The right-click option (in Windows Explorer) that creates a new blank Word document does not make use of your current Normal.dot settings, as you have noticed. I seem to recall a registry tweak that fixes this, but I don't remember what it was...

On the desktop, you can put a shortcut which starts Word; this is an easy fix.

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Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional