How to create a template in Word on Mac: steps for Microsoft 365 and Word 2024

A Word template is a starting file. It holds the text, styles, page setup and layout you want every new document to begin with. When you open a template, Word makes a new document from it, so the template file stays clean. That is the real payoff. You set up the layout once, then skip the same setup every time you write a proposal, report or letter.

Build the layout before you save

Start with a real document, not an empty page you plan to fill later. Add the parts that never change, and leave out the parts that do. Word saves everything in the file, so anything you leave in will appear every time someone opens the template.

• Page size, margins and orientation
• Fonts, heading styles and paragraph spacing
• Header and footer text, such as your company name
• Placeholder text in square brackets, such as [Client name] and [Date]
• Standard sections like a cover block, a signature line or a contact footer
• Any boilerplate paragraphs you paste into almost every document

Save the file as a template on Mac

Choose File > Save as Template from the menu bar. In the Save As box, type a name. Optionally set a location in the Where box. Next to File Format, pick the template type, then click Save. Those four fields are the whole job.

Use .dotx unless the document contains macros. If you are unsure, pick .dotx. It is the safer default for a template that only holds text and layout.

By default, Word saves templates to ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates. The Library folder is hidden by default on a Mac. To see the folder, use Finder's Go to Folder command and paste the path. Check the folder after you save, so you know the file landed where you expected.

Start new documents from the template

Choose File > New from Template, or press ⇧⌘P. Pick your template from the list and click Create. Word opens a new document based on it. Save that document under its own name, so your edits never go back into the template file.

The list gets long fast. Use Search All Templates to find a template by name. Keep templates for the same job together, and name them so they sort well. A folder with Proposal, Proposal 2 and Proposal final is hard to scan.

Update a template without breaking it

Open a new document from the template and make your changes there. Then choose File > Save as Template and save it under a new name, such as Client proposal v2. Keep the older file until you have checked the new one.

Microsoft's Mac steps do not spell out how to open a saved template for editing. This route avoids that question, and it leaves the original alone. If the new version differs a lot from the old one, start from a similar template instead, then save the result as a new template.

Why a saved layout saves time

A Templafy survey of 2,000 knowledge workers, fielded in August 2026, found that most still edit AI-generated business documents before they are ready. The survey also measured formatting as a specific correction. Templafy is a vendor, so read the results as a signal, not a benchmark.

A template does not fix AI output or weak writing. It does remove the layout work you would otherwise repeat. Your headings, margins and fonts are correct before anyone types a word.

Change where Word looks for templates

Open Word > Preferences > Personal Settings > File Locations. Select User templates, click Modify, and enter the folder path you want. New templates save there from then on. Check the folder afterward, because older templates may still sit in the previous location.

This matters if your team keeps templates on a shared drive or in a folder that another app syncs. Pick one folder for the team and write it in your onboarding notes. Otherwise each person ends up with a slightly different copy of the same template.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Saving the template as .docx. The file then opens as a normal document, not as a template.
• Leaving real client names, prices or dates in the file. Everyone who starts a document from it sees that old content first.
• Building the layout in a blank window. You save an empty file with no styles to reuse.
• Naming files Document1 or Template. You will not find them again in a list of similar files.
• Expecting Save as Template in Word for the web. Word for the web uses a different copy method, covered below.
• Editing the template and saving over it. That version may be overwritten for everyone who uses it.

Word for the web and version checks

Word for the web does not offer true custom templates like the desktop app. Save the template as a .docx file in OneDrive, open it in Editing view, and choose Create a Copy. Use that copy as the starting point each time.

Check your build too. Microsoft says you need macOS 12 (Monterey) or later and Office app version 16.83 or later to update Office on a Mac. The latest Word for Mac build in Microsoft's update history is 16.114.4 (build 26110224), dated November 4, 2026. Open Word > About Word to see yours.

When Word acts strangely with templates

Every new document starts from Normal.dotm, so a template can carry some of that file's settings with it. If Word shows errors on every new document, Normal.dotm may be damaged. Microsoft's recovery steps move that file out of the way and rename a numbered backup copy to take its place. Keep a copy of the old file first, in case you need it.

Next steps after your first template

Once the template works, look at the rest of the layout. Headers, page numbers and a table of contents are often part of the same setup. The guides on adding a header in Word on Mac and changing the default font in Word on Mac cover settings that Normal carries into every document.

If you build templates for a team, the Word page for HR generalists on Mac covers templates, mail merge and Track Changes in one place.