#1
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Apply custom template to document in Word 2013
I was able to migrate my old templates over into a "Custom Templates" folder in Word 2013 just fine...but the problem is that when I try to apply the template to a new document (or a blank one), I end up typing into the template, not the document. In previous Word versions, you had the option of creating a new template or a new document when you were in the templates file...and you can still do that with Word's supplied templates, but not when you use your custom one. How on earth do you apply a template to a Word document, and not end up modifying the template itself???
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#2
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Word 2013 has added a whole new layer to the difficulty of creating a new document based on a custom template (or at least added extra steps).
File New Variations in the Versions of Word You need to use the File > New command and go to your Shared or Personal templates, or use the classic FileNew dialog. You do not apply a template, you use it to create a new document. You can do this through File > New or by double-clicking on the template. Templates in Microsoft Word |
#3
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If you are trying to reformat an existing document so that it uses the formatting and content of another template, do the following: Create a new document based on the "other" template. Then use the Insert File dialog box to bring in the existing content from your existing document.
To display the Insert File dialog box, click the arrow on the Object button on the Insert tab, and then choose Text from File (note that the command is misleading, because all content, not just text, will be inserted).
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Stefan Blom Microsoft Word MVP Microsoft 365 apps for business Windows 11 Professional |
#4
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Thanks for the tips...but it's still not working the way I want it to. Maybe if I explain what kind of template I've created it'll help: I teach a college-level public speaking course, and have created a boilerplate evaluation form with a field for the student's name, check-boxes for a variety of characteristics, and a blank are below for my comments. I've never tried doing an attachment in a Forum, but I'm attaching it here.
In prior versions of Word, I would click on the template and it would automatically create a new document based on the template, but my typing into the form wouldn't alter the template itself. Now, the form I'm typing into is actually a .dotx file, not a .docx file. And in order to create an evaluation for a 2nd student, I have to close the 1st evaluation and re-open the template file. If I just try to create a new file based on my template without closing the first one, it won't work...it just creates another instance of the 1st document, with the 1st student's name and comments in it! |
#5
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OK. The template is fine. It is the use that is the problem.
To create a new document based on a template, you need to double-click on the template icon or use File > New and locate your template to use. This is at least one layer more difficult in Word 2013. Read File New Variations in the Versions of Word for some methods that can make it easier. BTW, I think you want to restrict editing on your form, at least as a starting point. You can add exceptions for each of your content controls. That will make it easier for you to complete. |
#6
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If you are getting to your template by opening it, that is the problem.
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#7
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Awww, jeeze, Charles....I feel like a bit of an idiot! I'd been skipping the "File-New" step, just assuming that if I had a blank document open and then clicked on the template, that would create a new document based on the template! But nooooooo...Microsoft in all its wisdom now wants me to undertake an additional step I've never had to do before! Regardless, your instructions worked perfectly, and I really appreciate it!
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#8
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Double-clicking a template should create a new document based on the template. If Word opens the template instead, it would seem that Open is the default action for *.dotx files. Right-click a *.dotx file in Windows Explorer and see which command on the context menu is in bold; that indicates which is the default action. If you find that Open is the default, as opposed to New, try repairing Office.
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Stefan Blom Microsoft Word MVP Microsoft 365 apps for business Windows 11 Professional |
#9
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Quote:
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