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:

  1. Log in as yourself.
  2. Create a folder in your User/Documents location. For convenience, you might name it "User Templates" or somesuch.
  3. Start Word.
  4. Open the "Preferences" from the "Word" menu, and select "File Locations" in the list on the left of the Preferences dialog.
  5. Select the "User Templates" setting and click Modify.
  6. Choose the "User Templates" folder you have just created.
  7. Select the "Workgroup Templates" setting and click Modify.
  8. Choose the original Templates folder in the "Microsoft Office X" folder in your "Applications" folder.
  9. Quit Word. If it asks if you want to save the Normal Template, click "Don't Save."
  10. 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.
  11. Repeat steps 1 to 9 for each user.
  12. 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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