And there is no way to modify this, even via a registry key or the like?

I explained in my OP. I have a shortcut on the desktop and in quick launch for starting Word in general. However, the right-click menu is handy for opening a doc where I want it saved, rather than having to open it from DT then save it to said folder by navigating to said folder in the save process, or saving to DT then having to cut/copy and paste it into the folder, which I still have to navigate to.

For example, I archive programs and guides for myself about installation and config tweaks so I don't have to reinvent the wheel later. I usually right-click and open a text msg to use for this purpose. But every so often if the instructions/config/info I want to archive is more complex, I prefer using a Word doc. The folder I am working in may be many levels deep... right-clicking inside the folder where I want the doc is many times easier, quicker and more efficient.

I do thank you for answering but I find your comment "a more salient question is why would you want to do that?" a little perplexing. The fact is, MS makes Word available via the shell menu, probably for reasons I just stated. It is highly convenient. That said, there should be a way to modify the default template. Users should not be blamed for using the programs as made available per Windows' own design.

I would guess there is a way to either modify the template OR substitute the shell call to Word with a modified string that would open the already-modified normal.dotm template instead of the default template the shell call appears to use. Unfortunately I am not adept enough to know how to do this.

Hence my question...