your' code, etc. (which you've probably done little more with than lifting from various forums), why don't you just set up different user accounts for each user or have one for your self and a different one for everyone else???

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Thanks, I'm moving my macros to individual DOCM as possible, leaving normal.dotm as few as possible. I will not change advanced setting in word to avoid any problem. Just move some modules and userforms and a little code change. Additionally I can change from one to another computer without need to configure word vba.