Create modifiable Normal templates for all Word V.x users
Dec 09, '03 09:11:00AM
Contributed by: Anonymous
I saw this tip over on the Usenet group microsoft.public.mac.office.word, and find it so helpful that I figure it deserves wider publication. Thanks to John McGhie for posting the original instructions.
MS Word X tends to use the same Normal.dot template file for all users under Mac OS X. Most users can't modify the template, so I find that custom settings don't get saved, or can be saved but must be manually reloaded. Here's how to make Word play nice:
- Log in as yourself.
- Create a folder in your User/Documents location. For convenience, you might name it "User Templates" or somesuch.
- Start Word.
- Open the "Preferences" from the "Word" menu, and select "File Locations" in the list on the left of the Preferences dialog.
- Select the "User Templates" setting and click Modify.
- Choose the "User Templates" folder you have just created.
- Select the "Workgroup Templates" setting and click Modify.
- Choose the original Templates folder in the "Microsoft Office X" folder in your "Applications" folder.
- Quit Word. If it asks if you want to save the Normal Template, click "Don't Save."
- Restart Word, change a toolbar (right-click, select "Customize" and add or remove a command) then Quit it again. This time, when it asks if you want to save the Normal Template, click "Save." Word will now create a customizable copy of the Normal template in the user's personal Template folder.
- Repeat steps 1 to 9 for each user.
- Remove the Normal Template file from the Applications:Microsoft Office X:Templates folder. This is rather important, since as long as the original Normal template still exists in the Microsoft Office:Templates folder, Word will continue to use the original.
[robg adds: I haven't tested this one.]
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