Using Normal.dot

Topic

New Reply

Hello.
If there is a global Normal.dot, does this override the local Normal.dot? How would someone
use their local Normal.dot in preference?
Thanks, Andy.

Reply | Quote

Replies

Word looks in your personal Normal.dot (in your user templates folder) for styles, autotext entries, macros and keyboard/toolbar customizations before looking in global templates (including a Normal.dot in other locations than your user templates folder).

My personal preference is to have only one template named Normal.dot, and to give other global templates different names.

Reply | Quote

Thank you.
So if, for example, I wanted to change the default font for everyone I would need to
distribute a new copy of Normal.dot and get people to replace their own Normal.dot?
Andy.

Reply | Quote

Normal.dot is meant as a “personal” default template – it doesn’t only contain styles, but also formatted autocorrect entries, autotext entries, macros, toolbar and keyboard customizations. So it is not a good idea to replace users’ Normal.dot template – they’d lose all their customizations.

If you want people to use certain fonts etc., I’d create companywide templates (for example a letter template, a memo template, a report template, …) and make those available in a network folder. If users set their workgroup templates folder to this network folder (this can be done automatically by a group policy), the company templates will be available when they click “General Templates…” in the New Document task pane.

Reply | Quote

Thank you – exactly what I needed to know. Andy.

Reply | Quote