Specifying a Default Building Block Location

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 9, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


When Gay creates a Building Block and then tries to save it, the default location is for it to be saved in Building Blocks.dotx. Gay would like the default location to be Normal.dotm and wonders if there is a way to permanently specify the change.

As far as we can determine, there is no way to permanently specify a default location for your Building Blocks. Word always assumes that the default is in the Building Blocks.dotx template, as Gay notes. You can, however, modify the location each time you go to save a Building Block.

That being said, there is good reason to allow Word to save your Building Blocks in the default template that it proposes. Traditionally, the Normal template has been a source of potential problems as more and more info gets stuffed into the file. When the Building Blocks are moved to a separate template, this frees up space in the Normal template and means that there is less chance of corrupting the file over time.

The other thing to remember is that Building Blocks tend to be highly customized to the needs of an individual user. By putting them in their own template, that makes it easier to standardize the Normal template across multiple users in a company without disturbing the individualized Building Blocks used by employees.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (7977) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

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

Who Has the File Open?

Open a workbook that someone else is working on, and you won't be able to save your changes back into the same file. ...

Discover More

Setting a Default Workbook Window Size and Zoom Level

In order to make working with a workbook comfortable, you often need to set both a window size and a zoom level for the ...

Discover More

Sorting an Entire List

Need to sort all the data in a table? Here's the fastest and easiest way to do it.

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Backing Up Building Blocks

Got a lot of Building Blocks defined in Word? You can back them up rather easily, but first you need to figure out where ...

Discover More

Synchronizing Building Blocks for a Network

Building blocks can be a great asset when putting together documents, as they make inserting standardized information ...

Discover More

Moving Building Block Templates

Not all templates are created equal. Word uses two special templates for storing building blocks. If you want to move ...

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 8 + 5?

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.