By default, if you are not prompted, Word saves changes to the Normal template without asking.

If Word, for some reason which must be troubleshot separately, can't save Normal correctly, the workaround is to open the template as a document and then change the defaults. The easiest way is as follows: From within Word, press Alt+F11 to display the Visual Basic Editor. Press Ctrl+G to activate the Immediate window. Type

NormalTemplate.OpenAsDocument

and press Enter. Normal opens in its own window (and you should now close the Visual Basic Editor). Change the defaults in the Manage Styles dialog (this time, you don't have to select "New documents based on this template"). Save and close the template.

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Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional