Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Adding Individual Styles to the Template.

Adding Individual Styles to the Template

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 6, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


Templates are used in Word to define how you want your menus, toolbar, ribbon, glossary, and default styles to appear. When you are either adding new styles or changing existing styles, Word allows you to update the template to reflect those style changes. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure the Home tab of the ribbon is displayed.
  2. Click the small arrow at the bottom-right corner of the Styles group. The Styles pane appears at the right of the program window.
  3. In the Styles pane, scroll through the list of styles until you see the style you want to change.
  4. Move the mouse pointer over the style name and then click on the down-arrow at the right side of the style name.
  5. Click on Modify. The Modify Style dialog box appears. (See Figure 1.)
  6. Figure 1. The Modify Style dialog box.

  7. Make sure the New Documents Based On This Template radio button is selected.
  8. Make any changes to the style you desire.
  9. Click on OK.
  10. To add or update other styles in the template file, repeat steps 3 through 8.
  11. When you have finished changing styles, close the Styles pane.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6012) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Adding Individual Styles to the Template.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Setting Print Quality

When printing information in a workbook, you may want to take advantage of the different print quality settings available ...

Discover More

Finding the Path to the Desktop

Figuring out where Windows places certain items (such as the user's desktop) can be a bit frustrating. Fortunately, there ...

Discover More

Making the Default Image Resolution Persistent

You can specify how much image compression Excel uses on images added to your workbooks. Getting Excel to remember the ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Numbering on New Paragraph Doesn't Work as Expected

Numbering in Word can be a bit tricky to navigate. Sometimes it works as it should, and other times it seems to be doing ...

Discover More

Preserving Style Formatting when Combining Documents

Insert one document into another and you may not get the results you expect. Here's why, along with what you can do about it.

Discover More

Saving Styles in a Macro

If you are trying to limit what styles can and can't be used in a document, you might think a good approach is to store ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 - 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.