How to create a template in Notion on Mac: database templates, step by step

Notion uses the word template for three different things. A database template is a starting page that each new entry in one database copies. A template button is a button on a page that duplicates a set of blocks when you click it. A Marketplace template is a ready-made page you add from the sidebar. This guide covers the first kind, which is what most people mean when they search for how to create a template in Notion on Mac.

What you need before you start

You need a Mac running macOS 13 or later. Notion's system requirements list macOS 13 or above as the minimum for the desktop app. Not sure which version you have? Click the Apple menu, then About This Mac. If your Mac is older, read how to check Notion system requirements on Mac before you install anything.

• A Mac running macOS 13 or later.
• The Notion desktop app, signed in with your email, or Notion open in a browser.
• A database you can edit. Database templates live inside databases, not on plain pages.
• Edit access to that database, so you can add a template to it.

Why a template belongs to one database

A database template is tied to the database where you make it. Notion's help says templates are available only in that database. That shapes how you plan. If two databases need the same structure, build a template in each one. Do not expect a template from Tasks to appear in Projects.

Here is a worked example. Say you keep a reading list in a database called Books, with Status and Rating properties. You make a template called Book notes with three headings: Summary, Best quotes, and Next action. Every new book page starts with those headings and the properties you set. You never retype the outline again.

Make a template repeat on a schedule

Repeating templates use the same ••• menu. Notion offers daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly repeats. For each one you set an interval, a start date, and a time. A weekly review template set for Friday morning creates a fresh review page every Friday. Set the interval first, then the start date, so the first page lands on the day you expect.

Nesting follows a few rules. A template can hold other templates, up to three levels deep in each database template. Notion does not limit how many templates you can make. The one hard rule for repeating templates is that a daily template cannot hold a nested template. Weekly, monthly, and yearly templates can.

Name templates so the dropdown makes sense

The title you type becomes the name in the dropdown. Names like Template 2 look fine on day one and useless by day ninety. Name the job the template does, such as Weekly review, Client call, or Bug report. If two templates do similar jobs, add a short word that separates them, like Bug report, mobile.

Edit, duplicate, or delete a template later

Open the dropdown next to New, click ••• next to the template, then choose Edit, Duplicate, or Delete. Before you delete a template, duplicate it first. The copy gives you a way back if you remove a section you still need. Starter templates that came with a page work the same way. Click ••• next to the page name, then Delete.

Reuse a plain page without a database

Not every template needs a database. You can keep an empty copy of a page in the sidebar and make new pages from it. Open that page's menu and choose Duplicate. Notion's help page on starting with a template covers this method. It does not explain how to share a page as a template, so do not count on that step.

Template buttons are a separate feature

A template button is not a database template. You create one by typing /button or /template on a page, choosing Button, giving it a name and an emoji, selecting New action, then clicking Done. Each click duplicates the blocks you set up. Creating, editing, or clicking a button needs Full access or Can edit on that page.

Clicking a button that edits a database also needs editor access to that database. Watch for one thing in particular. When a button uses a template to make a page, the template's values overwrite the button's values. The new page may not get the name the button promises, so test the button once before you rely on it.

Keyboard shortcuts that help while you build

Notion's shortcut list has no shortcut for templates. The general shortcuts still save time on a Mac. ⌘ N creates a new page. ⌘ ⌥ 9 creates a page from the current line, which helps when a line of notes grows into its own page. ⌥ drag duplicates content. ⌘ D duplicates selected blocks, but it does not duplicate whole pages.

⌘ / opens the block action menu. Use it while you build a template so you can change a block without reaching for the mouse each time.

Desktop app or browser for templates on Mac

The desktop app has no browser tabs. It sends push notifications for mentions, task assignments, and reminders. Command Search works outside the app, and you can turn on a menu bar icon named Show Notion in Menu Bar. To move a browser link into the app, click ••• then More, then Open in Mac app.

Notion's help describes the same template steps across platforms, so the dropdown and ••• menus should look alike in both. I did not check the web app myself, so trust what you see on your screen if a menu looks different there.

Install or update the Mac app first

Go to notion.com/desktop and click Download for macOS. The page offers Universal, Apple Silicon, and Intel x64 builds, and Universal is the default. Open the file you downloaded, follow the on-screen steps, then open Notion and log in with your email. The full walkthrough is in how to install the Notion desktop app on Mac.

To check for updates, click Notion in the menu bar, then Check for Updates. Notion's help shows the last update under ? then More in the sidebar. If a new feature is missing, press ⌘ R to refresh. The Homebrew cask index lists 7.42.3 as the current Mac build. That is a third-party listing, not a Notion version page, so use the update check to confirm yours.

Mistakes people make with Notion templates

• Building a template in one database, then looking for it in another. Templates work only where they were created.
• Nesting a template inside a daily repeating template. Notion does not allow it.
• Skipping the title. The title is the name you pick from the dropdown later.
• Deleting a template without duplicating it first, then wanting the old version back.
• Expecting a template button to keep your page name. The template's values win.
• Looking for a way to share a page as a template. Notion's help does not cover that step.

Why setup takes longer than it should

G2's article on what users dislike about Notion found that learning curve and setup time made up 23% of mentions. That is a share of mentions, not of reviewers, and the article gives no sample size. Read it as a hint about where people get stuck, not as a measure of how long setup takes.

Build templates you will actually reuse

Start with one template for the routine you repeat most. Keep the outline short. Include only the headings you fill in every time. A template with ten empty sections is one people skip. After two weeks, open the template and remove every section you never touched.

Test each change on a throwaway page. Create a page from the template, fill it in, and read it as if you had never seen it before. Then delete the test page so the database stays clean. Small tests catch problems early, before they reach your real pages.

Next steps after your first template

Once your first template works, check how links open on your Mac. Notion links from a browser can open in the desktop app, which helps when your notes live there. The steps are in how to open Notion links in the desktop app.

If the app will not open on your Mac at all, start with the chip check in the not supported error guide.