Making Macros Available without Using the Normal Template

Michael has a set of macros that copy selected content from one open document to another open document. He's put these macros in a template in an attempt at portability, but they don't seem to be available within documents based on the template. Michael wonders if there is a way—short of putting them in the Normal template—to make these macros available to other open documents.

The traditional way to do this is to create your own template, which means that you save it using the DOTM extension. (Simply save the file as a macro-enabled template. This sets the extension properly.) Make sure that the template includes all of the macros that you want to universally access. (It should not contain macros that you want to keep in your Normal template, instead.)

When your template is set up and saved just the way you want it, follow these steps:

1. Display the Word Options dialog box.
2. At the left side of the dialog box, click Trust Center.
3. Click the Trust Center Settings button. Word displays the Trust Center.
4. At the left side of the Trust Center, click Trusted Locations. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Trusted Locations area of the Trust Center.

5. In the list of locations, locate and click once on the location that contains the word "Startup."
6. Note the full path for the location, located just below the list of locations. (Jot it down or copy it to somewhere like a temporary text document so you can refer to it later.) If, in your version of Word, you cannot see the full path in the dialog box, click the Modify button and you can see it in the resulting dialog box.
7. Repeatedly click the Cancel button until you've closed all the open dialog boxes.

With the full path name in hand (step 6) you can get out of Word. You want, at this point, to locate the template you created earlier and copy it to the folder specified by the path name. It is in this folder (the Startup folder) that you place documents you want automatically loaded whenever you start Word. By placing the template there, you are assured that it will be opened when you start Word, and that the macros it contains will be available during your Word session.

You should note that the folder you discovered through the above steps (the one shown in step 6) is probably a hidden folder on your system. This may make it a bit tricky to track down, but you can search on my WindowsTips site (windows.tips.net) to find out how to display and use hidden folders.

There is one potential "gotcha" here: When you place the template in the Startup folder, the macros in the template can be run, but they cannot be directly edited. If you need to make changes to them (or add other macros to the template), you'll want to get out of Word and, within Windows, move the template out of the Startup folder. You can then load the template directly and make changes you desire. Then, save the template and again get out of Word. Finally, use Windows to move the template back to the Startup folder.

Note that once your template is fairly stable (the template you stored in the Startup folder), you can share that template with others and invite them to store it in their own Startup folder. You'll need to give them directions, of course, on how to do that storing, as noted above.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (4632) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.